Aloha e nā hoa makamaka o kēia kolamu ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. I kēlā mau mahina aku nei, ua mahalo kākou i nā mea makamae Hawaiʻi ma ka Hale Hōʻikeʻike Pelekania ma Lākana, ʻo ia hoʻi, nā mea waiwai hiwahiwa ma ka hōʻikeʻike hou ʻo Hawaiʻi: a kingdom crossing oceans. Ua ʻōlelo au, he ʻike lihi wale nō ka mea e hōʻike ʻia ana ma kēia ʻatikala nei a ua koi au iā ʻoukou e kūʻai i kope o ka puke ʻo Hawaiʻi: a kingdom crossing oceans nou ma UH Press.
ʻO ka pale o ia puke, ʻo ia nō ke kiʻi o kekahi kapa kahiko. ʻO kēlā wahi kapa, ua hoʻohiluhilu ʻia me nā laina a me nā lau kinona nui i pena kī hala ʻia. He kapa kahiko ia – he kapa i hana ʻia ma mua o ka hōʻea ʻana o Kapena Kuke mā. Ua hoʻolaina ʻia nā kapa kahiko me kekahi mea hana ʻohe me kekahi mau lāʻau ʻē aʻe. Ua kapa ʻia kēia mea hana he lapa a ua like ka lapa me kekahi ʻō lōʻihi. Nui ke kupanaha o nā kapa like ʻole ma ka hale hōʻikeʻike ma Lākana.
I ka manawa a Kapena Kuke i hōʻea ai i Hawaiʻi ma ka Makahiki 1778, ua ʻimi ʻo ia i mau lako no ka holo moana ʻana – ka wai maoli a me ka meaʻai ʻiʻo. Ua kālepa ka poʻe ʻEulo i mea ʻEulo i nā Kānaka Hawaiʻi. ʻO ka mea kālepa i makeʻe nui ʻia e nā Kānaka ʻo ia hoʻi ke kui hao, ke kui nao, a me nā mea hana mekala e like me ka ʻūpā a me ke koʻi hao.
Me kēia mau mea hao, ua hiki i nā Kānaka ke kālai i ka lāʻau me ka maʻalahi. A ʻo kekahi mea hana a ke kanaka kuku kapa i hoʻokāʻoi ai ma muli o ka hao, ʻo ia nō ka ʻohe kāpala. Me ka ʻohe kāpala ua loli nā lau o ke kapa a ua hele a nani loa nā pāʻū, nā kīhei, a me nā malo i hana ʻia no nā aliʻi.
Ua loli nō nā kinona me nā lau o ke kapa. Ua noʻonoʻo kekahi mau kānaka huli kanaka, ʻo ka ʻāpana lole ʻEulo i kālepa ʻia e like me ka lole ʻĪnia (chintz) a me ka lole kohu kaliko (calico), nā lau i hoʻopili ʻia e nā Kānaka. Pololei paha, ʻaʻole paha. Akā, ʻo ka loaʻa o ka hao ka mea i hoʻololi i ka mea hoʻonaninani kapa – mai ka lapa a i ka ʻohe kāpala.
Manomano a kōliʻu ka ʻike o nā kūpuna. Ua hōʻike mai nō lākou ma o ka hana kapa, ua hāmama ko lākou naʻau e lawe a hoʻohana i mea ʻē a hoʻololi i mea Kanaka.
