Hoʻolauna
He keiki noho papa au o ka makani ʻĀhiu o Kahana i hānau a hānai ʻia i loko o ka hoʻoilina palapala moʻolelo a koʻu mau kūpuna. Ma muli o ua hoʻoilina nei o ke ala i maʻa i ka hele ʻia e oʻu mau kūpuna i kāʻeo ai koʻu ʻumeke e ʻauamo a e lawelawe aku ai au i koʻu kaiaulu. He paʻa moʻolelo au no Kahana, Koʻolauloa, Oʻahu; a ʻo Waiākea Uka, Hilo, Hawaiʻi kaʻu ʻāina hoʻokama e noho nei. ʻO ka moʻolelo o ke kenekulia 19 ke kahua o kaʻu mau hana he kumu aʻo ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi a moʻokalaleo Hawaiʻi, a he kanaka hoʻomohala haʻawina a luna hoʻoponopono ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi no Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani. I loko o kaʻu mau hana noiʻi a aʻo ʻōlelo, ʻāwili au i ka ʻike o nā kūpuna o ka wā ma mua i maunu e ulu aʻe ai ka hoihoi o ke kanaka e luʻu hou aku i ka ʻike o ke au i o kikilo aku. E like nō me kā ka paʻa moʻolelo kaulana ʻo Kepelino Keauokalani i hoʻopuka ai, “Ahu kupanaha iā Hawaiʻi ʻImi Loa!” he ʻimi loa nō ka Hawaiʻi i kona ʻike iho nō a laupaʻi; a pēlā pū hoʻi koʻu ʻimi loa ʻana aku a laupaʻi ka ʻike a pōmaikaʻi kēia neʻepapa ʻana aku i mua.
I am a multi-generational native of the ʻĀhiu wind of Kahana raised in the literary legacy of my ancestors. I am able to be of service to my community through this vibrant legacy I steward. I am a language activist and historian from Kahana, Koʻolauloa, Oʻahu; and Waiākea Uka, Hilo, Hawaiʻi is my home. 19th century Hawaiian language source materials are the foundation of my work as a Hawaiian language and literature instructor and as a curriculum developer and Hawaiian language editor for Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani. I make it a point to integrate ancestral knowledge derived from source materials in my work as as entry point from which interest is sparked in my students and peers alike. As the famous historian Zepherin Keauokalani proclaimed, “Far-seeking Hawaiʻi’s knowledge base is vast!” the Hawaiian language literary legacy is vast and unsurpassed; it is also the focal point from which my work stems, which strives to serve as a vessel through which Hawaiian knowledge is accessible to the masses.
I am a multi-generational native of the ʻĀhiu wind of Kahana raised in the literary legacy of my ancestors. I am able to be of service to my community through this vibrant legacy I steward. I am a language activist and historian from Kahana, Koʻolauloa, Oʻahu; and Waiākea Uka, Hilo, Hawaiʻi is my home. 19th century Hawaiian language source materials are the foundation of my work as a Hawaiian language and literature instructor and as a curriculum developer and Hawaiian language editor for Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani. I make it a point to integrate ancestral knowledge derived from source materials in my work as as entry point from which interest is sparked in my students and peers alike. As the famous historian Zepherin Keauokalani proclaimed, “Far-seeking Hawaiʻi’s knowledge base is vast!” the Hawaiian language literary legacy is vast and unsurpassed; it is also the focal point from which my work stems, which strives to serve as a vessel through which Hawaiian knowledge is accessible to the masses.
