Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 5, 1 May 2022 — “Mōhala i ka Wai ka Maka o ka Pua” [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

“Mōhala i ka Wai ka Maka o ka Pua”

J HE LEO HOU V ^ A NEW VOICE *

By Līhau Reyes-Duffey, Grade11 Hālau Kū Māna New Century Puhlie Charter School As I stood in line wearing my pāu hula, kīkepa, kūpe'e, lei, and lei po'o, an enormous sense of kuleana washed over me. The ahu that we had built and stained for Kū was one of the firsts in a long time that my sehool, Hālau Kū Māna New Century Puhlie Charter School, erected for closing Makahiki on March 4, 2022. As we sent Lono to Kahiki and welcomed Kū I finally felt ready to be the Kanaka I wanted to be and set intentions for the eoming year. From the time a haumana enters Hālau Kū Māna, oli becomes the eenterpiece for instruction and protocol. The oli that we learn at our kula remind me of where I eome ffom, why I am here, and where I will be going. This year, oli took on even greater clarity and significance for me. During part of the pandemic, to ensure everyone's safety, Hālau Kū Māna switched to 100% virtual learning. We stopped all oli because it was difficult to oli virtually as a class. And I missed it. Many of us missed it. As Hālau Kū Māna has emerged out of the pandemic, we have returned to traditional learning and begun our oli again. Every morning, we meet for wehe (to open) as a school. In cadence with the rush of Maunalaha stream alongside us, manu welcoming us with their mele, and the light drizzle of the ua Ka'eleloli

of Makīkī, we haumāna oli Kualoloa 'o Ka'ala by Kumu Kawika Mersberg, then Noho ana ke Akua, followed by E Ulu and Nā 'Aumakua. These oli request akua to grant us 'ike and inspiration. In particular, the oli, E Ulu says: E ulu E ulu Kini o ke akua Ulu Kāne me Kanaloa Ulu ohi'a lau koa me ka 'ie'ie A'e mai a noho i kou kuahu Eia ka wai lā He wai, e ola E ola nō e Be inspired Grow! Multitude ofgods Inspire us, Kāne and Kanaloa Grow and nourish us like the ohi'a, koa, and 'ie'ie And eome and rest upon your altar Here is the water The water oflife Forever we will thrive. ( Nakanishi ) At the start of eaeh day, when our entire school, some 160 leo strong, unite under these pleas and clear our minds and bodies of outside distractions and worries to focus on the learning before us, these oli transform us into young waihona (repositories of knowledge) who will preserve the traditions and knowledge that define our culture and identities as Kānaka. ■ Author's note: The 'Ōlelo No'eau (#2178) usedfor the title ofthis eolumn translates as "unfolded by the water are thefaces offlower" meaning that "flowers thrive where there is water, as thriving people are found where living conditions are good." The oli shared in this eolumn is from a collection of oli from Keola Nakanishi. Noho 'o Jah-Naya Līhauokekaimālie Reyes-Duffey ma ka aina uluwehi 'o Papakōlea.