Na Uakoko Chong
E ka makamaka heluhelu, aloha ʻoe. E hoʻonanea pū mai me ka Hui Mālama i ke Ala ʻŪlili (huiMAU) i kēia wahi pūpū ʻo ka ʻai a me ka iʻa no ka ʻāina kihi loa o Hāmākua.
No ka ʻai: He ʻumi makahiki i kaʻahope aku nei mai ka wā i hoʻomaka ai ka mālama ʻana o ka ʻohana ʻo Hui Mālama i ke Ala ʻŪlili i ka ʻāina puʻuhonua ʻo Koholālele ma Hāmākua Hikina. He mea nui kēia alu like ʻana o ka ʻohana i ia wā, no ka mea, ua ʻike maka lākou i ka hopena ʻo ka mālama ʻole ʻia o ko mākou ʻāina kulāiwi aloha nui ʻia, a ʻo ia hoʻi ka uhi ʻia o ka ʻāina e ka ʻōpala. Ua alu pū mākou me ka manaʻo hoʻokahi e hoʻomaʻemaʻe i ka ʻāina ma ka ʻohi ʻōpala ʻana, ma ka ʻōlaʻolaʻo ʻana aku i ka pūpū weuweu kini, a ma ke kanu ʻana hoʻi i ka ʻai no ke kaiāulu. Ma ka noke ʻana i kēia hana nui ma ia mau makahiki he ʻumi, i ulu ai ka pahuhopu, Ka Maha ʻUlu o Koholālele.
Ma ka malama ʻo Nana o ka makahiki 2021, ua hoʻomaka kūhelu ʻia ke kua ʻana i nā kumu palepiwa ma ka ʻāina kula o Koholālele. I ke komo ʻana i ka malama ʻo Welo, he ʻumikūmākahi ʻeka ʻāina o ke kumu palepiwa i hoʻohina ai ma kahi mālaʻelaʻe. Me ke kākoʻo ʻana mai o Ikaika Kūaliʻi, nāna nō i hana kīpulu i ke kumu palepiwa i mea e hoʻomomona hou ai i ka lepo no ke kumu ʻulu. ʻO ke au ʻo Makaliʻi ka pō, ua ka ua, kuʻi ka hekili, ʻōlapa maila ka uila, kīkaha ka ʻiwa, a piʻo maila ke ānuenue. Ma ke kilo ʻana i kēia mau hōʻailona, ʻo ia ka wā hoʻokahi i hoʻīnana ʻia aʻe ai ka Maha ʻUlu o Koholālele i kino mai ma ka ʻāina kula. Ua hele nui maila ke kanaka nui a me ke kanaka iki e kanu i kumu ʻulu ma kēia wā laʻa ua. He 65 kumu ʻulu i kanu ʻia ihola – hoʻokahi fiti, he 26 maʻafala, a he 35 maoli.
ʻO kā mākou pahuhopu nui, ʻo ka lilo ʻana o ka ʻāina he kanawalu ʻeka i maha ʻulu na ka lehulehu o Hawaiʻi. ʻO kēia ka makamua ʻo ke kanu ʻana i nā ʻai ʻōiwi ma nā ʻeka he 80 o Koholālele, a he koʻikoʻi kēia hana i mea e hoʻolako ai i nā ʻohana me nā ʻai pono kūloko ma Hāmakua nei ma kahi o nā ʻai no waho mai.
No ka iʻa: Aia ma lalo iho pono o ka ʻāina kula o Koholālele, ke noho ala nā iʻa o kēlā ʻano kēia ʻano mai kaʻe o ka pali lele koaʻe a i ke kai lele koholā. He maʻamau ka ʻike ʻia ʻana o ka lawaiʻa i makalae i ka paeaea a me nā wāhine kahakai i kēia mau lā. ʻOiai, he ala ʻūlili ko Hāmākua, he hāiki loa ka hele ʻana o ka wāwae i kai a hele wale nō nā kānaka kāʻeʻaʻeʻa o ia pali kahakai.
ʻO kekahi hana kūmau i hoʻokumu ʻia maila i ka makahiki nei, ʻo ka helu ʻana i nā iʻa e lele ana i ka pali, nā iʻa e noho ana i ka lihi kai, a me nā iʻa e holo ana i ka moana i kēlā me kēia malama. E like me kilo ʻana a nā kūpuna i ke ao kūlohelohe, pēlā nō kā mākou i Koholālele e ʻike maka ai i nā ʻano hiʻohiʻona o ke ao, ka makani, ka moana, a me ko a kai ma ke kau a ma ka hoʻoilo. He hoʻoulu ʻia ka pilina i ko a kai i loko o ka hana helu iʻa a me ke kilo i ke ao kūlohelohe. I loko nō o ka holo o ka manawa, aia nō ke ʻano o ka lawaiʻa a me ka wā e iho ai i kai i ke ao. E nānā ka maka, hoʻolohe ka pepeiao, paʻa ka waha.
Me kēia ʻike kuʻuna, he nihi ka hele ma ke kumu pali me ka makaʻala pū ʻana aku i ka poʻina a ka nalu. Mai huli kou kua i ke kai o lilo aku. Ke loaʻa ka manawa e mālie mai ai ke kai, ʻo ia ka wā e holoholo aku ai, a laila, hoʻi hou i uka. He mea nui loa ka hāʻawi ʻana i ke ahonui ma ka holoholo kahakai. I kekahi manawa, he lawaiʻa a he lawaiʻa ʻole paha ka loaʻa. ʻOiai he mea nui ka ʻai a me ka iʻa i ke kanaka, he waiwai ko ka ʻike pū ʻana i ka pōʻaiapuni ola o ka iʻa a me ka wā pua iʻa o ka lihi kai a ma ke kai, e maopopo ai he wā e lawe aku ai a i ʻole he wā e waiho aku ai i ka iʻa, i māhua mau ko a kai ma Koholālele no kēia mua aku.
No laila, e ka hoa hialaʻai o kēia pūpū hoʻokahi, e hele kino mai i Koholālele e launa ai me mākou, me Hui Mālama i ke Ala ʻŪlili, ma ka pū paʻakai me ka walea o nā pepeiao i ka haʻi moʻolelo, a me ka huli ʻana o ka lima i lalo ma ko mākou ʻāina pali loa o Hāmākua. He leo mahalo pū kēia i nā papahana puʻu kālā kōkua a ke Keʻena Kuleana Hawaiʻi a me ka poʻe Hawaiʻi no ke kākoʻo ʻana mai i ka Hui Mālama i ke Ala ʻŪlili.
Ua hoʻokumu ʻia ka Hui Mālama i ke Ala ʻŪlili (huiMAU) e nā ʻohana ʻōiwi o Hāmākua Hikina, Hawaiʻi i ka makahiki 2011. ʻO ka ʻohana ke koʻo o ka hālau e paʻa ai – ʻo ka ʻike kuʻuna ʻoe, ʻo ka moʻolelo Hawaiʻi ʻoe, ʻo ka mahi ʻai ʻoe, ʻo ke aloha ʻohana ʻoe, a ʻo ka hoʻonohopapa ʻoe. ʻO Uakoko Chong ka luna hoʻolaukaʻi hoʻonaʻauao o Hui Mālama i ke Ala ʻŪlili.
 i kēia wahi pūpū ʻo ka ʻai a me ka iʻa no ka ʻāina kihi loa o Hāmākua.){kind=link}