Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 2, 1 February 2021 — Ka Hō'ola Hou 'ana i ka Hana No'eau o ke Kā Uhi no ka Hanauna Hou [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]
Ka Hō'ola Hou 'ana i ka Hana No'eau o ke Kā Uhi no ka Hanauna Hou
y MO'OLELO NUI i > C0VER ST0RY i
Wahi a Keone Nunes, he mele i ho'oili 'ia iā kākou ke kani hauhia a ka hahau i ka mōlī - kekahi mea i poina nui 'ia, eia na'e ke ho'omana'o hou 'ia nei ma ka hana kākau uhi. "Ua nalowale kēlā pana, kēlā kani kākau uhi a kahiko, ma ko kākou wahi a me ko kākou nohona no kekahi mau hanauna. A he kani piha hau'oli nō! He mele ia mai nā kūpuna a kākou i ho'opoina. I kekahi manawa, 'o ke ala e 'oi loa a'e ai a e 'ike maoli ai i ko kākou mauli, a iā wai ho'i ko kākou pilina, aia nā ma ka ho'omaopopo 'ana i ua mele nei." Ua kaulana a puni o Hawai'i a ma waho pū kekahi, ia kanaka mana nui, ha'aha'a maoli, a leo nahenahe, 'o Nunes, ka mea nona ke kūlana "Kahuna Kā Uhi," 'a'ole no kona loea wale nō i ke kākau uhi Hawai'i kahiko, akā no kona paio nui 'ana i ka hō'ola hou 'ia. No nā makahiki anahulu he 'elua i ka'a hope akula, ua hana 'o Nunes i nā hana no'eau he nani kōkī ma ke kapolena makamae loa i loa'a - 'o ka 'ili kanaka. Ma ka ho'ohana 'ana i nā lauana kahiko, he laha 'ole kēlā me kēia uhi e like me ka lua 'ole o ke kanaka nona ia
uhi. 'O nā kahua o ke koho 'ana i ka lauana, 'o ia nō ko ke kanaka mo'okū'auhau a me ke kumu e makemake ai *o ia i ka uhi. "He nui nā lauana. He pono ka 'ike 'ana i nā lauana ma mua o ke koho kūpono 'ana," wehewehe mai 'o Nunes. "Like ka haku 'ana i nā lauana me ka haku mele 'ana." Ma mua o kona a'o 'ana i ka 'oihana kā uhi, he kumu hula a he kumu 'ōlelo Hawai'i 'o Nunes. Ua hana 'o ia ma ka Hale Hō'ike'ike 'o Bihopa, a he laekahi mo'omeheu ma ke Ke'ena Kuleana Hawai'i ma nā makahiki 1980. I ka makahiki 1990, ho'omaka 'o Nunes e hana no ke aupuni pekelala ma ke 'ano he "hoa kūkā," a no nā makahiki kanakolu i hala akula ua a'oa'o 'o ia i ke kuana'ike Hawai'i i nā papahana pekelala kāohi 'ai lā'au 'ona a me kāohi ma'i pale 'ea pau (AIDS). Ua ho'omaha 'o ia mai ka hana hoa kūkā 'ana i kēlā makahiki aku nei. Ma muli o ka lako pono mau i ke kālā mai kāna hana hoa kūkā, ho'omaka ihola 'o Nunes e 'imi loa i ka hana no'eau o ke kākau uhi. Paipai 'ia 'o ia e kekahi mea hana kākau uhi nupaikini nona ka inoa 'o Kandy Everett. Ho'ohana mua 'o ia i ka mīkini, akā ma waena o nā makahiki 1990, hui 'o ia me Su'a Sulu*ape Paulo, he loea kaulana i ke kākau uhi Kāmoa kahiko. He mea 'ōke'e hālāwai 'ana.
