I aliʻi nō ke aliʻi i ke kanaka.
Ua laʻi ke kūlanakauhale ʻo Kou i ka ua kilihune Kūkalahale e kilinoe mapu iho ana i ka ʻolu ʻŌlauniu o ke kakahiaka nui. ʻAʻole ʻowē a nā kaʻa ma ke alanui, ʻaʻole hoʻi he lamalama kukui o ke ao koe aku ʻo nā lihilihi mua o ka lā hou e puka mai ana. Ua laʻi Māmala i ke au mai iō aku ʻo Kahiki. Ua puni ia wahi i nā hulu ʻalohi makamae o nā manu Hawaiʻi, nā aliʻi hoʻi o kākou no kekahi au i hala aku. He mau aliʻi nui, kuhina nui a kāhuna nui nō hoʻi i noho ma ua ʻiliʻāina ala ʻo Honuakaha ʻo ia hoʻi ʻo Kalanimoku, Liliha, Hewahewa, a me kekahi mau aliʻi nui ʻē aʻe.
I kekahi pule aku nei, ua hui aʻela he iwakālua lālā o ka Hālau ʻo Hiʻilaniwaialoha no ka mākaʻikaʻi ʻana aku ma ka Honuakaha, ma kai iki hoʻi o ka hale pule ʻo Kawaiahaʻo. Ua kapu kēia wahi i ka wā ma mua i nā aliʻi wale nō i noa ai. Ma ka ʻekolu a ʻehā paha ʻeka kuea, aia he mau pūnāwai i hele ā kulukulu wale ihola kona kahe ʻana. Ua loaʻa mai nō iā mākou he palapalaʻāina a ʻĪʻī i hana ai, i hoʻopaʻa ʻia ma mua o ke kūkulu ʻia ʻana o ka hale pule ʻoKawaiahaʻo. Ma ia wahi huakaʻi i mālama iho ai, aia hoʻokahi inoa aliʻi i lana aʻe i luna o nā mea ʻē aʻe, ʻo kona inoa nō ʻo Keōpūolani.
Wahi a ka palapalaʻāina, aia ko Keōpūolani hale ma kahi o ka hale Kinai Ahi o Honolulu e kū mau nei i kēia lā. Ua hāpai ʻia kekahi manaʻo e ke alakaʻi o kēia huakaʻi, ʻo Kumu Kaipoʻi Kelling kona inoa: ua hoʻopio kēia aliʻi i kona ahi iho.
Ua hānau ʻia ʻo Kalanikauikaʻalaneo Keōpūolani ma Maui, na Kauikeaouli (Kīwalaʻō) a me Kekuʻiapoiwa. Kiʻekiʻe wale nō kona mana, a ua hoʻīli ʻia aku ma luna ona ke kapu wela o ke ahi. Ma muli o ke kapu loa o ua aliʻi nei, ʻaʻole i ʻae ʻia ka ʻoi ʻana aʻe o ke poʻo o kekahi kanaka a aliʻi paha ma luna o ko ia nei poʻo, a ʻaʻole hoʻi ʻae ʻia ke kū ʻana o kekahi ma ke aka o ke aliʻiwahine. ʻO ka hopena o ia mau hana, ʻo ia nō ka make ʻana i ke ahi. No ia mea, ua mehameha ko ke aliʻi ola ʻana i kona wā ʻōpio ma muli o kona makemake ʻole e hoʻopilikia aku iā haʻi i kona kapu. I loa nō a makua aʻe ʻo ia, ʻiʻini aku ʻo Kamehameha Paiʻea iā ia, i lilo hoʻi ʻo Keōpūolani i wahine nāna. ʻOi loa aku ko Keōpūolani mana i ka wā āna i hānau ʻia ai ma luna o ko Kamehameha, a ua ʻoi aku no ka mana o Kamehameha II Liholiho a me Kamehameha III Kauikeaouli ma luna o ko lāua makuakāne ʻo Kamehameha Paiʻea.
Ma hope o ka hala ʻana o Kamehameha a ma hope hoʻi o ka hōʻea ʻana mai o nā mikionali, ua ulu a nui ko Keōpūolani aloha no Ke Akua ʻo Iēhova. Ua aʻoaʻo ʻia kāna mau keiki i nā ʻano kalikiano a mikioneli hoʻi, a kākoʻo nui ʻo ia e mālama lāua i kēia mau ʻike ke lilo i Mōʻī. Ma ka hoʻopau ʻana o ke kapu a me ka lilo ʻana o ke Aupuni i ke Akua, ua pau maila kona kapu ahi. Nani ia ua pau ke kapu, ua hiki i kēia aliʻi ka launa aku me kona poʻe kānaka.
© ʻElia Akaka 2019
