Kā ka luna hoʻoponopono nota: Unuhi ʻia na Ākea Kahikina. Click here to read this article in English.

E hoʻomaka ana kekahi hui kumuloaʻa ʻole i ke kope ʻana iā Loko Ea ma Waialua i kēia pule aʻe, ʻo ia hoʻi kekahi loko iʻa he 8 ʻeka, a 500 ona makahiki.

ʻO Rae DeCoito, ʻo ia ka luna hoʻokō o ka Mālama Loko Ea Foundation, a wahi āna, ua hala ʻelima mau makahiki ma o ka loaʻa ʻana o nā palapala ʻaelike e ʻāpono ʻia ai ke kope ʻana. 

ʻĀpono ka 404 Nationwide permit i ko ka hui kāpae ʻana i ka lepo he 15,000 mau iā paʻaʻili ono iā lalo o ka loko iʻa, a laila, e hoʻohana ʻia ia lepo no ke kūkulu hou ʻana i nā kuapā e heleleʻi ana. I loa nō a pau ka hoʻoponopono ʻana, e mahi ana ka loko iʻa i 4,000 mau paona o ka iʻa maka i kēlā me kēia makahiki, wahi a kekahi nūhou i hoʻolaha ʻia. 

ʻO ke kāpae ʻana i ka lepo, e hoʻopili hou ana ia kāpae ʻana i ka loko iʻa iā Ukoʻa, ʻo ia kekahi loko iʻa ʻē aʻe, a he hapalua mile ka mamao ma waena o nā loko iʻa ʻelua. ʻO Loko Ea a me Ukoʻa, he loko iʻa puʻuone lāua ma Waialua i pili i kahakai ma o kekahi kahawai. Ke hoʻohui ʻia lāua, ʻo ia ke kolu o ke ālialia nui loa ma Oʻahu, wahi a ke kahua pūnaewele a MLEF.

“No mākou iho, hana mākou i hiki iā ia ke hanu hou,” wahi a Decoito ma kekahi nīnauele. “No mākou iho, he mea nō kēia e ola nei. ʻAʻole ia he wahi loko i hiki ke mahi ʻia ka iʻa a me ka ʻai. He wahi kapu kēia, a he hana aloha kā mākou.” 

Ma ka hapalua hope o kēlā kenekulia aku nei, ua hele a paʻapū ka loko iʻa ma muli o ʻekolu kapuaʻi o ka lepo, a ʻo ka piʻi aʻela nō ia o ka lalo a kokoke loa i ka ʻiliwai. Ma o ka hoʻohana ʻana i ka lepo no ke kūkulu hou ʻana i nā kuapā i heleleʻi a me ka hoʻohohonu ʻana i ka wai no ka hoʻānuanu ʻana i ka wela a me ka hoʻoponopono ʻana i ka nui ʻokikena no ka iʻa, e hana ana ka hui i kahi ʻano hana hou e hoʻoponopono ʻia ai ka loko iʻa kuʻuna. 

ʻAʻole i mālama ʻia ʻo Loko Ea no 40 mau makahiki, a wahi a DeCoito, ʻo Loko Ea nō ka loko iʻa mua loa e kope ʻia no kekahi mau kekeke ma muli o ka nele ʻana i ke kālā ʻole. No ke kūʻai ʻana mai a me ka lawelawe ʻana mai i kekahi mīkini kope mai ka ʻāina ʻē mai, ua loaʻa mai iā MLEF ke kālā he $300,000 ma o kāna paipai kālaʻāina ʻo ʻAmapō Ea ma ka makahiki 2019. 

Wahi a DeCoito, ʻaʻole pono ke kope ʻia ʻana o kēlā me kēia loko iʻa, akā pēlā ka hana no ka hapanui o lākou, a makemake ka hui e kōkua i nā hui ʻē aʻe ma hope o ka hoʻopau ʻana i kāna papahana ponoʻī. 

“No kekahi o nā loko iʻa, aia nō a kope ʻia ka loko iʻa, hiki ke ola pono,” wahi a DeCoito me ka ʻōlelo ʻana, ʻo ka poʻe nāna e noho ana ma Hawaiʻi ma nā hanauna e hiki mai ana, inā he haʻina ko laila, ʻaʻole lākou nānā i ke kali lōʻihi ʻana. “ʻO kēlā nō kā mākou pahuhopu — ʻo ia ke ola pono ʻana o nā loko iʻa.”