Na Doreen Hall Vann
ʻO wau ʻo Doreen Hall Vann, he Kanaka ʻŌiwi nō au i hānau a hānai ʻia ma ka mokupuni ʻo Oʻahu. Paʻa mau kēia ma nā ʻano a pau i ka ʻāina a me nā kānaka o Hawaiʻi.
I loko o ka nohona aloha nui au i ulu aʻe ai ma ke aʻo ʻana i nā haʻawina o nā moʻolelo me nā kūpuna. Na ia mau haʻawina i hōʻike mai i ke koʻikoʻi o ka ʻohana, ke kaiaulu, me ka mālama ʻana kekahi i kekahi – ʻo ia hoʻi nā haʻa- wina me nā manaʻo nui e kaʻi mai ana iaʻu i kēia mau lā nō.
I ka makahiki 2019, ua neʻe aku mākou ʻo kaʻu kāne ʻo Marquise a me kā māua keiki kāne ʻo Zaiden Kaualeimaʻohūonalani Vann i Las Vegas. ʻAʻole i maʻalahi ka haʻalele ʻana i ko mākou home aloha ma hope, akā ua makemake au e huli i nā mea kūpono hou no kaʻu ʻohana me ka paʻa mau i loko o ko mākou kuanaʻike a moʻomeheu.
Ua hele kula mua ʻo Zaiden i Ke Kula Kaiapuni ʻo Waiau, a ma laila i aʻo ai ʻo ia ma o ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma ka papa mālaaʻo, e like me kaʻu mau kaikamāhine ʻekolu ma mua ona.
Ma ʻaneʻi ma Las Vegas, mālama nō mākou i ka ʻike kūpuna. Eia ke komo pū nei māua ʻo Zaiden i ka papa ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma Vegas Vista Academy – ka papa ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi mua loa ma ʻaneʻi i aʻo ʻia he alo a he alo – he ala maikaʻi ia e ola ai ka ʻōlelo iā māua.
Ola ka ʻōlelo makuahine iā mākou i kēlā lā kēia lā. Lohe ʻia nō ma ka hale, ma ke kahua pōhili, a ma nā hālāwai o ka Hawaiian Civic Club. Ma o ka ʻōlelo, nā moʻolelo, a me nā waiwai e ola mau ai ko mākou mauli Hawaiʻi.
He ʻokoʻa loa ka nohona ma Las Vegas, eia nō naʻe mau ko mākou nohona aloha. ʻO Hawaiʻi nō ko mākou kulāiwi, eia nō naʻe, me mākou nō ke aloha e kaʻahele mau ai.