I ka makahiki 1996, e noho haumāna ana 'o Nunes ma lalo o Paulo iā ia e noho ana i Aotearoa. Na Paulo i a'o mua iā Nunes i ka hana a me ka ho'ohana 'ana i nā mea kākau uhi kahiko. Ma ia hana 'o Nunes i ho'omaopopo ai 'o ia 'a'ole i nele wale ko Hawai'i i ka nalohia o ia mea pāheona he nīnūnē nui ia a puni o ka Pākīpika. Ma kekahi 'aha i Nānākuli i 1998, hā'awi 'o Paulo iā Nunes i nā lako pono kākau uhi kahiko, me ka ha'i 'ana mai iā Nunes nāna ana nō e mālama i ia mau mea hana a me ka 'ike a Paulo i ka'ana ai iā ia. "Ua nui ko'u mahalo i kēlā," wahi a Nunes. ' I ka make 'awa'awahia 'ana o Paulo i kekahi makahiki ma hope mai, ha'alele 'o Nunes. Ma muli o kona mokumokuāhua i ka hala 'ana o kona kumu, 'a'ole i hana 'o Nunes no kekahi mau mahina a hiki i ka pō a Paulo i kipa 'uhane mai ai iā ia ma kona moe. "Ua 'ike 'o ia i ke kaumaha loa o'u i kona make 'ana, akā ha'i maila 'o ia ia'u, 'E Keone, 'a'ole au i a'o iā 'oe no ka 'ole.' A ao ka pō, kākau uhi hou akula au; a 'a'ole au i ho'ohana hou i ka mīkini ma hope o kēlā." 'Oiai e a'o ana 'o Paulo iā Nunes i ka hana 'ana i nā mea hana a me ke 'ano hana o ke kā uhi, he 'ike makamae ko Nunes i ka loina Hawai'i, ka mo'okū'auhau, a me nā lauana uhi i ho'oili 'ia iā ia e nā hulu kūpuna 'o ia nā 'o 'Anakē Muriel Lupenui, 'o Papa Kalahikiola Nali'ielua, 'o 'Anakē Emma De Fries, 'o 'Anakē Martha Lum Ho a 'o Arthur Cathcart. Mai ia mau kūpuna 'o Nunes i a'o mai i nā loina, nā pule, nā oli, a me nā lauana uhi Hawai'i kahiko. Maiā 'Anakē Muriel 'o Nunes i a'o mai i ka mo'okū'auhau a me ka hana 'ana i ka pa'u ('īnika kākau). "Pōmaika'i au i ko'u koho 'ia 'ana e ko'u mau kumu e noho haumāna a e ho'olohe i kā lākou mo'olelo. Pōmaika'i ho'i i ko'u koho 'ia 'ana e Paulo, no ka mea ma Kāmoa 'a'ole ia he mea ma'a mau ke a'o 'ana aku ma waho o ka 'ohana. Ua 'ike 'o ia i kekahi mea i loko o'u i kūpono iā ia, a mahalo nui au i kēlā." A'o mai 'o Nunes mai kona mau kumu a pau a hala lākou pākahi. "He manawa kupanaha ia no ka mea he mau uapo lākou mai ka wā kahiko a i kēia wā." Pēlā 'o Nunes e 'ike ai iā ia iho ma ke 'ano he 'auwai pa'a e ho'ōla hou ana i ia 'oihana mai ka wā i hala a i ka 'oihana Hawai'i o kēia au. "He mea iki wau," i koi mai ai 'o Nunes. "Ho'omaopopo 'o Paulo ia'u, 'a'ole i pili iā 'oe. Ua pili i ka mo'omeheu a me ke ka'ina hana. Ua pili i ka po'e. Pēlā ko'u no'ono'o 'ana mai ia hope aku." Ma luna a'e o ke a'o 'ana i nā lauana, nā loina, a me ke 'ano hana o ke kākau uhi kahiko, 'ōlelo mai 'o Nunes he mea ko'iko'i ka mākaukau 'ana ma ka 'ōlelo a me ka mo'omeheu Hawai'i. SEE HE MELE HALI'A ALOHA ŪN PAGE 18
After an 'uniki ceremony ot Pu'u o Hulu in Wai'anae in 2019. L-R: Mo'o Kōne Kekaliloa Gomes, Mo'o Kōne Kamehanaokalō Holt Taum, Sulu'ape and Kahuna Kō Uhi Keone Nunes, Kō Uhi Keone'ulaikapōpanopano Kamali'ikūpono Hanohano, Kō Uhi Keone'ulaokamakauhi Keli'iokalani Mōkua, and Mo'o Kōne KalamakūakaHawai'i Souza. View their traditional tattoo portfolios on lnstagram (L-R): @kekaliloa @Kamehana_o_kala @suluape_keone @pokikane @kelii_makua @kalamakuakahawaii.
