Ua hānau ʻia ʻo Batimea Puaʻaiki ma Waikapū, Maui ma ka makahiki 1785. Wahi a Likeke Limaikaika, kekahi mikioneli ʻAmelika ma Wailuku a ke kanaka nāna i kākau i ko Puaʻaiki moʻolelo, ua kīloi ka makuahine i ke kino hapakuʻe o ke keiki i ka lua kupapaʻu akā ua hoʻopakele ʻia e haʻi a hānai ʻia ʻo ia e ia. Ua makapō ke keiki kāpī puaʻa a kapa ʻia ʻo ia ʻo Puaʻaiki. Na nā mikioneli i kapa iā ia, ʻo Batimea, ma muli o ke kanaka makapō nāna i hea aku iā Iesū o Nazareta, “E ke keiki a Dāvida, e aloha mai ʻoe iaʻu.”
ʻOiai makapō ia kanaka. Ua hele a kaulana ʻo ia no kona mākaukau hoʻopaʻa naʻau ʻana. Eia kekahi mea ā Limaikaika i kākau ai e pili ana iā Batimea:
“O na mea ana i lohe ai, paa i loko o kona naau. Lua ole kona akamai i ka paanaau ana i ka ke Akua olelo. Lohe oia i kekahi pooolelo, aole nalo, aole haule ia ia a hala na makahiki, he 10, a 15 paha, paanaau maoli no i ia. Aole unuhiia a Kaula Ezekiela, paa e ka mokuna 33 ia Puaaiki, a ku mai oia i loko o kekahi halawai, a heluhelu mai ka paanaau a pau loa. Pela no na halelu, na olelo a Isaia, me Solomoa, aole paiia, a ka olelo maoli, paa e ma mua kau wahi ia Puaaiki. Mamua o kona make ana, mea e kanui o ka Olelo Hemolele ka i paa iloko o kona naau; lua ʻole.”
Ua pūʻiwa nā mikioneli i kā Batimea kālena akā no ka poʻe Hawaiʻi, he mea kuluma ia noʻeau. Ua ʻailolo ʻia nā kāhuna, nā kāula, nā kākāʻōlelo, a me nā loea hula i ka hoʻopaʻanaʻau ʻana i nā mele, nā moʻolelo, a me nā moʻokūʻauhau. E nānā ma ke mele ʻo Ke Kumulipo, mau kaukani lālani ma kēlā mele pūʻolo ʻike.
Eia ke kumu o ko Batimea noʻeau i ka hoʻopaʻa naʻau. I kona wā kamaliʻi ua hoʻouna ʻia ʻo ia i Kaupō. Ma laila ʻo ia i aʻo ʻia ai i ka hula pahua. Wahi a kekahi apohao a Liholiho, ʻo ke ʻano o ia hula, “he ku ke kino iluna, he kuhi na lima, he helei na wawae, he oni ke kino, he mele ka waha…” Ma hope o kona ʻailolo ʻana, ua lawe a mālama ʻia e Kamāmalu, ka wahine aliʻi a Liholiho, i kanaka ma kona aloaliʻi.
Wahi a Limaikaika, ua puni ke aliʻi wahine iā Puaʻaiki ma muli o kona ʻike i ka hula pahua a me kona hulu no ka mea he kanaka hulu nui a poupou ʻo Puaʻaiki. Inā “aia makemake na lii i ka lealea, kii aku lakou a Puaaiki e hula imua o lakou, a pau ka hula, ina loaa ia ia he wahi ai a me kekahi awa.”
I 1820, ka wā i hele mai ai nā mikioneli i Hawaiʻi, aia ʻo Puaʻaiki ma Honolulu. ʻAʻole hiki iā ia ke haʻalele i kona moena ma muli o kekahi maʻi nui o ke kino. Ua lohe ʻo Honoliʻi e pili ana iā Batimea a kipa iā ia. ʻO Honoliʻi kekahi o nā Hawaiʻi i hoʻi i Hawaiʻi mai Bosetona mai e mahele aku i ka “nū hou”, ʻo ia hoʻi, ua hele mai ʻo Iesū e “imi a loaa na mea i nalo.”
No laila, ua huli ko Puaʻaiki naʻau i ke Akua a maha mai kona maʻi. Mai kēlā lā ā hiki i kona moe hau loa ma Wailuku, ua hoʻohiki e hāhai i nā ʻōlelo a Iesū. ʻOiai ua makapō ʻo ia, he kanaka ia e like me Batimea o ka Baibala, ua hiki iā ia ke ʻike leʻa i ka ʻoiāʻiʻo.
Aia kekahi kope o ka moʻolelo o Batimea Puaʻaiki ma Ulukau.org
