Na Wahine Koa (Women Warriors)

By Summer Nemeth

In the time of Kü (1)
 I am . . . a woman
Shhh!
I mean . . . a word warrior
Who throws words like spears
To penetrate the heart
of the tourist industry
To bore holes of awareness
through western ideology
To awaken the thoughts
of the seventh generation
To ensure a prophecy can be fulfilled
To ensure a prophecy can be fulfilled
In the time of Kü
I become:
An amplifier of ideas
A blower of the pü (2)
A uniter of youth
In the time of Kü
I am . . . a woman
Shhh!
I mean . . . a word warrior
Who takes an aiha'a  stance (3)
against those who threaten to take
the iwi (4) of our Kupuna (5)  as curios
who desecrate and defile
the mana (6) of our mo'okuhauhau (7)
under the guise of
what they consider to be
“anthropology”

I am a woman
Who stands steadfast
in the shadows of rainclouds (8) to call upon Kamapua'a (9) to uproot those
who transplant golf courses
to burial sites at Mökapu (10)
who erect false gods and
blatant flags of disrespect
over the 'iwi of our ancestors
in the name of
“rest and relaxation”

Who stands steadfast
in the life-giving mountain mist
to summon Wakea (11)
to summon Maui (12)
to defend us against those
who erect white balls (13)
atop sacred slopes of
Mauna Kea (14)
and Haleakalä (15)
desecrating the wahi pana (16)
of Poli'ahu (17),
of Lilinoe (18)
and Hina (19)
in the name of “science”

I am a woman
who stands upon sickened shores
in tainted waters
where 'o'io (20) and ulua (21) swim
and dead mollusks tell stories
to call upon Ka'ahupahau (22)
to protect us against
those who erect the white globe (23)
a beacon of violence and destruction
atop ke kai mälie o Pu'uloa (24)
the sacred uterus (25)
ke ÿawalau o Puÿuloa (26)
once a place of nourishment
the sacred waters
once the homeland of Ka'ehuikimano'opu'uloa (27) where
Kaikimano'opu'uloa (28)
was displaced
a future guardian
washed upon polluted shores
teeth grabbing hold to roots
which entagled its body
now just another sacrifice
for “national security”

I am a woman
of valley and stream
Who summons the mo'o (29)
Kihanuilülümoku (30)
guardian of Lä'ieikawai (31)
to protect our wahi pana
to devour like flies
those who train soldiers
to penetrate the depths of Papa (32)
raping her with foreign projectiles
until she bleeds rusted metal (33)

Who calls upon Kihanuilülümoku
guardian of Läÿieikawai
to protect our wahi pana
to lash out against those
who turn fish ponds (34) into toxic stews (35)
who turn fertile islands into barren deserts (36)
in the name of “national defense”

I am a woman
who calls upon Pikoiaka'alala (37)
to use his skills
against those 'iole (38) who erect
barbed wire fences as barriers
compressing culture
conforming kanaka maoli (39)
into wandering sprits
who roam beaches and parks
for eternity
forcing them to eat the moths
of western society (40)

A woman

Who summons Pikoiaka'alala
to draw his bow
against those who ho'iole (41)
who erect barbed wire fences
around the 'aina of our ancestors (42)

claiming with ordnance
littering with toxics
our Mäkua (43),
Lïhue (44), Lualualei (45), Pöhakuloa (46),  Nohili (47), Waikäne (48), Waimomi (Another name for what is now Pearl Harbor)
Waiÿanae . . . (49)
our waiwai (50)
our äina
our kai (51) (ocean)
as personal playgrounds
in the name of “Homeland Security”

In the time of Kü
I am a woman
I mean . . . word warrior

Who takes an aiha'a stance
against those who erect
concrete structures
as personal invitations
to pakeha/palagi/papalagi/haole (52)
hä 'ole (those without breath)
Who takes an aiha'a stance
against those who prostitute
our culture
in the name of capitalism
selling cellophane lies
corrupting our identity
with casting calls for Sweet Leilani (53)
in faux grass skirts and coconut bras
eroticizing young kanaka maoli
swaying their hips for a tip
to haole hula hula songs

