Fiefia ʻi he Ngaahi Hiva ʻo e Lotó

Naʻe taʻu hiva pē ʻa Uoloneta Polouʻetalou Makolo ʻi he taimi naʻe kole ange ai ʻe ha faifekau pe ʻe lava ha taha ʻo tā piano maʻa honau kāingalotu ne toki fokotuʻú. ʻOkú ne manatu ʻo pehē, “Naʻá ku hiki fakalelei hoku nimá ki ʻolunga!” Naʻe ʻikai taʻofi ai ʻa e faifekau ko ʻEletā Salesi W. ʻEsimaní, ʻi he taʻu motuʻa pe taʻetaukei [ʻa Uolonetá]. Naʻá ne ʻoange kia Uoloneta ha ngaahi himi ke akoako tā piano ai, pea ʻi he uike hono hokó naʻá ne hoko ko e tokotaha tā piano ʻi heʻenau ngaahi fakatahá.

ʻI he taimi naʻe hiki ai e fāmili ʻo Uolonetá mei Fisi ki Tevonipooti ʻi he Matāfanga faka-Tokelau ʻo ʻAokalaní hili ha ngaahi taʻu siʻi mei he Tau Lahi Hono Ua ʻa Māmaní, ko ʻene tangataʻeikí pē ʻe taha, ʻa ʻOsikā P. Polouʻetalou ne ʻiloa naʻá ne hoko ko e mēmipa ʻo e Siasi ʻo Sīsū Kalaisi ʻo e Kau Māʻoniʻoni ʻi he Ngaahi ʻAho Kimui Ní ʻi he feituʻu ko iá. Ka naʻe kamata ngāue leva ʻa e kau faifekaú pea ʻikai hano taimi kuo tokolahi feʻunga ha kau papi ului foʻou ke nau fai ha ngaahi fakataha ʻi he Holo Ngāue ʻa Tevonipōtí, ʻa ia naʻe fokotuʻutuʻu ʻe he faʻē ʻa Uolonetá, ʻa Hilitā E. Loupenitani Polouʻetalou.

ʻI he taimi pē naʻe fokotuʻu ai ʻa e houalotu ʻa e Fineʻofá, naʻe fakataha fakauike leva ʻa e kiʻi kulupu kakai fefiné ʻi he ʻapi ʻo Sisitā Noma Lōpetí. Naʻe ʻave ʻa Uoloneta ʻe heʻene fineʻeikí ki ai koeʻuhí ke ne tā ʻa e pianó ki he ʻNgaahi Faʻē Hivá.ʼ ʻOkú ne manatu ʻo pehē, “Naʻe teʻeki ai fokotuʻu e Palaimelí, ko ia ʻoku ou fakakaukau maʻu pē ki ai mo fehuʻia ʻa e foʻi moʻoni ko ia, ne u ʻuluaki kau atu au ki he Fineʻofá ʻi he Palaimelí!”

Naʻe fakatupulaki e ngaahi taukei fakamūsika ʻa Uolonetá ʻi he hokohoko atu ʻene tokoní. Naʻá ne mātā tonu e tupulaki fakaofo ʻa e Siasí ʻi hono feituʻú, pea naʻe maʻu ai ʻa e faingamālie ke fakatupulaki hono talēnití. ʻI he kamataʻanga hono taʻu hongofulu tupú, naʻe hoko hono koló ko e Uooti ʻOkalani 5, pea naʻe ʻi hono falelotu foʻoú ha ʻōkani paipa ʻuhila. Naʻe teʻeki ai ke tā ʻe Uoloneta ha ʻōkani kimuʻa. ʻOkú ne pehē, “Naʻe mono mai ʻe he tokotaha naʻá ne fokotuʻu [e ʻōkaní] ha kiʻi tohi tufa peá ne fakamatalaʻi vave mai ha kiʻi fakahinohino—naʻe meimei miniti ʻe hongofulu mā nima.” Ko e ngaahi fakahinohino pē ia naʻá ne maʻu ki hono tā ʻo e ʻōkaní . . . ka naʻe ʻikai ke ne hohaʻa ki ai. “Naʻá ku ʻiloʻi ʻe tokoniʻi au ʻe he ʻEikí. Naʻá ku ʻai leva ia ke hoko ko ʻeku taumuʻa ke ako ʻa e meʻa kotoa pē te u lavá pea ke u toutou akoako fakahoko ia!”

