Photo: Makahiki
Last November, nearly 400 members of the Hāna community - with generations of ʻohana ranging in age from 8 to 83 - participated in Hāna's 9th Annual Makahiki Ceremony. The event was the culmination of months of work and planning, including learning and practicing ceremonial chants, making instruments like kāʻekeʻeke and kalāʻau (pictured here), and growing and preparing foods specifically for the celebration. - Photos: Shandelle Nakanelua

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Unuhi ʻia e Paige M.K. Okamura

Lōkahi maila ke kaiāulu no ka mālama like ʻana i ka ʻaha Makahiki

Kākaʻikahi ke komo like ʻana o ke kaiāulu holoʻokoʻa i nā hana o ka Makahiki – ʻo ia ke kau i hoʻolaʻa ʻia no ke akua ʻo Lono (kekahi o nā akua nui ʻehā o Kahiki) i hoʻomaka ma ka hopena o ʻOkakopa a e pani ana i kēia mahina. He kau maluhia nō ia; he wā no ka hoʻomaha ʻana a me ka pāʻani ʻana.

“ʻO ka mea i hala iā kākou, ʻo ia ke kumu [o ka mālama ʻana i ka Makahiki], a pehea kākou, nā kānaka o ke au nei, e hoʻi hou ai i ia kumu nui o ka Makahiki i mea e hoʻonui ai I ko kākou ʻike no ke koʻikoʻi o ia kau,” wahi a Kauʻi Kanakaʻole, he kumu hula, a he wahine kūpaʻa i ka ʻike me nā hana kuʻuna.

Wehewehe maila ʻo Kauʻi, na ʻAnakē Nālani [Kanakaʻole] i aʻo aku iā ia, “ma nā hana hoʻomana a me nā moʻokiʻina kahiko i kilo ai ko kākou mau kūpuna i nā ʻouli o ka honua, i paipai ai i nā kahua, i hoʻokumu ai i nā aupuni, a i holo ai ma ka moana nui.”

I ka makahiki 2016, ua mālama ʻia ka ʻaha Makahiki ma kona ʻāina kulāiwi ʻo Hāna, Maui, ma o kona hālau hula ʻo Hālau o Nakaulakuhikuhi. Ua kōkua a kākoʻo maila nā limahana o Ala Kukui, Kahanu Gardens, Ma Ka Hana Ka ʻIke, a me nā hui mālama ʻāina o Maui Hikina.

“Ua ulu a nui aʻe nō mākou mai kēlā hui liʻiliʻi,” wahi a Kanakaʻole. “Ua ʻike au, ʻo ka Makahiki kekahi wā kūpono no ko kākou launa hou mai me kēlā mau hana hoʻomana, hana haipule, a hoʻokomo i ia mau hana i loko o nā hana o kēia au i mea e ʻoi aʻe ai ka hoʻomaopopo pono ʻana i ka ʻike o ka ʻāina.”

ʻAʻole nō i maʻalahi ka hoʻomohala ʻana i ka ʻaha Makahiki ma Maui Hikina. Nui ka hana, ka manawa, ka hilinaʻi, ke aʻo a me ka hoʻomaʻamaʻa ʻana i nā oli, a me ka hana ʻana i nā mea hoʻokani, e laʻa me ke kāʻekeʻeke, ke kālaʻau, a me ka ʻūlili.

Photo: Lele with Makahiki offerings.
Lele with Makahiki offerings.

No ka hoʻomākaukau ʻana i ka ʻaha ʻaina, ua kanu a ʻohi ʻia nā mea kanu i pili iā Lono, a i ʻole nā mea kanu punahele a ka poʻe o Maui Hikina. Ua hopu ʻia ka puaʻa no ka imu ma kahi o Piʻilanihale, ʻo ia ka heiau nui loa o ko Hawaiʻi pae ʻāina.

“ʻO ka mea ʻai no ka ʻaha ʻaina, he mea hoʻohālikelike ia no ka hānai ʻana i ke kino a me ka ʻuhane, a he hōʻailona ia no ka pilina mālama ma waena o nā kānaka a me ka honua,” wahi a Kanakaʻole. “Hānai ʻia kākou e ka momona o ka ʻāina, a no laila, hoʻomau ʻia kēia pilina me ka ʻāina.”

Ma ka lā 8 o Nowemapa, 2024, ua ʻākoakoa maila he 375 mau kānaka – he mau hanauna i kū mai, mai nā keiki 8 makahiki a hiki i nā kūpuna he 83 makahiki – no ka mālama ʻana i ka ʻeiwa o ko Hāna ʻAha Makahiki. Ua hoʻomaka me ke oli a me ka hula, a laila ka ʻaha ʻaina, a laila nā pāʻani Makahiki.

Photo: Keiki participating in Makahiki games
Makahiki games included hukihuki (tug-of-war).

ʻO kekahi mea koʻikoʻi i ʻike ʻia ma kēia ʻaha Makahiki, ua ʻauamo kekahi o ke kaiāulu i nā kūlana alakaʻi ma ka ʻaha. Aʻo mai lākou i ke kaʻina hana no ka ʻālana, nā oli, a me nā kinolau o Lono i mea e hoʻomaopopo mai ai ke kumu o ka hoʻonohonoho ʻia ʻana ma ka lele.

Na Misty Fontanilla i ʻauamo i ia kuleana.

“I koʻu ʻauamo ʻana i kēia kuleana, ke hoʻokō nei au i koʻu kuleana kanaka,” wahi a Fontanilla. “He hōʻike ia o koʻu hoʻoikaika ʻana, koʻu kūpaʻa ʻana, a he laʻana ia no kaʻu mau kaikamāhine. Pīhoihoi au e ʻauamo hou i kēia kuleana no nā makahiki e hiki mai ana, a ʻo koʻu manaʻolana ia e ʻauamo pū ana nā kānaka ʻē aʻe.”

Ua komo pū ke kāne a Fontanilla, ʻo Liloa, me Kilinahe, kā lāua kaikamahine (he ʻeiwa ona mau makahiki) i kēia ʻaha Makahiki. He mea hou loa no lāua, a me ke kaiāulu o Maui Hikina, eia naʻe, ʻōlelo ʻo ia ua maʻa lāua i ka hana.

“Ma koʻu naʻau, he mea maʻamau ia no koʻu ʻohana ko kākou komo pū ʻana i ka ʻaha. Me he mea lā, ua kau pū nō mākou ma ka waʻa nui, a ke holo nei kēia waʻa i kahi e pono ai mākou. Noʻu, he hōʻailona ia aia nō mākou ma ke ala kūpono,” i kaʻana mai ʻo Fontanilla.

“Ua kupanaha ka ʻike ʻana i ke aʻo ʻana, ka hoʻoili ʻana i ka ʻike, ka hoʻomau ʻana i ka hana, ka hoʻonui ʻana i ke kuanaʻike, me ke alakaʻi ʻana ma ka manawa like – eia naʻe, ʻo ka hopena kēia o ka hana o nā hānaunau ma mua o mākou,” wahi a Kanakaʻole.

Mau nō kona kūpaʻa ʻana i ka hoʻonaʻauao ʻana i kona kaiāulu e pili ana i ka ʻaha Makahiki, i kīpaipai ʻia e kona kupunahine, kumu hula Edith Kanakaʻole, i ʻōlelo mau, “Pono e hoʻonaʻauao i ko kākou lāhui.”

Kuhi maila ʻo Kanakaʻole, ke maopopo ko kākou lāhui i ke kumu o nā hana o nā kūpuna, e pono ana ka naʻau. “A, ʻaʻole hiki ke hoʻopaʻapaʻa me kou naʻau.”