In the time of Kü
I’m not your Sweet Leilani Barbie
I don’t have arms that will bend
under pressure
Into subservient,
welcoming positions
I don’t own a cellophane skirt,
a coconut bra
I don’t live in a grass shack,
own a canoe
I don’t sing and dance
for your entertainment

So . . .
Don’t ask me to be your living trophy
Don’t plan to shelve me alongside your collectibles
Don’t mistake me for your:
slave,
server
Or entertainer
(Or my big blalah father
will come and sit on you . . .)
* * *
In the time of Lono (54)
When the flag of white kapa (55) flies
I am a woman
a weaver of words

Who reinforces red feathers to capes
that connect and entwine
the blood of fallen generations
to the shoulders of young warriors
To ensure that their mana is restored
That their bones shall live (56)

So that their bones shall live . . .
In the time of Lono
I am a woman
a teller of stories

Who recites the chants
of Hi'iakaikapoliopele (57)
of La'amaomao (58)
of La'ieikawai
Who praises the actions
of Kuapaka'a (59)
of Kahalaomapuana (60)
Who remembers the struggles of Lili'ulani (61)
of George Helm (62)
Who celebrates
Sovereign Sunday (63),
the Hawaiian Renaissance (64),
Pünana leo (65)
and Aloha 'Aina (66)
So that these bones shall live . . .

In the time of Lono
I prepare ho'okupu (67) for the ahu (68):
Kalo, 'uala, 'awa
wrapped in green la'i

I give thanks
for the restoration of pono (69)
I ask for the blessings of my ancestors
E ho mai ka 'ike . . . (70)
E ho mai ka ikaika . . . (71)
E ho mai ke akamai . . . (72)
E ho mai ka maopopo pono . . .(73)
E ho mai ka ÿike päpälua . . . (74)
E ho mai ka mana . . .(75)

In the time of Lono
I wont forget when:
You asked me to be your living trophy
You shelved me alongside your collectibles
You mistook me for your
slave,
server
and entertainer

