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Nā Keiki Oki Uaua o Nā Pali

Nā Keiki Oki Uaua o Nā Pali

In this pukana ʻekolu of our Wiliau blog, we feature a book review of The Properties of Perpetual Light by Julian Aguon, written ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi by our very own Kamalei Marrotte. This ʻatikala (article) was originally written for Ka Ulu Hoi, the Hawaiian Language Newspaper at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. 

ʻO kākou a pau he mau haʻi moʻolelo, he mau mea kākau nō hoʻi. He ʻoiaʻiʻo nō. Haʻi moʻolelo kākou a pau ma o ke kamaʻilio ʻana me nā hoa, ma o nā kiʻi a kākou e paʻi ai, ma o nā lepe kiʻi e kau ʻia ai ma Instagram, a ma o ka haʻi ʻana aku i ko kākou mau moʻolelo pilikino ponoʻī. 

He mau ʻano o ke kākau ʻana i ʻike nui ʻia i kēia wā. He hoʻolaha kūʻiʻo kekahi, he hoʻolaha nūhou kekahi, he hoʻolaha manaʻo kekahi, he haʻi moʻolelo kekahi, a he leo paipai kekahi. A he mau hopena ʻokoʻa o ka heluhelu ʻana i ua mau mea nei ma muli o ka leo o kēlā me kēia ʻano o ke kākau ʻana. Ulu ka pīhoihoi i kekahi, ulu ka makaʻu i kekahi, ulu ka hoi i kekahi, a ulu ka mahuakala i kekahi. He aha ka hopena o kāu kākau ʻana? He aha hoʻi ka pahuhopu o kāu kākau ʻana?

Noʻu iho, he paʻakikī maoli nō ka heluhelu ʻana i nā ʻatikala, nā nūhou, a me nā puke i kākau ʻia i ka leo hoʻomahuakala. ʻO ia nō nā ʻano kākau ʻana i hāpai aʻe i kekahi pilikia me ka ʻole o ka hāpai ʻana i mau haʻina maikaʻi. He pono ke kamaʻilio ʻana i nā pilikia i ʻike nui ʻia i kēia wā, akā nō naʻe, ʻaʻole kākau nui ʻia ua mau mea nei i ka leo kīpaipai. ʻO ka pahuhopu nō o ke kamaʻilio ʻana i nā ʻano pilikia like ʻole ka ʻimi ʻana i mau haʻina o ua mau pilikia nei. No laila ʻo ke kamaʻilio ʻana ma o ka leo kīpaipai, ka leo aloha hoʻi, ka mea e hōʻeu ai nā mea heluhelu e hāʻawi manaʻo kekahi. I ka ʻōlelo nō ke ola, i ka ʻōlelo nō ka make. 

ʻO kekahi puke i hoʻoulu ʻole i ka mahuakala i ka naʻau o ka mea heluhelu, ʻo ia nō ka puke hou i kapa ʻia ʻo The Properties of Perpetual Light. Ua kākau ʻia nei puke e Julian Aguon, he kupa no Guam a he pua na ke Kula Kānāwai ʻo Richardson ma ke Kula Nui o Hawaiʻi ma Mānoa. Nāna i hoʻokumu i ka hui ʻo Blue Ocean Law i mea e kōkua ai i nā poʻe ʻōiwi like ʻole ma ka Pākīpika i kā lākou kiaʻi ʻana aku i ko lākou mau ʻāina ponoʻī. I ka heluhelu ʻana i kāna puke, ua ulu wale ke aloha a me ka mahalo i kona leo kīpaipai. Hoʻolaha ʻia nō nā ʻano pilikia like ʻole āna e ʻike ai ma o kāna haʻi ʻana aku i kona mau moʻolelo pilikino. ʻO ka noho hewa ʻana nō ʻoe o nā koa ʻAmelika ma Guam, ʻo ka hoʻokae ʻili ʻoe, ʻo ka hoʻoneo ʻāina ululāʻau nō ʻoe, ʻo ka pāhawewe nukelea ʻoe, ʻo ka hoʻokolonaio ʻia ʻana nō hoʻi ʻoe o Guam, a pēlā aku nō. ʻO kāna ʻōlelo palupalu a ʻo kona naʻau palupalu ka mea e pā ai ka naʻau i ua mau manaʻo nei. 

Wahi a ua Aguon nei, he wahi leka aloha kēia puke i nā ʻōpio e makaʻala i ka naʻau a laila “write as if everything they love is on the line. Because it is.” He wahi koi kēia i nā ʻōpio, kākou a pau hoʻi, e hōʻike wale aku i ko kākou aloha i ke anaina ma o ke kākau moʻolelo ʻana e like me ia nei. Hōʻike nui kēlā me kēia mokuna o kāna puke i ke kamaehu o kona poʻe Guama a me nā poʻe ʻōiwi o ka Pākīpika ma o ke aloha o kekahi i kekahi i ka ʻī ʻana aku, “I learned that day what happens when we stand up for each other. We find our friends. And our way home.” Hōʻike akula hoʻi ʻo ia i ka ʻole o ka waiwai o ka leo hoʻomahuakala penei: “I cannot think of anything more terrifying than children who do not believe the world can be changed. Children who do not dream, do not grow. They grow up, but they do not grow. Do not become adults. Adulthood is when we discover who we are… It’s when we go through that very important process of introspection, soul-searching, self-discovery. If we do not go through this process, we inevitably become unhappy people who wake up in the morning empty, afraid, unfulfilled.” He waiwai maoli nō ka loiloi ʻana i nā pilikia o kēia wā e like me ia nei, eia naʻe, ʻoi aku ka waiwai o ka loiloi ʻana me ke aloha i mea e paipai aku iā haʻi e ʻaʻa pū i ka hoʻopāpā keu a ke koʻikoʻi. Hoʻomau akula ʻo ia i ua manaʻo nei penei: “But what this island really lacks–what it really, really needs–is more imagination. More dreaming.” He wahi koi kēia i nā mea heluhelu e waiho aku i ka leo hoʻomahuakala a e aho e lana aʻe ka manaʻo. He pono ia. 

He hana kēia hoʻopāpā mau ʻana no ka pono o ka lāhui na ke keiki oki uaua o nā pali (ʻŌN 288). A ʻo ko kākou mālama ʻana o kekahi i kekahi ka mea e mau ai kēia uaua o ka naʻau i mea e hoʻokāʻoi ai kākou. ʻŌlelo ʻo ia penei, “The truth is, there’s nothing small about the greatness from which we come. We come from wayfinders. Seafarers who sliced through millions of miles of open ocean with… [a]n enormous map in their minds. One that accounted for every island and every swell of sea. Every bird and every star that shivers in the distance. If that’s not magic, I don’t know what is. So I’d tell [you] to draw close to that well, drink that water, then kindly bring someone else something to drink.” 

No laila, e ka mea heluhelu, he wā e inu i ka wai ʻawaʻawa a he wā hoʻi e inu i ka wai mānalo i mea e pohala ai ka naʻau e hoʻopāpā hou. He wahi koi kēia iā ʻoe e inu i ua wai nei, i ka wai mānalo, e heluhelu i ua puke nei keu a ka nani, a laila e kākau iho i mau moʻolelo e mau ai ke aloha a me ka uaua o kākou, ka poʻe Hawaiʻi.

Kaaipohaku*

*Kaaipohaku is Kamalei's pen name for the pieces that she has written for Ka Ulu Hoi. If you are interested in reading more stories like this, visit Ka Ulu Hoi to read the stories written by previous classes as well as this year's current haumāna.

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