Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 12, 1 December 2006 — Ke ola o nā kamaiki [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Ke ola o nā kamaiki

Editor's note: ĪJniversity of Hawai'i at Mānoa students of the Uīu Ka Hoi Hawaiian journalism class taught by Kahikina de Silva provide articles for Ka Wai 01a's periodic kōlamu 'ōlelo makuahine (Hawaiian language eolumn). This month, 'Iwalani Inouye writes on the importance ofproperly caring for the 'iewe, or afterbirth, of a newborn. Improper handling ofthe 'iewe may cause harm to the ehihl, so utmost care is taken by cleaning the 'iewe and burying it as a means to connect the child to the land. In April ofthis year, the state passed a law affirming the right ofparents to take possession ofthe 'iewefrom hospitals, upon request. This practice was previously disaIIowed by some hospitals. The writer also suggests that ifmore Hawaiians adopt the traditional practices of caring for the 'iewe, our people wouhl be mueh better off.

Na 'lwalani lnauye Ika wā o ka pō, ua pili 'o Wākea lāua 'o Papahānaumoku i ke aloha. 'A'ole i li'uli'u, lilo a'ela 'o Papa ka makuahine o nā mokupuni o Hawai'i. Ua hānau 'ia ka hapanui o nā mokupuni nāna. No Papahānaumoku mai, puka maila 'o Hawai'i, Maui, Kaua'i, Ni'ihau, Lehua, Ka'ula, a me Kaho'olawe. 'O Kaho'olawe nō ka 'iewe. No ia kumu e kapu ai ke kino o Kanaloa a mālama 'ia nō ka mokupuni i ka wā kahiko a me kēia au hou. I ka mana'o Hawai'i, 'a'ole klloi wale 'ia ka 'iewe i kahi 'ē. Ma hope o ka hānau 'ana, mālama 'ia nō ka 'iewe i 'ole e pō'ino ai ke keiki. Holoi 'ia ka 'iewe i hiki i ke keiki ke 'ike pono. A ma hope pono o ka hānau 'ana, kanu 'ia ihola ma

lalo i ka honua a i 'ole kau ki'eki'e 'ia i luna o ka pūhala no ka mea 'o ka 'iewe ke mālama 'ia a ho'omalu 'ia e ka 'ohana. Ma Ni'ihau, ho'omo'o nā kānaka maoli i kēia mana'o. Wahi a 'Anakē Lolena, he mānaleo no Ni'ihau, ma hope pono o ka hānau 'ana o ka pēpē, holoi 'ia a kanu 'ia ka 'iewe i loko o ko lākou pā hale. 'O ka ho'iho'i 'ana i ka honua ka mea nui no ka mea 'o ka 'iewe ke pili loa ai ka pēpē i kēlā 'āina hānau me he a'a la nāna e ho'oloa i kona wāwae i loko lilo o ka honua a pili aku iā Papahānaumoku. Pono e ho 'iho 'i iho i ia mea i ka honua. 'O kēia ka mana'o kahiko, a i kēia lā, e ho'ā'o ana kekahi mau kānaka Hawai'i e ho'omo'o i ia mea Hawai'i kahiko. Akā na'e, he pilikia ko kākou. 'A'ole i hiki ke loa'a hou mai ka 'iewe i ka makuahine, no ka mea ke kuhi nei ka po'e lapa'au

0 ke aupuni a me ka hui ola, he 'ōpala haumia ka 'iewe e klloi wale aku ai. No laila 'a'ole makemake ia mau hui e ho 'iho 'i mai i kēia mea e pili ai ka pēpē me kona māmā. A ho'onalo aku lākou i ka 'iewe i nā wahi a lākou e no'ono'o ai he pono. Ha'aha'a na'e ka haka, pau i ka 'īlio. (ON:389) Nui nā pilikia o ia 'ano mana'o o ka hui no ka mea kapu ka 'iewe. I ka wā kahiko inā loa'a ka 'iewe i kekahi kanaka 'ino, hiki iā ia ke hana 'ino i ke keiki ma o ka 'anā'anā. Ke ka'e'e 'ia a 1 'ole puhi pau 'ia ka 'iewe, e kāmuku ka ikaika a me ke ola o ke kamali'i. 'O kēia nō ka mea i hana 'ia i ka 'iewe a Papa i hānau ai, iā Kaho'olawe. Ua kā'ili 'ia aku nā keiki a Wākea lāua 'o Papa e 'Amelika. Ma hope pono o ko lākou 'ike 'ana iā Kaho'olawe, 'o ka ulu a'ela