In the time of Lono
I will wait
for the time of Kü to deal with you

NOTES

(1)  a male god of war-making. Traditionally seasons shifted between times of harvest and peace and times of war (the times of war were in the realm of Ku, times of peace and harvest in the realm of Lono.
(2) a conch shell used to gather the community
(3) a warrior-stance, legs apart, knees slightly bent, also a hula position.
(4)  Bones. The saying to let the bones live was a common one, because the bones of one’s ancestors not only represented where one came from genealogically, but also held the mana (strength) of that ancestor . . . to  touch or to defile it, would be to take away that strength.
(5)  elders/ancestors
(6) strength
(7)  genealogy
(8)  one of the kinolau a form of the shapeshifter Kamapuaa
(9)  a well-known kupua: shape shifter who could take the form of a man, a pig, a blade of grass, a cloud, etc.
(10)  the traditional name for what is now Kaneohe Marine Corps Base
(11)  the god of the sky, a male form who is connected to the mountain Mauna Kea, also known as Mauna o Wakea
(12)  a well-known demi-god whose home was on the slopes of Haleakala
(13)   Huge white globes that act as telescopes or missile defense systems
(14)  Mountain located near the center of Hawaii island; meaning “white mountain” because it is snowcapped
(15)  Mountain located on Maui; meaning “house of the sun”; where Maui harnessed the sun to help dry his mother Hina’s kapa (bark cloth).
(16)  sacred places
(17)   a goddess of Mauna Kea known for her white mantle
(18)  sister of Poliahu, also a snow goddess, who makes her home on Haleakala
(19) the mother of Maui and the goddess of women’s work
(20)  bonefish
(21) Jack Crevalle or Giant Trevally
(22)  the shark goddess, and protector of what is now Pearl Harbor
(23) A sea-based x-band radar at Pearl Harbor; used by the Navy as part of the missile defense program
 (24) the peaceful sea of Puuloa
 (25) the aerial view of Pearl Harbor is in the shape of a uterus.
 (26) A traditional name of Pearl Harbor; also called Waimomi
 (27) the little red shark of Puuloa; a character from a moolelo (traditional story)
(28)  the small shark from Puuloa; a name given to the baby hammerhead which the Hawaii delegation found washed ashore at Pearl Harbor.
 (29) female lizard guardian – usually over bodies of water: streams/ponds
(30) a guardian and protector of Paliuli (a mythical place of chiefs located in the mountains of Hawaii); name meaning “large supernatural lizard who shakes islands”
(31)  A beautiful girl who was hidden away from the public eye by her parents and grandparents; one of the main characters of the Hawaiian literature titled The Hawaiian Romance of Laieikawai
(32)Wakea’s female counterpart, the embodiment of land
(33) many military training areas, including those at Makua, Lihue, Waikane, Kahoolawe and Pohakuloa, are filled with unexploded ordnance; many times rainfall exposes the old ordnance from the soil; some of the old ordnance has been found to contain depleted uranium.
(34) Also called loko ia; a traditional pond used for aquaculture; several of these ponds were destroyed to make what is now Pearl Harbor.
(35) Pearl Harbor has been identified as a “Superfund” site which means it has been recognized as one of the most toxic areas.
(36) The entire island of Kahoolawe was used by the Navy as a training area from WWII time. The bombing cracked the cap of the water table beneath the island which was the source of ground water. The loss of groundwater led to the death of native flora, but ironically in 1988 a Navy spokesperson praised their actions, saying that the bombing of the island allowed, “seeds to penetrate and germinate, thus promoting new growth.” What he failed to mention was that it was promoting growth of invasive species.
(37) a man of legend known for his ability to shoot rats with a bow
(38) rats
 (39) traditional name of the Hawaiian people
 (40) this was the fate of those who died without the ancestors who would bring their spirits back to the deep darkness
(41) to act like a rat, lie, steal,  act sneakily, etc.
(42) land
(43)  located on the west coast of Oahu, used for Army training
(44) located in central Oahu, but includes what is now Schofield Barracks
(45) Navy installation on the west coast of Oahu
(46) located in the center of Hawaii island now used as an Army training area
(47) a naval missile defense station located on the coast of Kauai
(48) located on the east coast of Oahu, once used for the training of the Army and Marines
(49) on the west coast of Oahu, where WWII munitions are washing up on the beaches
(50) wealth – but more so the concept is rooted in wai which is water, which demonstrates the difference from the western concept of wealth
(51) ocean
(52) terms for foreigners across the Pacific
(53) the stereotypical native Hawaiian woman from early Hollywood films
(54)see note 1.
(55) The flag was hoisted to remind people of peace time.
(56) See note 4
(57) the younger sister of the goddess Pele. The literal translation of her name is “Hiiaka in the bosom of Pele” because she was the favorite younger sister; the moolelo of Hiiaka is based upon her travels throughout the islands.
(58) The goddess of winds; grandmother of Kuapakaa from the Moolelo by Esther Mookini entitled: The Wind Gourd of Laamaomao
(59) Kuapakaa received the power of winds from his grandmother, and was able to chant the names of winds all over Hawaii.
(60) One of the main characters of the story The Romance of Laieikawai. She dedicates herself to the protecting the sacredness of Laielohelohe, the sister of Laieikawai.
(61) Queen Liliuokalani, last monarch of Hawaii who was forced to give up her throne and later imprisoned by missionary descendants who set up a self-proclaimed provisional government with the support of the U.S.S. Boston.
(62) George Helm was one of the key figures of the 1970’s who occupied the island of Kahoolawe during military training. George was lost at sea on his return from an occupation of the island.
(63) The celebration of the restoration of sovereignty (July 31, 1873) after Britain had occupied Hawaii for 5 months.
(64) A period of cultural resurgence in language, voyaging, music beginning in the 1960s & 70s.
(65) Hawaiian language immersion programs(66) The traditional concept to love and respect the land as it is the ancestor and provider for the people.
(67) Ceremonial offering
(68) a traditional altar to recognize the gods of a person or place
(69)
(70) grant us the knowledge
(71) grant us the strength
(72) grant us the wisdom
(73) grant us correct understanding
(74) grant us the foresight
(75) grant us the power