Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 12, 1 Kekemapa 2021 — Welina iā'oe, e LONO! [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Welina iā'oe, e LONO!

V MO'OLELO NUI V ^ COVER FEATURE *

A double rainbow appeared the momina that the 'aha Makahiki deported from Keoloikohiki, Konoloo Kaho'olowe ot the conclusion of the season in Februory 2021. Given thot both the roinbows were complete from end-to-end, it was viewea as confirmotion thot the Makohiki ceremonies were completed ond pono. - Photos: Katherire Ho

By Kaliko Baker, Ph.ū. E ala e kapaekua, me kapaealo, E ala e kapoukua me kapoualo E ala e ka hi'i kua me ka hi'i alo, E ala e nā kūkuna. E ka ua, e ka lā, e ka malino, e kapohu, E ka wai hū, wai hu'i, wai kahe a Kāne, e ala! E ala e Lononuiākea i ka pō, E ala e Lonomakua i kapō, E ala e Lonoikamakahiki i kapō, E Lonoikeaopolohiwa, e Lonoikeaopolohuamea lā ē, E nā akua i kapō, Pale kapō, Puka i ke ao mālama! Weli ke kapu, weli ka noa, Welina ke ka'ina huaka'i a ke akua! From at least the time of Lonoikamakahiki, son of Keawe-nui-a-'Umi (k) and Kaihālāwai (w), the 64th generation from Wākea, Kānaka Hawai'i have observed Makahiki as a season dedicated to harvest, bounty, taxation, and Lono. Lono is the akua associated with Makahiki. A function of the Makahiki prior to foreign arrival was to assess the prosperity of the aina, at least from a political perspective. The new year, makahiki, begins during the Makahiki season, specifically on the night of Kūkahi in 'Ikuā when the signage would eome out to inform everyone that the Makahiki season is commencing. On the Kapu Hua nights of 'Ikuā, the nights of Hua

and Akua, the highest ranking ali'i and kāhuna would perform incantations and shatter lustrous niu in a ceremony known as Kuapola. This began the Makahiki season in traditional times. It was after the Kuapola that the ali'i nui declared that Makahiki festivities could begin. This was a time of peaee and tending only to one's own crops and livestock for four nights. On the Kapu Hua days of Wele(e)hu, the lesser chiefs would break their niu and have their Kuapola ceremonies. Heiau were suspended. This was the time when the greater festivities and games would occur - peaee was of foremost importance. As for Lono, on the latter 'Ole-days of 'Ikuā, the feather gods would lead an expedition to fell and carve a tree into the image of Lono to be marched in procession from district to district. This image carving expedition was called kūikepa'a. The kūikepa'a troupe would carve a ki'i called the akua loa. It was long, about 12 feet in length, and would travel far. The ki'i had a cross pieee called a ke'a. On the ke'a hung pala, green ferns, adorning the akua loa. Long kapa paupau draped from the ke'a and lei hulu rounded out the glory of the akua loa. 'Aila mano'i (niu) was used to give the akua loa its luster. By the end of 'Olepau, the akua loa would be complete. The ki'i is then known as Lonomakua. The akua loa takes the name Lonoikamakahiki while traveling. Both names, though, are always available to the akua loa. At this point, Kānaka have been readying their bounties for collection. These were 'auhau. 'Auhau consisted of tributes of food and crafts. These 'auhau were presented to the ali'i for collection. Today we use the term 'auhau for taxes because what the ali'i would do during the

Makahiki season is tax the Kānaka taking their bounty and redistributing it amongst the kin and nobility. Moving into the day of Kāloakūkahi, fires were lit at dawn near swimming areas, and all would participate in hi'uwai, a ceremonial cleansing associated with Makahiki. Lonoikamakahiki, the akua loa, makes his way ffom district to district to collect the 'auhau from the tax assessors, or the luna waiwai. While on the march and the uka was on his right, Kānaka knew that the kānāwai were in plaee. The kapu were coming. Those not ready or ignoring the kānāwai would have to pay a fine — a sixfoot pig or their lives. When the akua loa arrived, a kahuna would step forth and recite the Pule Hainaki whieh was a pule that required collective participation, pule pūwalu. We still recite this incantation until today. The collected 'auhau were said to be in heaps and mounds in eaeh district. After the 'auhau were offered, or ho'okupu, the kapu was removed and the ceremonies were noa. The Hilo moon of the lunar month Makali'i rises on the fourth of December this year. Surely by this time you have participated in or heard of Makahiki ceremonies occurring throughout our pae aina. Simply search #lonoikamakahiki and you'll find what Makahiki ceremonies and events are occurring throughout our islands. Makahiki is a kīpuka or an opportunistic time and ceremony for Kānaka Maoli to re-engage and re-awaken our mauli Hawai'i, that core life force whieh drives our 'uhane. There are Makahiki events throughout our pae aina every year now. Most are centered around the youth as a means to engage them with our traditions and practices such as games and competitive events. We're even now

