Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 24, Number 9, 1 Kepakemapa 2007 — Voices of Niʻihau [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Voices of Niʻihau

By ŪHA Educatiūn staff Along-awaited book printed in the Ni'ihau dialect, Aloha Ni 'ihau, has recently eome out from Island Heritage Publishing, featuring the oral histories of three Ni'ihau women, Emalia Licayan, Virginia Nizo and her daughter, Elama Kanahele. Readers who are versed in Hawaiian language will be enthralled by the natural "voice" of native born Ni'ihauans, while students of 'ōlelo Hawai'i will find the unique and idiomatic use of the language refreshing and new, yet nostalgic. While an

English translation is printed at the back of the book, it is not a word-for-word rendering, according to Elama Kanahele and the book's two other young Hawaiian editors, Kimo Armitage and Keao Nesmith. Emalia Licayan gives a graphic account of the "invasion" of Ni'ihau and what really happened to the World War II Japanese ainnen who crashed on the island on Dec. 7th, 1941. She recounts the calls of "Ka īepani! Te hele mai la! Ka īepani! Te hele mai la." (The Japanese! The Japanese are coming! The Japanese are coming.) She also relates plaee names of

the mystery island, such as Kauhiwaiohālona, the name of a cliff, and Kā'eo, the name of the island's peak as well as the name of her first son, and also part of the name of her second son, Kaunoelaniokā'eo. Elama Kanahele's stories on signs and omens will intrigue the reader, especially the one whieh concerns sneezing while someone is making a Ni'ihau shell neeklaee. (You'll have to read the book to find out what the outcome is for the lei maker.) Many who are involved in Hawaiian immersion education have eome to know Elama, who published some stories in the Ni'ihau dialect previously

with Hale Kuamo'o at UH-Hilo. Elama's mother, Virginia Nizo - or Māmā Kanani - gives a rather poi- I gnant description I of life on Ni'ihau I and especially I of the cleaning I of sheep's wool. B

Most people believe that poi was not grown on Ni'ihau, but Māmā Kanani tells the reader about the taro of īā'ali in the mountains, and how they would make poi palaoa, or flour poi, when they was no taro to be gotten. This book of oral histories

is a delightful read and a musthave for all aficionados of Hawaiian language literature. E ola ka 'ōlelo Hawai'i o Ni'ihau - may the Hawaiian language of Ni'ihau live on. S

NĀ PUKE • B00KS