Ongo Paionia mei he Senituli ʻe Ua

Siʻi ʻEpenisa, ʻoku ʻikai te ke ʻiloʻi au; ʻoku teʻeki pē ke ta fetaulaki.

Naʻe fāʻeleʻi koe ʻi he ʻaho 17 ʻo Nōvema 1830, ʻi Tanipeleni, Peefisaea ʻi Sikotilaní, kia ʻAnitelū Pulaisi mo Sēneti ʻĀtama Pulaisi. Naʻá na fakahingoa koe ko ʻEpenisa.

Hili mei ai ha taʻu ʻe teau fāngofulu-mā-tolu, naʻe fanauʻi au ʻi Hualieni, ʻi Taiuani. Naʻe fakahingoa au ko Sī-Seni Hangi.

Naʻá ke kamata ngāue he foʻuʻanga vaká ʻi ho taʻu 10. Ki mui aí naʻá ke hoko ko ha tokotaha akoako foʻu vaka peá ke poto ʻaupito he ngāue ko iá.

ʻI hoku taʻu faá ne kamata ke u ako maʻuloto e ngaahi taimi tēpile mo e ngaahi fakaʻilonga ki hono puʻaki e lea faka-Siainá. Naʻe faingataʻa, ka naʻá ku lava pē.

ʻI he faʻahitaʻu māfana ʻo e 1848, naʻe kamata ke ke saiʻia ai he Siasi ʻo Sīsū Kalaisi ʻo e Kau Māʻoniʻoni ʻi he Ngaahi ʻAho Kimui Ní, neongo naʻe ʻikai loto ki ai hoʻo tamaí, fāmilí mo e ngaahi kaungāmeʻá. Naʻa nau fai e meʻa kotoa pē ne nau malavá ke fakalotoʻi koe ke ke fakaʻikaiʻi ʻa e Siasí. Naʻe aʻu pē ki hono lokaʻi ʻe hoʻo tamaí ho valá ke ʻoua naʻá ke ʻalu ki he lotú he Sāpaté. Ka naʻe maʻu pē hoʻo tuí. Pea neongo ʻa e fakatangá ka naʻá ke tuiaki atu pē.

ʻI he ʻaho 4 ʻo Tīsema 1986, naʻe tukituki mai ai ha ongo faifekau ʻAmelika ʻo e Siasi ʻo Sīsū Kalaisi ʻo e Kau Māʻoniʻoni ʻi he Ngaahi ʻAho Kimui Ní ʻi he ʻapi ʻeku tamaí. Neongo naʻe fakaʻatā heʻeku tamaí ke ʻaʻahi ange maʻu pē ʻa e ongo faifekaú, ka naʻe ʻikai pē ke ne tokanga ki heʻena pōpoakí. Hili ha ngaahi māhina siʻi mei ai naʻá ne veteʻi ʻeku faʻeé pea toe mali ia.

ʻI hono fakahā heʻeku tamaí ki he ongo faifekaú ʻa e ongoongo fakamamahi ki he meʻa kuo hoko he fāmilí, naʻá ne talaange ai pē ke ʻoua naʻá na toe foki ange.

Naʻe tuku ʻe he ongo faifekaú ha tatau ʻo e Tohi ʻa Molomoná pea tohi mo e tuʻasila ʻo e ʻapi siasi ofi tahá he takafi ʻi lotó ʻo pehē, “Te ma hoko maʻu pē ko homou kaungāmeʻa. Ka ʻi ai ha meʻa ʻe lava ke ma tokoni ai ki ho fāmilí, haʻu ki he tuʻasila ko ʻení, he te ma ʻi ai.”

Naʻe faingataʻa ʻa e māvae mo e ongo faifekaú he efiafi ko iá, he naʻá ku ongoʻi ha meʻa mahuʻinga ʻi heʻena pōpoakí.

Ne hiki mai ki ʻapi e mali ua ʻeku tamaí. Naʻá ne taʻeʻofa mo ʻeku tamaí, pea fuʻu faingataʻa e moʻuí, peá u hoko ko ha finemui moʻui mamahi.

ʻI ha pō ʻe taha, ne u foʻi hono ngaohi kovia aú, peá u lele ilifia kituʻa ʻo toi he ngoue laisé, kuó u taʻelata, lotomamahi, pea sivi mo e ʻamanakí. Ne u loto ke u mavahe, ka naʻe ʻikai ha feituʻu ke u ʻalu ʻo nofo ai.

Fakafokifā ne u manatuʻi ʻa e meʻa naʻe talamai ʻe he ongo faifekaú ʻi heʻena ʻaʻahi fakamuimuí. Naʻá ku pehē loto pē, “Ko e ʻuluaki meʻa pē ʻe fai ʻapongipongí, ko ʻeku ʻalu ʻo kumi hoku ongo kaungāmeʻá!” Ko ʻeku toki fuofua maʻu ia ha ongoʻi nonga hili ha ngaahi taʻu lahi.

Ne u ʻaka pongipongia pē heʻeku pasikalá he pongipongi hokó ki he ʻapi siasí, ka kuo ʻosi foki e ongo faifekau ko ia ne na ʻaʻahi ange ki homau fāmilí he taʻu ʻe ua kuohilí ki hona fonuá. ʻI he ʻamanaki ko ia ke u loto foʻí, ne ʻasi mai ha ongo fafine anga fakakaumeʻa mo ha pine hingoa ʻuliʻuli ʻi hona koté pea naʻá na haʻu ʻo fakafeʻiloaki mai kinaua.

