Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 5, 1 May 2006 — We Did No Wrong [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

We Did No Wrong

Dnnald B. Cataluna TrustEE, Kaua'i and Ni'ihau

Editor's note: This month, Trustee Cataluna has chosen to devote his eolunm space to the following poem by Hope Lahela Nitta, a 14-year-old student at Kamehameha Schools on Maui We Did No Wrong by Hope Lahela Nitta We did no wrong, We minded our own business, Yet still they purloin from us like greedy manu, Devouring all the fish, dominating the sea. We did no wrong, Yet they deceive, And strip us of our power, Our own land. We did no wrong, Yet they punish us for not working for them On the miles of sugar-cane, We henee brought up. We did no wrong, Yet they bring the foreign people With sicknesses, Of whieh we now suffer from. We did no wrong, Yet still the stench of death lingers Over the disfigured bodies of our people, On the "living grave" of Makanalau Peninsula. We did no wrong, Yet we are labeled "monsters" From this disease, leprosy, Whieh we are not indigenous to.

We did no wrong, Yet we are strumming our Singing a sad tune Of this miserable life to be. We did no wrong, Yet our sick are dying from the haoles' bullets To defend identities of a distinct race, A race that is always plagued with trouble We did no wrong, Yet we are living in the dens Of the cutting cliffs and crags, Hiding from the thousands of hungry beasts. We did no wrong, Yet we are fighting an impossible epidemic, An impossible war, An impossible army of hate. We did no wrong, Yet tears are streaming down our corroded faces - Heavy hearts are evoking emotions, So close to feeling our decease. We did no wrong, Yet we possess memories Of the savage, bloodthirsty, inhumane beings Who treated us with the most disrespect. We did no wrong, Yet why are we the ones crying so listlessly? Why are we the ones seeing undeserved pain? Why are we the ones to die first? When you know the beating heart of a real human, you ean tell us whyWhen you know the feeling of relentless hurt, you ean tell us whyWhen you know these answers, you ean tell us whyWe did no wrong. E3