Mary Allen
He rodent ka muskrat. Ua ʻoi aku ka nui ma mua o ka ʻiole a ʻoi aku ka liʻiliʻi ma mua o ka beaver. He ʻano hoʻopunipuni ka inoa muskrat no ka mea, ʻaʻole ia no ka ʻiole akā no nā vole. Ma mua, noho wale ka muskrat ma ʻAmelika ʻĀkau. Ma kahi o ka makahiki 1900, ua ʻōlelo ʻia ua hoʻihoʻi mai kekahi aliʻi Czech iā ia mai kahi huakaʻi hahai holoholona. Mai ia manawa ua laha i ka nui o Europa a me Asia.
ʻO ke kaumaha o ka muskrat makua ma waena o hoʻokahi a ʻelua a me ka hapa kilokani. Hiki iā ʻoe ke ʻike ma kāna ʻoki ʻokiʻoki he ʻiole ʻo ia. He poʻo pōkole a mānoanoa kona. Me he mea lā e komo i loko o ke kino me ka ʻāʻī ʻole. Aneane olohelohe ka huelo a palahalaha ma ka aoao.
Hoʻohana nui nā muskrats i ka wai. ʻO ia ke kumu e noho ai lākou ma kahi kokoke i nā loko a me nā muliwai. He poʻe ʻauʻau maikaʻi lākou a he luʻu. ʻO nā lauoho ʻoʻoleʻa e ulu ana ma ko lākou manamana wāwae, e like me nā hoe, kōkua iā lākou e ʻauʻau. Hoʻohana ka muskrat i kona mau wāwae ikaika a me nā wāwae hope e neʻe ai i loko o ka wai. Hiki i ka muskrat ke hoʻohana i kona huelo e hoʻololi i ke ala.
ʻAi nui nā muskrats i ka ʻili lāʻau a me nā mea kanu wai a i ʻole nā mea kanu e ulu ana ma kahakai. ʻO kēia mau mea, no ka laʻana, nā ʻohe a me nā cattails. Kakaʻikahi lākou e ʻai i ka iʻa, nā ʻupena, a me nā rana.
Ma ke ʻano he wahi e hoʻi hope ai, kūkulu nā muskrats i ʻelua ʻano lua: Ma kekahi ʻaoʻao, aia nā tunnels e ʻeli lākou i lalo o ka wai. Ma kekahi ʻaoʻao, aia ka mea i kapa ʻia ʻo Bisamburgen. He mau hale kēia a lākou i kūkulu ai mai nā ʻāpana mea kanu. I ka ʻeli ʻana i nā tunnels, i kekahi manawa e hoʻohaʻahaʻa lākou i nā dike a i ʻole nā dams, e hoʻopilikia ai i kēia mau hale.
Hāpai pinepine ka muskrats i ʻelua manawa i ka makahiki. Aneane hoʻokahi mahina ka hapai ʻana a he ʻehā a ʻeiwa ʻōpio. ʻO ke kaumaha o kahi pēpē ma kahi o iwakālua kalama i kona hānau ʻana. Noho lākou ma ka hale kākela a inu waiu mai ko lākou makuahine. Hiki iā lākou ke hana hou iā lākou iho i ka makahiki aʻe a no laila e laha wikiwiki loa.
Ma ka nahelehele, he kakaikahi ka muskrats e ola ana ma mua o ʻekolu makahiki. Ma hope o kēia manawa, maʻa mau ko lākou mau mola i hiki ʻole ke ʻai hou. ʻImi ʻia nā muskrats e ka ʻalopeke ʻulaʻula, ka pueo ʻaeto, a me ka ʻotter. Huli nā kānaka i ka muskrat me nā pū a me nā pahele. Hiki iā ʻoe ke ʻai i kā lākou ʻiʻo. Ua kaulana loa ka huluhulu ma ka ʻoihana huluhulu.