Siʻi ʻEpenisa, neongo ʻa e fakafepaki hoʻo tamaí, ka naʻá ke papitaiso ʻi ʻEpeleli 1848, ko e papi ului pē ʻe taha ʻi ho fāmilí.

Hili ha māhina ʻe taha ʻeku feʻiloaki mo e ongo faifekau fefiné, naʻe papitaiso au ʻi Nōvema 1988, ko e fuofua papi ului ʻi hoku fāmilí.

Ka naʻe hanga ʻe heʻeku tamaí mo e mali hono uá ʻo fakafaingataʻaʻiaʻi ʻeku ʻalu ki he lotú.

ʻI ha ʻaho ʻe taha ne u foki mai ai mei ha ʻekitivitī ʻa e Kau Finemuí, naʻe hū vave mai ʻeku tamaí ki fale, ʻo kapekapeʻi au, pea toʻo ʻeku folofolá ʻo haehae. Ne fepunakaki holo e ngaahi laʻipepá he ʻataá, ʻo ngangana fakalelei hifo he falikí, ʻa ia naʻe tō ai hoku loʻimatá.

Ne hangē ia ha misi kovi he ʻikai ke toe ʻosí.

ʻI hoku taʻu 21, ne u fie maʻu moʻoni ke u ngāue fakafaifekau taimi kakato. Ne tali ki ai ʻeku tamaí ʻaki ʻene tuli au mei ʻapi. ʻI he Pō Fakaʻosi Taʻu faka-Siainá, ko e taimi ia ʻoku ʻi ʻapi ai e kakaí mo honau ngaahi ʻofaʻangá, ka naʻe tuli au ia mei ʻapi.

Siʻi ʻEpenisa, ʻi he taimi ne fuʻu tōtuʻa ai e fakatanga ho fāmilí mo e ngaahi kaungāmeʻá, naʻá ke fili leva ke hiki mei Sikotilani ki ʻAmelika ke fakataha mo e Kāingalotú ʻo kolosi atu he ngaahi potu tokaleleí ki ʻIutā. Naʻe ʻita ʻaupito hoʻo tamaí. Naʻá ne fekau ke ke nofo, ka ko ha talavou loto-toʻa koe. Ko e ʻaho naʻá ke heka ai he vaká ko e taimi fakamuimuitaha pē ia naʻá ke mamata ai kiate iá.

ʻEpenisa, naʻe ʻikai faingofua e moʻuí ki ha taha taʻu 17 ʻoku hiki ki ha fonua foʻou, ka naʻá ke lava pē. Naʻá ke ngāue ʻaki leva he taimi ko iá hoʻo pōtoʻi fakatufungá, mo e foʻu vaká. Naʻe ui koe ke langa ha falelotu ʻi he Teleʻa Painí, ʻi ʻIutā. Neongo naʻe teʻeki te ke langa ha falelotu ki muʻa, ka naʻá ke tali e uí. Ko e falelotu motuʻa taha ia ʻo e Siasí he ʻahó ni ʻoku kei fakaʻaongaʻí.

Kimui aí naʻá ke fuofua ʻiloʻi ʻa e malaʻe sipoti fakanatula fakaʻofoʻofa ko ia ʻoku fakahingoa kiate koé, ʻa e Paʻake Fakafonua ko Kenioni Pulaisí.

ʻI he ʻaho 4 ʻo Sune 1994, naʻá ku lipooti ai ki he Misiona Taiuani Taisungú ko ha faifekau taimi kakato. Ne u fakapipiki ha pine hingoa lanu ʻuliʻuli ʻi hoku koté, hangē pē ko e ongo faifekau tangata ne ʻaʻahi ange ki hoku fāmilí he ngaahi taʻu ki muʻá. Naʻá ku ongoʻi ha loto fakatōkilalo. Ne u ongoʻi lāngilangiʻia. Pea mohu tāpuekina.

Hili ʻeku ngāue fakafaifekaú ne u hiki leva ki ʻIutā, ʻo u fetaulaki ai mo hoku husepānití. Naʻá ma mali he temipalé ki he nofo taimí mo e kotoa ʻo e nofo taʻengatá. ʻOku ou fehokotaki mo koé, ʻi he ngaahi kui hoku husepānití.

Siʻi ʻEpenisa, ʻoku ʻikai te ke ʻiloʻi au. ʻOku teʻeki pē ke ta fetaulaki. Ka ʻoku lahi e ngaahi talanoa kau kiate koe ʻoku ou fanongo aí. Naʻe ʻikai pē mālōlō ho vaʻé mei he fefonongaʻakí. Naʻe ʻikai pē ke mālōlō ho nimá mei he ngāué. Naʻe ʻikai pē ke ʻosi hoʻo tuí. Naʻe ʻikai pē ke tuku hoʻo ngāue tokoní. Hili e ngaahi taʻu lahi ko ʻení, ʻoku kei hanga pē ʻe hoʻo sīpinga moʻui faivelengá ʻo langaki ʻeku moʻuí. Fakamālō atu, ʻEpenisa. Mālō ʻAupito!