L-R: Kawika Nunes, cousin to Keone, is a recipient of several uhi. I Ala niho tattoo on Chad Keaulana. Ala niho is a traditional Hawaiian way of tattooing the leg, from hip to ankle. I Nunes holds two titles - Kahuna Ka Uhi and Sulu'ape, the surname of his teacher, Su'a Sulu'ape Paulo. Nunes exclusively uses traditional tools. I Work done on Brian Keaulana (Chad's father) over the course of 10 years. I Nunes oversees the work of his haumōna, Mo'o Kōne Kekaliloa Gomes.
HE MELE HALI'A ALOHA Continued from page 17 "'A'ole like ka pule no kou 'ohana me ka pule no kō ha'i. 'Aole i ho'opa'a na'au 'ia. He pono ka 'ike 'ōlelo Hawai'i e hana pēlā, e pane, a e haku. He mea nui ho'i ka mo'olelo no ke kūkulu kahua 'ike. 'O ka mo'okū'auhau kekahi. 'A'ole he pono ka 'ike 'ana i nā mo'okū'auhau o ka po'e a pau, akā he pono ka ho'omana'o 'ana." Ma muli o ka ho'oma'ama'a no kekahi mau makahiki anahulu, ke hiki mai kekahi iā Nunes me kona mo'okū'auhau, hiki iā ia ke nānā i ka inoa a 'ike i kahi e pono ai. No nā 'Ōiwi e 'imi ana i kona 'ike loea, he kahua ko lākou mo'okū'auhau no nā lauana a Nunes e koho ai i uhi no lākou. Ma loko o ka hana Kahuna Kā Uhi, noi nui 'ia 'o Nunes e nā mea 'imina uhi Hawai'i kahiko. Ke 'ae 'o ia e kākau uhi i ke kanaka, kūkākūkā 'o Nunes me lākou no ka mea 'o ka ho'omaopopo 'ana i ko lākou
mo'okū'auhau a me ko lākou kumu e makemake nei i ka uhi nā mea e kino mai ai ka lauana. 'A'ole ana e 'ike nā mea e loa'a ana i ka uhi maiā Nunes i ka lauana a kākau 'ia ma ko lākou 'ili. He pono pū ka ho'omākaukau 'ana no ka hana maoli i ke kā uhi. Ma mua o ka ho'omaka 'ana, ho'oma'ema'e 'o Nunes iā ia iho ma ka 'uhane a me ke kino, pēlā pūia hana no ka mea e loa'a ana ka uhi. I ka pō ma mua, ala mai 'o Nunes i ke kulu aumoe a lawe aku i kona mau mea hana i kai i mea e hō'ala iā lākou, me ka pule i mākaukau lākou. "He māhele nui ia o ko'u hana. He loina." Hana mau 'o Nunes me ho'okahi a i 'ole 'elua paha o kāna mau haumāna i mau kōkua ho'i ma ka ho'omālo'elo'e 'ana i ka 'ili o ke kanaka e kākau 'ia nei. He mea ma'amau ka loa'a o nā mea 'ike maka a mea 'ohana nō paha i mau kāko'o ma ia hana, 'oiai ua hiki ke hele a 'eha, 'oiai na'e 'a'ole i 'eha welenia e like me ka mana'o o kānaka. "'O kekahi o nā kuhi hewa o ke kākau uhi o kahiko 'o ia ka nui a'e o ka 'eha ma mua o ke kākau uhi me ka mīkini. 