Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani: He Kahua Hale Hou!

Wahi a kūpuna, ʻo ke kahua ma mua, ma hope ke kūkulu.

Wahi a Kauka Larry Kimura, he polopeka ma ke Kulanui o Hawaiʻi ma Hilo, “hana nui ka hoʻokele ʻana i kēia papahana nui. Ua ʻike ʻia ka ulu o ka papahana me ka paʻa ʻole o kekahi wahi.”

No ia kumu i ʻimi ai nā alakaʻi a poʻe haumāna o ke koleke ʻo Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani i hale ponoʻī iho ma ke kulanui o Hawaiʻi ma Hilo. Eia ihola, ma hope o nā makahiki lōʻihi o ka hoʻomanawanui, ʻaneʻane paʻa ke kahua o ka hale hou, nona ka inoa ʻo Haleʻōlelo.

“Ua ʻōlelo ʻē ʻia, ʻo Haleʻōlelo kona inoa. Hoʻomaka kākou e noʻonoʻo pehea e hōʻike ai i kēia ma o ka hale. Pono ka pepeiao, e lohe i ka ʻōlelo, a pono he waha.” wahi a Rob Iopa, ka Pelekikena o WCIT Architecture.

“He ʻano nohie loa ma ka manaʻo, he hale ʻōlelo. No ka hoʻomanaʻo ʻana iā, i kēia aliʻi, ʻo Keʻelikōlani, a me, ko kākou wā kēia e hoʻōla nei i ka ʻōlelo, he māna kēlā no kākou.” i ʻōlelo ai ʻo Larry.

“Nui ke kinona hua o nā huaʻōlelo ma ka paia, a kohu lauana ia ke nānā aku.” wahi a Rob.

Wahi a Larry, “he hōʻike kēia no kekahi mea pono no kēia ʻāina o kākou e noho nei, ʻo Hawaiʻi kēia.”

ʻŌlelo pū ʻo Keiki Kawaeʻaeʻa, ka luna o Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani, “e ʻike ana ka poʻe, a, e hoʻomanaʻo ʻia ana, he wahi kēia e ola ikaika nei ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. ʻO ia kekahi pahuhopu ʻea, ʻaʻole ma ka lumi papa ma ke ʻano he haʻawina, akā ma ke ʻano he ola. No laila, no nā haumāna, mea nui ka hiki ke, hoʻoulu ʻia kēlā mākaukau; e ola maoli ai ka poʻe, nā kānaka, nā ʻohana, ka poʻe ma ke kaiaulu, nā kaiaulu hoʻi.”

“ʻOia makamua o ka hoʻohana ʻana i nā manaʻo Hawaiʻi no ka hale hoʻokahi, nona ka poʻe Hawaiʻi e kōkua ana i ko Hawaiʻi.” i ʻōlelo ai ʻo Rob.

“A, hauʻoli ka naʻau o ka poʻe, i koʻu noʻonoʻo, ke kū mai kekahi hale no ka Hawaiʻi, no nā mea Hawaiʻi. ʻAʻole no ka hale wale nō he mea nui, akā, ʻo ka ʻiʻo i loko, ma laila ke kahua, ma mua, a laila ke kūkulu ʻana ma hope.” wahi hou a Larry.

E nā makamaka e ʻike maka ana i ke ola maoli o ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, me nā hoa kākoʻo i ke aukahi hoʻōla ʻōlelo a moʻomeheu Hawaiʻi, e hoʻolauleʻa kākou i kēia lanakila, a hoʻomau aku nō i ka hana i ola mau ai ko kākou ʻōlelo! Aloha.

Build a firm foundation, then build upon it.

According to Dr. Larry Kimura, an Assitant Professor at UH Hilo, “it was hard to build this program.  Yet, even without a building, we have grown.”

For this reason did Ka Haka ʻUla leaders and students search for a building of their own. And after many years of waiting, the new building for the college, named Haleʻōlelo, is almost done.

Early on, it was deemed as Haleʻōlelo, that this was the house of the language. And we started to think of how that could be expressed.

Rob Iopa, President of WCIT Architecture says that, “before you learn to speak, you need to hear. So this poʻo, if you will, needed to hear, and you can’t speak unless you have a waha, so we created this waha.”

“It’s simple, it’s a house of language. In memory of our aliʻi, Keʻelikōlani, and our duty to perpetuate the ʻōlelo.” says Larry.

“The ʻōlelo is actually on the walls at massive scale. And if you step back, you’ll see that the ʻōlelo actually creates a tapestry.” says Rob.

“This is a symbol for something that is needed in Hawaiʻi.” says Larry.

Keiki Kawaeʻaeʻa, Director of Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani says that, “people will see, and be reminded that this is a place where the ʻōlelo thrives. That is also a goal, for the ʻōlelo to be more than a lesson, but part of our lifestyle. So then, it is important to prepare our students to use the ʻōlelo within our communities.”

Rob also says that, “this project allowed us for the first time, a singular building express Hawaiian concepts for Hawaiian people, that is serving the Hawaiian community.”

“People are happy to see a house for Hawaiians, and Hawaiian things. The building important, and the content taught is the foundation that started this all.” says Larry.

For those who are a part and support the ‘ōlelo Hawaiʻi movement, let us celebrate this victory, and continue our work to ensure the perpetuation of our ʻōlelo!