Ko e taʻu ʻeni ʻe 70, mo hono faitāpuekina ha tokolahi ʻi he līʻoa ʻa Uoloneta ki he mūsiká. ʻI he taimi naʻe faingataʻaʻia ai ʻa Palesiteni Sitivi Mitilī, ko ha palesiteni fakasiteiki mālōlō maʻá e Siteiki Uangaleí, ʻi hono kumi ha tokotaha tā ʻōkani ki ha konifelenisi fakasiteikí, naʻe fiefia ʻa Uoloneta ke tali ʻene kolé. Pea ko e taimi kotoa pē naʻe tokangaʻi ai ʻe he Palesiteni Fakaʻēlia ko Tēvita Pekisitaá ʻa e ngaahi houalotu Sākalamēniti ʻa e Uooti Takapuná, naʻá ne kiʻi taimi maʻu pē ʻi he veʻe ʻōkaní ʻi he ʻosi ʻa e polokalamá ke fakamālō kia Uoloneta ʻi he mūsiká.

ʻOkú ne pehē, “ʻOku ou tui ʻoku ou fakafofongaʻi ʻa kinautolu kotoa pē ʻoku tokoni ʻi he tafaʻaki fakamūsiká ʻi heʻeku pehē ʻoku tau ongoʻi houngaʻia ʻi he taimi ʻoku fakamālōʻiaʻi ai ʻe he kau takí mo e kāingalotú ʻa e mūsika ʻoku tau ʻoatú. Kuó u tā piano ʻi ha ngaahi fakataha fakauooti, fakasiteiki mo e [ngaahi fakataha ʻi he] ʻĒlia Pasifikí [mo] tā ki ha ngaahi kuaea ʻa e Siasí, tautautefito ʻi he ngaahi feʻauhi hiva fakalotofonuá.” ʻOkú ne ongoʻi lāngilangiʻia ʻi heʻene lava ʻo ngāue mo ha kau hiva mohu talēnitiʻia pea mo ha kau tā meʻalea tokolahi ʻi he Siasí ʻi heʻenau hivaʻi ha ngaahi hiva.

ʻI he ngaahi taʻu kuohilí kuo ngāue ʻa Uoloneta ʻi ha ngaahi uiuiʻi lahi kehe pea fiefia foki ʻi he ngaahi aʻusia ko iá. ʻI he ʻahó ni ʻokú ne ongoʻi monūʻia tatau pē ke tā ha fasi talitali ʻi hono uooti lolotongá, ʻa ia ko e Uooti Taupó, ke fakaafeʻi ʻa e Laumālie Māʻoniʻoní mo fokotuʻu ha ongoʻi ʻapasia ki heʻenau ngaahi houalotu sākalamēnití. ʻI heʻene fakakaukau ki heʻene ʻofa ʻi hono uiuiʻí, ʻokú ne houngaʻia ʻaupito ʻi he meʻaʻofa naʻe foaki ange ʻe ʻEletā ʻEsimani kiate ia ʻi he ngaahi taʻu kuohilí ʻi he taimi naʻá ne kole ai ha tokotaha tā pianó. ʻOkú ne pehē, “Kuo faitāpuekina ʻeku moʻuí ʻe heʻene fakaafe ke tā piano ʻi heʻemau ngaahi fakatahá mo [ʻene] falala kiate aú.”

Naʻe vave hono fakahaaʻi ʻe he mūsiká ʻene ʻofa ki he Tamai Hēvaní mo Sīsū Kalaisí, pea ʻoku ʻuhingamālie ʻaupito kiate ia ʻa e ngaahi himi takitaha kuó ne akó. Ko e fuofua himi naʻá ne taá ko e, ʻEiki, ke Ke Tāpuakí.

ʻOku pehē ʻe Uoloneta, “Ko ha lotu ia ke ʻiate kitautolu maʻu ai pē ʻa e Laumālie ʻo e ʻOtuá, pea ʻi he fakalau atu ʻa e ngaahi taʻú, kuo hā mai ʻa e moʻoni ko iá ʻi heʻeku moʻuí.”

Te ne lava nai ʻo fili ha himi ʻokú ne saiʻia taha ai? Hili haʻane fakakaukau ki ai, ko e aofangatuku ʻa Uolonetá, ko e ʻikai. “Ko e meʻa ʻoku mahuʻinga ange kiate aú, neongo pe ko e fē ʻa e himi ʻoku ou taá, ʻoku ou houngaʻia maʻu pē ke ongoʻi ʻa e Laumālié ʻi heʻeku tā e himi ko iá.” ʻOkú ne hoko atu ʻo pehē: Naʻe pehē ʻe Sipenisā W. Kimipolo (1895–1985) ʻi ha taimi ʻe taha, ʻʻI heʻetau hoko ko ha kau mūsiká, ʻoku tau ʻi ha tuʻunga ke tākiekina ʻa e laumālie ʻo kinautolu ʻoku fanongó.’¹

“ʻOku ou ongoʻi ʻa e fatongia ko iá.”