'O ka 'oia'i'o, inā na ka lima kūpono, he emi loa mai o ka 'eha. 'O kekahi mea i mana'o 'ia, 'o ia ka lō'ihi. Eia hou, inā na ka lima kūpono, he hikiwawe nō." Ma loko o kona mau makahiki he 60, aia nō 'o Nunes ke ho'omākaukau nei i ke kā uhi o kēia hanauna hou e ho'oholomua i ka 'oihana i kekahi pae. "He mea nui ke a'o aku i ka hanauna hou. Ua a'o mākou iā lākou e ola ma kēia ao nei, akā 'a'ole i a'o 'ia ka 'ike ho'olohe kūpuna ma ke 'ano kūpono." Ua a'o 'ē aku 'o Nunes i 'elua kāne Kanaka Maoli i 'ūniki i ke kūlana Kā Uhi. Ke a'o nei nō ho'i 'o ia i 'ekolu 'Ōiwi 'ē a'e. "He mea nui ko'u 'ūniki 'ana i nā kāne 'ekolu i ho'omaopopo 'ia e ka lehulehu ka waiwai o ka ho'okumu hou 'ana i ka 'oihana. 'O Paulo paha ka 'oi loa o nā Kā Uhi kahiko a'u i launa mua ai. Ua ho'ohuli nui 'o ia i ko'u mana'o ma ka ho'omaopopo 'ana i ko'u kuleana, 'a'ole i ka po'e wale nō a'u i kākau uhi ai, i ka mo'omeheu pū kekahi. He mana'o ia i loli nui ai ko'u no'ono'o 'ana. Ahuwale ka mana ho'ohuli o ke kākau uhi ma ka haku 'ana, ke kākau uhi 'ana a me ka loa'a 'ana mai. 'Oiai e ho'omana'o ana 'o Nunes i ke 'ano āna i ho'ohuli 'ia ai ma kona a'o 'ana, ho'ohuli pū 'ia nā kānaka i loa'a ka uhi na Nunes. Ho'ohuli pū 'ia ma muli o ke ka'ina hana a me ka pāheona e ho'ohiwahiwa ana i ko lākou mau kino. 'O Mehanaokalā Hind kekahi o ia po'e. "He hō'oia nā lauana a Keone i kākau ai ma luna o'u i ko'u kuleana a he mea ia e pā mai ai ke 'ano o ko'u 'ike 'ana ia'u iho. He kia ho'omana'o ia ia'u i kahi kūpono a'u e kūlia aku ai ma ke ola Kanaka. Ke ho'ohuli nei kā Keone hana i ko kākou mana'o iā kākou iho, ko kākou kino, ko kākou mau lauana a hō'ailona lāhui, ko kākou kūpuna - a pehea kākou e ho'oholomua ai i ua mau mea i kēia mua aku." Ma kēia pae o kona ola, ua lilo 'o Nunes, i uapo e ho'oku'i ana i ka wā ma mua me ka wā ma hope. "Ua 'ae 'ia au e hahai i kēia ala ma muli o ko'u mau kumu a pau. A noke au i ke a'o 'ana mai. He kūkulu pilina i ko kākou mau kūpuna ka ho'omaopopo 'ana i ua mele a me ka ho'okani 'ana aku i kēlā mau kanaka i pa'a mau iā lākou ka haku 'ana me kēlā mau kani. Mana'o au he mea ko'iko'i loa nō ia." ■
Nunes, his recently titled kō uhi and mo'o kōne, and his Kaiho'onaele'ili (assistant stretchers), gather for a final photo after his pō uhi in Pu'u o Hulu, Wai'anae, was dismantled when Nunes moved. His pō uhi will be rebuilt at Keone'ula in the near future.