Ke laha nei ka hula iā Kaila Chung ma kahi māhele ʻāina o Kenetuke e kaulana nei i ka Bluegrass. Ma ke ʻano he alakaʻi ʻo Chung no Kumu Kawika Keikialiʻi Alfiche, ua alakaʻi ʻo ia iā Hui Kaululehua ma Louisville mai ka makahiki 2022.
“ʻO ka hui kuʻu pili, a ʻo ka hula kuʻu mea koʻikoʻi,” wahi a Chung, 34. He loa naʻe ka helena ma kēia ala.
Hānau ʻia ʻo Chung ma Stuttgart, Kelemānia, a ʻoiai kona mau mākua e hana ana no ka Pūʻali Koa o ʻAmelika, ua piha kona wā kamaliʻi i ka huakaʻi ʻana a puni ka honua. Ua hānau ʻia kona makua kāne, ʻo Norman Kauila Chung, ma Honolulu. He kanaka hapa Pāke kona makua kāne, a he wahine Kepanī kona makuahine. He wahine Kelemānia ʻo Dei Chung, ka makuahine o Kaila.
Neʻe akula ka ʻohana Chung i Likemona, Wilikinia, kahi i hānau ʻia he keiki kāne, ʻo Zach Kauila Chung, ke kaikunāne o Kaila. Hoʻonoho ʻia ka ʻohana i Seoul, Kōlea Hema, a laila i ke komo ʻana o Chung i ka papa ʻekolu ma ke kula, neʻe hou akula ka ʻohana i Louisville.
No ka hapa nui o kona wā ʻōpio, ʻoi aku ko Chung pilina i kona ʻaoʻao Pākē me kona ʻaoʻao Kepanī. “He mea nui ka moʻomeheu ma ko mākou ʻohana, akā, ʻaʻole i nui ko mākou walaʻau ʻana no ko mākou moʻokūʻauhau Hawaiʻi,” wahi āna.
Hoʻomanaʻo ʻo Chung i kona ʻano kūʻokoʻa mai kona wā hele kula waena: he keiki lōʻihi, ʻoi aʻe ma luna o kona mau hoa papa, he hapa ʻĀkia, he mau mea ʻē ma ia ʻāina.
ʻOiai ua hei ʻo ia i nā hana hoʻonaʻauao, ua paipai kekahi kumu āna e hoʻāʻo e komo i ka pāʻani pōhīnaʻi. Lilo ia i hana maʻamau nāna, me ka pāʻani pōpaʻipaʻi kekahi.
Paʻē maila ka leo kāhea iā ia e komo i ka hana mikionali i kona wā ma ke kula waena. Hele pū ʻo ia me kona ʻohana, he mau lālā o ka hale pule Papekiko Hema, ma ka huakaʻi ʻelele i Kina. A ma hope o kona puka ʻana mai ke kula kiʻekiʻe ʻo Atherton i ka makahiki 2009, huakaʻi akula ʻo ia me kāna hui ʻōpio ma kahi huakaʻi ʻelele hou aku i Palakila.
Ma ke Kulanui o Kenetuke, he haumāna mekia aʻo ʻōlelo Pelekānia ʻo ia no ʻelua makahiki ma mua o kona kuapo ʻana i mekia ʻōlelo Pelekānia wale nō. Ua puni kona ola kula nui i ka hui ʻo Christian Student Fellowship. I kona makahiki ʻekolu, ua hele ʻo ia i ka ʻaha ʻo Passion, he ʻaha no nā ʻōpio Kalikiano, ma ʻAtalana, Keokia. ʻO ke kumu manaʻo o ia aha, ʻo ia hoʻi: ke kālepa kanaka ʻana.
“Ua ʻike koke au ma koʻu naʻau, ʻo kēia nō ke kuleana aʻu e ʻauamo ai,” i ʻōlelo ai ʻo Chung.
Ma hope o ka hoʻokō ʻia ʻana o kāna kekelē laepua i ka makahiki 2013, komo ʻo ia i ka papahana laeoʻo ma ka hana mālama kaiāulu (ʻo ia hoʻi, ka social work) ma ke Kulanui o Louisville.
He makahiki koʻikoʻi ka makahiki 2014 kekahi, ʻoiai ua hoʻomaka ʻo Chun i kāna hana kākoʻo i nā kānaka i hoʻomāinoino ʻia ma ka ʻohana, a me nā luaahi puʻe ma ke Keʻena Loio o ke Kalana o Jefferson. Ma ia makahiki like i hoʻomaka ai ʻo ia e aʻo i ka hula me ka ʻOri Tahiti ma kekahi keʻena hula ʻo ʻIke Roa.
“Ma laila nō i hoʻomaka ai koʻu huakaʻi ʻimi ʻike i ko mākou ʻaoʻao Kanaka Maoli,” wahi āna.
Ma o kekahi mau makahiki ma hope, komo ʻo Chung i ka hula. Male ʻo ia, a laila, ua ʻoki ʻia. Puka kula ʻo ia i ka makahiki 2018 a Laila, i ka makahiki 2019, lilo ʻo ia i limahana ma ke Keʻena Mākaʻi ʻo Louisville Metro – a mau nō kāna hana ma laila a hiki i keia lā.
I ka wā o ka maʻi ahulau ʻo COVID-19, launa akula ʻo Chun me Kumu Kawika me kona hālau ma o ka punaewele, ma ka Zoom hoʻi. Ma hope o kona kaʻawale ʻana maiā ʻIke Roa mai, hoʻokumu ʻo ia i kahi hui ma lalo o Kumu Kawika a lilo ʻo ia he lālā o kona hālau ma ka makahiki 2022. I ka mahina ʻo Mei, na kāna mau haumāna o Hui Kaululehua – he mau kānaka Polenekia ka hapanui o lākou – i mālama i kā lākou hoʻolauleʻa moʻomeheu Polenekia mua loa, ʻo Aloha Lou!
Ua hoʻomaka ʻē ka hoʻolālā ʻana no kēia makahiki aʻe, pēlā pū me ka hoʻolālā ʻana no ka Hui Kaululehua Cultural Center, he wahi ia a Chung e manaʻolana nei e lilo ana i “kahi palekana no ka poʻe Polenekia.”
ʻOiai ʻo Chung e wāwahi nei i kona ʻano haipule iho nō, ke ʻoi aʻe nei kona pilina i kona ʻano he Kanaka Maoli.
“Lōʻihi ka wā i hoʻoluhi hewa ʻia ka lāhui Hawaiʻi, eia naʻe, mau nō mākou ma ʻaneʻi,” i ʻōlelo ai ʻo Chung. “Mau nō ko mākou haʻi ʻana i kēia mau moʻolelo, a ʻo ia ke kumu o kā mākou hana nei.”