nō ia o ka 'i'ini i loko o ka pū'ali koa e kōlū i ke kino o Kanaloa. Wahi a lākou, 'o Kaho'olawe ka mea ho'okahi e mau ai ko lākou pono. A no laila, ua māhua maila ke ola o ka pū'ali koa a kau 'ia ka māka kīkī i luna o ka piko o Kanaloa. Me kēlā me kēia pāluku 'ana, kāmuku 'ia aku ke ola o Kaho'olawe a ka'e'e ka 'iewe. Hahai auane'i ke kino o Kanaloa iā Milu i ka leina o nā mokupuni 'ākau. Ua noho mālie 'o Kaho'olawe e kali ana i ka ho 'ōla hou 'ana o nā kānaka maoli e mālama hou i kona kino. A i ke au hou, ke ho'ōla hou 'ia nei 'o Kaho'olawe e nā kānaka Hawai'i. Like ke ola o nā kānaka maoli me ke ola o Kaho'olawe. I ka laha 'ana o ka mana'o haole, ke kā'ili 'ia aku nei nō ho'i ke ola o ke kanaka 'ōiwi. Ua hō'ike 'ia ka 'ilihune maoli o ka lāhui Hawai'i ma o ka noi'i 'ana. I kēia lā, aia nā kānaka Hawai'i he nui e noho ana i kahakai a me ke one me ka nele i ka hale a me ke kālā 'ole. Polikia nā kānaka 'ōiwi i nā ma'i like 'ole, 'o ka mimikō 'oe, 'o ka pūhalalū 'oe, a 'o ka ma'i pu'uwai kekahi. Hihia ke kanaka Hawai'i i ka hewa a no laila noho wale nō nā keiki me ho'okahi makua a i 'ole me ka 'ole. 'Ilihune a ma'i nō paha nā kānaka maoli no ka mea kīloi a ho'onalowale 'ia ka piko o ko lākou pili 'ana. I kēia au hou, ke hulihuli pono nei ka po'e Hawai'i i ka 'iewe akā 'a'ole hiki ke loa'a. 'A'ole 'ae 'ia ka pilina o ka po'e Hawai'i me ka 'āina a me Papahānaumoku inā mio akula ka 'iewe i kahi 'ē. Ua pilikia nā kānaka Hawai'i i ka lilo 'ana o ka 'iewe. 'O kēia paha ke kumu o nā pilikia he nui. I kēia lā, ua huli ho'i kākou i nā loina 0 ka wā kahiko. Hiki auane'i ke ho'ōla hou 'ia ke ola o nā kānaka Hawai'i. I ka lā iwakāluakūmākahi o 'Apelila, ua pūlima ke kia'āina 'o Linda Lingle i ke kānāwai e 'ae i ka ho'iho'i 'ana mai i ka 'iewe i ka 'ohana a me ka māmā, ke noi 'ia. Kapa 'ia ke kānāwai 'o HB2057 a me SB2133. Ua kākau 'ia, "Hemea ko'iko'i ka holoi pono 'ana a me ka ho'olilo 'ana 1 ka 'iewe no ke ola o ke kino a me ka 'uhane o ka makuahine lāua 'o ka pēpē hou. I ka loa'a 'ole 'ana o ka ma'i a i 'ole ka mea maka'u ma hope o ka nānā pono 'ana i ka 'iewe, hiki ke ho'oku'u 'ia mai ia 'iewe i ka makuahine hānau." I kēia lā, he manawa ko kākou e launa hou ai me ka 'āina. Ma muli o kēia kānāwai, 'a'ole paha e lilo loa nā kānaka 'ōiwi. E ho'omaopopo paha kākou i ko kākou ala e hahai ai. A hiki iā kākou ke ho'omo'o i ke ala hou o ko kākou po'e kūpuna. E3

'ŌLELO MAKUAHINE • HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE

Caring for ū child's 'iewe is an important Hawaiian practice believed to ensure the health of the keiki and forever connect the child to its homeland. - lmage: Dietrich Varez