Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 6, 1 June 2006 — He wahi pūlama ʻia ʻo Ahu o Laka? [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

He wahi pūlama ʻia ʻo

Ahu o Laka?

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Editor's note: Ahu o Laka (Altar ofLaka ). an islet off of He'eia in Kāne'ohe Bay. is commonly known as "the sandbar." At low tide. the pu'uone (sand bar ) "appears." and as the tide rises. the pu'uone is covered at least knee-deep in water. Recent legislation has designated Ahu o Laka as a state historic monumenk This gives the state Department of Land and Natural Resources the kuleana of establishing rules of use for the wahi pana (storied site). Today. many frequent Ahu o Laka via boats. canoes. jet skis and more as afovorite spotfor swimming. picnics andfamily relaxation. but most who visit the site are unaware of its signficance in Hawaiian lore. In thefollowing Hawaiian language story. Keoni Chang-Purdy urges that we all leam aboutthe rich mo'olelo (stories and history) of our islands. Many historically signficant. sit.es have been paved over. developed and even bombed - in part. perhaps. becau.se of ou.r laek ofunderstanding or memory oft.heir significance t.o ou.r lāhu.i (nat.ion/people). he writ.es. Chang-Purdy. a student in "Ulu Ka Hoi" Hawaiian Jonrnalism class at UH Mānoa. offers insight int.o varied accou.nt.s ofwho t.he Laka in t.he Ahu. o Laka st.ory was. from t.he goddess of hu.la t.o a son of Pele t.o a Mau.i chiefwho settled at Ko'olaupoko. O'ahu. Nani nā mo'olelo o nā kūpuna akamai loa o kākou!

Aloha mai e nā mamo o ka 'ōlelo makuahine, nā kia'i o nā mea makamae. Pa'akikl paha ka mālama 'ana i nā kūpuna akā na kākou ke kuleana e ho'ōla i ka 'ike no ko kākou lei poina 'ole. Ho'oheno 'ia nā mea like 'ole e la'a ka 'āina, nā mele, nā mo'olelo a pēlā aku. E mālama kākou i ua mau makamae nei i 'ole e nalowale ia mau mea. Inā ua lilo kahi mea mai ka wā o nā kūpuna i mea 'ē iā kākou, e ho 'omaopopo mau kākou i nā mo'olelo i pili i ia mea. Loa'a nō he mau wahi i ho'ololi 'ia ma Hawai'i nei. 'O ka mea nui, maopopo iā kākou nā mo'olelo no ia mau wahi. Pēlā e mālama 'ia ai. Eia kekahi mau la'ana i kama'āina iā kākou: 'O Haleakalā kahi o Māui i ho'ohei ai i ka lā a he 'āina kapu ia, akā i kēia au aia he mau 'ohe nānā ma Haleakalā i mea e nānā ai i ka lani. 'O Waiklkl kahi a Kamehameha i pae ai i mea e loa'a ai ka mokupuni 'o O'ahu. Ua momona ka 'āina, 'ike 'ia nā lo'i he nui, a ua noho nō ho'i 'o Kahekili ma 'ane'i. I kēia lā na'e, uhi 'ia ka 'āina i ke kīmeki no ka ho'okipa 'ana i nā malihini. 'O Kaho'olawe kekahi, he 'āina kapu ia i la'a no Kanaloa, 'o ia nō ho'i ka 'āina i luku 'ia e nā pōkā pahū o 'Amelika. 'O Ahu o Laka kekahi wahi 'ē a'e e loli ana.

Nui 'ino nā kānaka o ka hele 'ana i ke Ahu o Laka i kēia mau lā. Hui pū nā 'ohana i ke Ahu o Laka i mea e ho'onanea ai, akā, 'a'ole paha i maopopo iā lākou, hele akula lākou i kekahi wahi kapu ma muli paha o ke kapa hou 'ana i ia pu'uone, 'o ia ho'i 'o The Sandbar. 'O ia ka inoa pinepine no ia pu'uone i ke au nei. I ke kai make, puka mai ka pu'uone mai ke kai, a 'o ka hapa nui o ka manawa, aia ka pu'uone ma lalo o ka 'ilikai, akā mau nō ke kū 'ana 0 kānaka. La'i ke kai i ua pu'uone nei no laila, maika'i ka noho 'ana. He mea mau iā lākou ka nanea 'ana 'o ka launa pū 'oe, 'o ka pū pa'akai 'oe, 'o ka inu 'oe, 'o ka 'au'au kai 'oe, a ia mea aku. 1 kekahi manawa, hele nā kānaka he nui no ka pā'ina 'ana, me he la e nanea ana lākou i ka 'aha mele, a puoho wale a'ela ka mālie o ua wahi kapu nei. 'O ka mea 'oi loa o ka haumia, waiho 'ia ke kūkae 0 kānaka i ke Ahu o Laka ke loa'a mai 1 ka pu'u ki'o! Wahi a Charles Memminger i kākau ai ma ka Hōkū Buletina i ka lā 9 o Pepeluali o ka makahiki nei, he wahi ko'iko'i ka pu'uone ma muli o ka maluhia a me ka nani wale nō. 'O ka inu 'ana, he pilikia 'ole ia, 'o ka mea nui ka nanea 'ana o nā 'ohana. Ua kama'āina anei ia kanaka i nā mo'olelo no Ahu o Laka? Wahi a ka i

kākau 'ia ma ka Nūpepa Kuokoa Home Rula i ka makahiki 1908, he pu'uone 'o Ahu o Laka ma kai o He'eia. I ka hō'ea 'ana mai o Pele i kēia mau mokupuni, lawe maila ka Wahine Ahi o Kīlauea i kāna mau keiki, iā Menehune lāua 'o Laka. 'O Menehune ka mole kumu o ka lāhui menehune i Hawai'i nei. 'O Laka ke kaikua'ana o Menehune, 'o ia ka mo le kumu o ka hula i Hawai'i nei. I kā lākou hō'ea 'ana mai i O'ahu, noi akula 'o Laka iā Pele e noho 'o ia i O'ahu a 'o ka 'ae maila nō ia o Pele. Hele maila 'o Laka i Ko'olaupoko a noho ma luna o ka mokupuni ma waho aku o He'eia Kea, kai kapa 'ia 'o Ahu o Laka. Nui nā mana o ka mo'olelo no Laka ma ia pu 'uone. Aia kekahi pā hula ma ka pu'uone i ho'ola'a 'ia no ke akua hula 'o Laka. I ka pāpā 'ana 'a'ole e hula, hele maila ka po'e hula i laila i mea e ho'omau ai i ka hula 'ana. Ma kekahi mo'olelo, he ali'i 'o Laka mai Maui, a 'o ia kai noho aupuni ma Ko'olaupoko a ua make 'o ia i ia pu'uone. Nui nā mea a kākou e ho'omaopopo ai e pili ana i ua pu'uone nei, akā, nui nō ho'i nā mea i maopopo 'ole iā kākou. Kaumaha loa ka poina 'ana i ka waiwai o ka 'āina, akā, hiki iā kākou ke 'imi hou i nā mo'olelo a 'ike 'ia nā mea i pūlama 'ia e ko kākou *

- 'ŌLELO MAKUAHINE • HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE