Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 9, 1 September 2014 — He ʻōpū aliʻi [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

He ʻōpū aliʻi

Trustee 's note: This month 's eolunm is written by Shyla Kamakaleihiwaowaikahi Purdy Aveli.no, eldest daughter ofJustin Aveli.no and Ki.lia Purdy-Aveli.no. In July, Kamakalei.hiwaowai.kahi. traveled to the Cook Islands 011 a euhwal exchange through the University ofHawai'i Sea Grant College Program and Nā Maka o Papahānaumokuākea. Kamakalei.hiwaowai.kahi, who aspires to study manne hi.ology at UH-Hilo, was one of 15 students invitedfrom Moloka'i. and Hawai.'i. i.slands to participate in the program. Here, she shares her experience.

i / \ I o 'okahi \ I wa'c 11 ō lā o ka maliI I hini, a lilo I I i 'ohana." He 'oia'i'o nō! 'A'ole ia he mana'o Hawai'i wale nō, pēlā kō Kuki Ailani kekahi. I loko o kēia mau pule he 'ekolu, ua lilo wau i 'ohana nā lākou a ua lilo lākou i 'ohana na'u. Ma Rarotonga a mākou i e'e mua ai a mai kēlā wā aku ua 'ike 'ia ka lehulehu a manomano o ke aloha o

ka po'e. Kohu kanaka kaulana mākou me he mea lā ua 'ike nā po'e a pau, ua hō'ea mai nā "Hawai'i." Ma laila mākou i launa ai me nā haumāna o Nukutere College. Ua holo mākou ma luna 'o Marumaru Atua a ua ho'okipa mākou iā Hōkūle'a a me Hikianalia i kō lāua pae 'ana ma Rarotonga. He mea kūpaianaha ka launa 'ana me nā hoa kama'āina 'o Hawai'i. 'Oiai aloha nui wau i kō Raro, ua pā ko'u na'au iā Mangaia. Ua kau ka hali'a ma luna o'u i ku'u wahi home ia'u ma laila. Aia ka nani o ka 'āina i kona mau kupa. He mau po'e lokomaika'i lākou; 'a'ohe 'ino, 'a'ohe namu, 'a'ohe ho'ohalahala. He kaiaulu lōkahi, aukahi ka mana'o, a 'o ia ke kumu holo pono ke aupuni.

Hānai lākou i kā lākou mau holoholona a kanu lākou i kā lākou mea'ai iho. 'A'ole lākou kauka'i ma luna o ka moku halihali. Nōhie kō lākou nohona, akā 'o ia ho'i ka mea a'u i aloha nui ai. 'A'ole mākou i hele a pololi; ua nui loa ka 'ai a ua 'oi aku ka nui o kō lākou aloha. He 'ōpū ali'i ho'i kō nā po'e o nēia 'āina. Ua 'olu'olu ko'u pepeiao i ke kani o ka leo o nā Mama a me nā Papa. Noho wale wau a ho'olono

i ka nani o kō lākou 'ōlelo iā lākou e kama'īlio ana. Akā ua 'ike wau i ka hiki i nā po'e a pau ke 'ōlelo a 'o ia ko'u mana'olana no kō Hawai'i. He nani maoli nō. He mahalo palena 'ole kēia me ke aloha nui i nā po'e a pau i kōkua a kāko'o ai ia'u: 'Anakē Pelika, 'Anakē Miki'ala, ku'u 'ohana ma Mangaia, Rarotonga me Hawai'i, nā mea kāko'o kālā a pau, QLCC a me OHA keu ho'i ke po'o 'o 'Anakē Colette Maehaōo a me nā 'elele 'o Oswald Stender, Rowena Akana a me Haunani Apoliona. A mahalo wau i ke Akua no kona kia'i a 'alaka'i mau ia'u. He huaka'i ho'ona'auao kēia i ho'ololi ai i ko'u kuana 'ike ma ō ka nohona, ka 'ōlelo a me ko'u ola holo'oko'a. ■

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Cūlette Y. Machade

ChairpErsūn, TrustEE Mūlūka'i and Lāna'i

Cultural exchange students from Moloka'i and Hawai'i lsland posed for a picture with a few residents of Mangaia, Cook lslands, on Constitution Day. Shyla Kamakaleihiwaowaikahi Purdy Avelino is fourth from right in the second row. - Courtesy: Pelika Bertelmann