seeing the reintroduction of traditional ceremony into our Makahiki events from an acknowledgement of Lono to the actual standing of a ki'i akua loa. This is all a reflection and, simultaneously, a stoker of our mauli Hawai'i. That is, the more our lāhui frees ourselves of the mental slavery of colonization, the more we seek to re-indigenize our beliefs and practices. Makahiki has proven to be a lush, verdant kīpuka for Kānaka Maoli to re-indigenize. The Makahiki was revived on Kaho'olawe and Moloka'i in 1981 and 1982, respectively. The Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana (PKO) is celebrating its 40th anniversary of Makahiki practice, opening and closing eaeh year with all ceremonial tributes and incantations. Makahiki on Kaho'olawe was designed by what would heeome the Edith Kanaka'ole Foundation, specifically renowned kumu hula, Hawaiian knowledge exponent, and an indeed treasure of our lāhui, 'Anakē Nālani Kanaka'ole. Our modern practice is founded upon traditional practice and belief yet differs from the summarized historical account provided above. Our ceremonies were designed around our reality, not a reality of 250 years ago. For example, nine is a significant number in our ceremonies because of the brave nine who first accessed Kaho'olawe in January 1976. We also don't have the political power to collect 'auhau and enforce as the ali'i did before. We ask our lāhui to offer ho'okupu in hope that our tributes to Lono will entice him and his kinolau to re-green and heal Kanaloa (Kaho'olawe). Our lāhui and its woke mauli eome through every season with bountiful ho'okupu to be offered on Kaho'olawe and to feed those who undertake the ceremonial kuleana. Mahalo nui e ka lāhui! Having the honor to serve Kanaloa and our lāhui as the head mo'o lono on Kaho'olawe, I have the privilege of writing this article for you, e ku'u makamaka. The past 28 years of my life have been dedicated to Makahiki on Kaho'olawe. As a kumu olelo Hawai'i at UH Mānoa for 25 years, I can't help but think and research about what is what and why, then how, when and where. We ho'āla (awaken) our akua loa for our ceremonies with incantations similar to that whieh open this article. We don't carve a new akua loa every year as the kūikepa'a did before. Lonomakua is adorned in lush palapalai and lei hulu. Some Makahiki practitioners attend to a picture with the entire ka'upu hanging from the ke'a (cross-piece). We don't. Many old descriptions of Makahiki from the I9th century state that there were lei hulu that garland the akua loa. Thus, that is what we use. These hulu were tied loosely and fell

to the ground. 'Olelo Hawai'i is core to the reawakening of our mauli Hawai'i. It is the eommunieative means where our cultural knowledge is encoded in words, idioms, proverbs, and grammar. In 2014, I began organizing huaka'i 'Ōlelo Hawai'i to Kaho'olawe for the UH Mānoa, Hilo, and Maui campuses during spring break. This has resulted in an influx of Hawaiian speakers into the PKO and our ceremonies. Some years back, I recalled hearing about a form of oratory known as ho'onu'unu'u. Ho'onu'unu'u is an art of oration where those who are presenting ho'okupu talk up their offering through poetic expression. While ho'onu'unu'u isn't in the dictionary, our kūpuna remind us that 'ike is not pau i ka hālau ho'okahi (learned in one school). Ho'onu'unu'u has allowed us to plaee importance on fluency in 'Olelo Hawai'i and mo'olelo (history). Indigenization of our mauli through practice is critical in healing our historical trauma. Colonization has left our lāhui aspiring to the colonizer's ends. By design, the eolonizer aimed to cleanse our heathen ancestors of their sinful, savage ways. We know, though, that our ancestors were great humans. Their humanity is our humanity. We awaken and re-envision traditional practices for the 21st century, as we have for Makahiki, as we see fit. Our intention is never to go back. Like Hōkūle'a, the lāhui moves forward, not in reverse. We decide how we indigenize our present and our futures. Knowing our mo'olelo is knowing us. Knowing us is knowing an indigenized mauli. No laila e ku'u makamaka, ku'u hoa o ka lāhui ho'okahi, ke hā'awi aku nei kahi hoa Kanaka i ōna aloha iā oukou pākahi ā pau, a ma ka ho oho a mākou... LONOIKAMAKAHIKI! LONOIKAMAKAHIKI! LONOIKAMAKAHIKI! ■ C. M. Kaliko Baker, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at Kawaihuelani Centerfor Hawaiian Language at UH Mānoa's Hawai'inuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge. He is president of Halele'a Arts Foundation and works to support, promote and publish Hawaiian medium media. He has heen a member ofthe Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana since 1993 and has led the Makahiki ceremonies there since 2003. He is a lifelong resident ofKo'olaupoko, O'ahu.

At the close of Makahiki in February 2021, the 'aha Makahiki, ceremonial participants, gather in front of Hale Nōmakapili in Hakioawa.

Participants gather at dawn at Mua Ha'i Kūpuna, a site at Hakioawa where 'awa ceremonies are held. lhis is where politicians gathered in 1993 to commit to stopping the bombing of Kaho'olawe. In the background, Haleakolō rises in the clear morning light.

Kealaikahiki is a landing spot used by Kōne and Kanaloa on their descent to the islands and the final ceremonial spot for the 'aha Makahiki. From here, practitioners swim out a wa'a 'auhau whieh is used as the final lele so Lono ean return to Kahiki.