Page 2 - MidWeek - Sep 8, 2021

2 MIDWEEK SEPTEMBER 8, 2021
Listen Like It Matters — It Does
“Nu‘anu‘a ka ‘oia‘i‘o. Truth is layered.”
AShark Abate
A n important mentor in my life was Kam- uela Kumukahi. Raised by his great-grand- parents in the hinterlands of South Kona, Kamuela did not learn English until he was 8. His Hawaiian was the language of generations past, his cultural knowledge was expansive and his worl- dview rarified. Kamuela and his beloved Ululani took me on as a hoʻokama, an adult son, an elder brother for their darling girl Kuʻuipo. Kamuela was a great mentor and that circle of relation- ships has been one of the
lies that are familiar parts of Hawaiian culture. Kamuela’s saying about “worth doing well” was brought up, and Mama ʻAlina Kanahele ex- plained that folks in her Niʻi- hau community knew that old saying in a slightly different way.
stark warning was sent recently about an “ag- gressive” 6-foot shark lurking just less than 100 feet from the Mākaha Beach Park shore-
Through discussions with our elders, the author argues that we can learn a lot of about life, and those memories will stick with us for years to come.
Manomano (abundant) re- placed manumanu (flawed), which changed the meaning of leʻaleʻa from “frivolity” to “delight.”
line. I don’t know about you, but I much prefer it when shark sightings involve melancholy, reflective or even whimsical sharks rather than “aggressive” ones. The darn thing is, we often can’t tell what kind of mood they’re in, now can we? I’ve yet to see a report of a lighthearted shark, but I cherish that day, though I cer- tainly won’t be the one checking.
proached frivolously will be flawed” — a Hawaiian twist on “anything worth doing is worth doing well.” I took it to heart, which pleased the stern old gentleman.
“Leʻaleʻa kalakalai mano- mano ka loaʻa” means “de- lighting in one’s work yields abundance.”
Sharks occupy an honored place in Hawaiian culture. They are sometimes considered to be ‘aumākua, or an- cestral spirits. It’s a sublime concept based on rever- ence, respect, comfort and the belief in a continuation of spirits after one’s ancestors are gone. Sharks deserve our respect, for they are the masters of the ocean, re- gardless of your spiritual or political beliefs. I found my ‘aumākua in the Pana‘ewa Zoo on the Big Island 11 years ago in the form of that zoo’s beautiful, beloved white tiger, Namaste, but that’s a story for another day.
great blessings in my life. Kamuela delighted in my interest in Hawaiian language and culture, so we enjoyed long discussions about the wide range of things he knew, including words or phrases that had greater meaning than any dictionaries could pro-
In 1996, the first native speakers conference, ʻAha Mānaleo, was held in Hono- lulu with a few score of elders who were raised with Hawai- ian as their first language. Teachers and students feasted on the bounty of insight and knowledge that these hulu kūpuna, or precious elders, shared over the weekend. At one early panel, six sages dis- cussed the adages and homi-
Lively discussion followed, with consensus that both were “right” and both were “tradi- tional.” Kamuela often re- ferred back to that event when reflecting on how things can, and should, be seen in differ- ent ways. Truth, it seems, has many layers.
Puakea Nogelmeier is a professor emeritus of Hawai- ian language and executive director of Awiaulu: Hawaiian Literature Project.
Chasing The Light is pro- duced by Robin Stephens Rohr and Lynne Johnson.
with Puakea Nogelmeier
Kamuela often referred back to that event when reflecting on how things can, and should, be seen in different ways. Truth,
it seems, has many layers.
My favorite pseudo-shark was the Saturday Night Live land shark (coyly played by Chevy Chase), who used to go door to door looking for a meal. My least fa- vorite shark was the carnivorous carouser in Jaws (aka Bruce), who we all first met on screen in the summer of ’75. Master movie-maker Steven Spielberg knew how to weave a scary tale (or tail), as that (mechanical) beast kept my friends and I wary while wading in the water the rest of that summer — and that water for us was Lake Michigan!
vide. One of his familiar ad- ages was “Leʻaleʻa kalakalai, manumanu ka loaʻa,”which translates to “work ap-
Almost all of those precious elders are now gone, but that reflection keeps both sayings, and many related memories, fresh in my heart.
New Century Schoolbook bold (scaled H 73.6)
KELLEY
Back to our original storyline ... while a shark sun- ning close to shore is surely a sign for swimmers to be cautious, the assertion that it was “aggressive” is both presumptive and stereotyping. If it was 200 feet off- shore, would it still have been considered aggressive, or just assertive? If I come across a pueo, is it automat- ically wise? Does every elephant really never forget? Anthropomorphism is when human characteristics are given to animals, but why generalize? We already do it so poorly and often with humans, which leads to all kinds of social issues. Maybe we should give the animal kingdom a break, as they can’t (or won’t) respond. I kid, somewhat, but maybe there is some truth in this nugget. Or perhaps this nugget is mere animal poop, or shark bait.
Think about it ...
john@thinkaboutithawaii.com