Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 5, 1 May 2021 — Hulihia is Not Always a Bad Thing [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hulihia is Not Always a Bad Thing

j KALEO O NĀ 'ŌPIO > VOICE 0F THE YOUTH

By Mia Wai'ale'ale "Li'i" Sarsona E iho ana 'o luna E pi 'i ana 'o lalo E hui ana nā moku E kū ana ka paia - Adapted from the prophecy of Kapihe Iam the fourth Wai'ale'ale in my family. My great grandmother was the first, my grandmother was the second and my mother is the third. My grandmother was never taught 'ōlelo Hawai'i. When I was born, my mom decided to take a leap of faith and put me in Pūnana Leo o Kamakau and I continued on to Ke Kula 'o Samuel M. Kamakau until graduating with the class of 2019. I was the 'ōpihi to my Grandma Miriam "Cookie" Wai'ale'ale Arroyo. I spent every weekend with her growing up. She was the most generous and creative person I have ever known. She was not supportive of me going to a Hawaiian language immersion school. I remember learning about the overthrow of Queen Lili'uokalani around second grade. When I saw my Grandma later that day, I told her "Did you know we were overthrown by the United States?" to whieh she replied, "Would you rather it have been Japan? Then we would all speak Japanese." I never brought up anything Hawai'i to her again. I don't blame her, I understand now that eame from generations of being told that our language and our practices were wrong. After she passed away in 2013, I learned from my mother that my

Grandma was actually starting to open up to things Hawaiian, asking my Mom about what was going on in the eommunity and what I was learning in school. It was then that I realized that as I was growing into the proud wahine Hawai'i that I am today, my Grandma and my Mom were right there alongside me learning (and unlearning) what it means to be Hawaiian. The story that I share is not unlike that of many other Hawaiian families. Although small and young, our keiki and 'ōpio are at the forefront of breaking generational curses. Our keiki and 'ōpio are the future of this lāhui. I often think about this one mana'o that Kaho'okahi Kanuha shared - that in his lifetime, he has only seen the rise of 'ōlelo Hawai'i. As an 'ōpio and a lifer at a Hawaiian language immersion school, I have been immersed in the Hawaiian language my entire life. This gives my generation a different outlook on the future of our language and our people, one of hope and healing. E nā hoa heluhelu makua (to the adult readers), I challenge you to hold space for the voices of the younger generations. We have mueh value to bring to the table if you let us. We are the future mākua and kūpuna. E nā hoa heluhelu 'ōpio (to the youth readers), I challenge you to be the change that you want to see in the lāhui. Don't be afraid to speak up and voice your opinions especially in a room full of adults. We are the future mākua and kūpuna. My generation is one of change and remember, hulihia is not always a bad thing. ■ Mia Wai 'ale 'ale "Li 'i" Sarsona was born and raised in Waimānalo, Ko 'olaupoko, 0 'ahu. Slie is a junior at the University of Hawai 'i at Mānoa and a graduate ofKe Kula 'o Samuel Mānaiakalani Kamakau.