ʻEletā D. Todd Chrostofferson
ʻO e Kōlomu ʻo e Kau ʻAposetolo ʻe Toko Hongofulu Mā Uá
ʻOku pehē ʻe ʻEletā Tēvita Toti Kulisitofāsoni ʻa ē ne toki uiuiʻi foʻou pea hikinimaʻi ko ha mēmipa ʻo e Kōlomu ʻo e Kau ʻAposetolo ʻe Toko Hongofulu Mā Uá: “ ʻOku ʻi ai e meʻa ʻe lava ke ke ako mei he tokotaha kotoa pē. ʻOku teʻeki ai ke u ʻiloʻi ha taha—pe ʻoku kau ki he Siasí pe ʻikai—kuo teʻeki ai ke u lava ʻo maʻu ha meʻa mei ai ke u hoko ai ko ha tokotaha lelei ange.”
Kuo ako ʻe ʻEletā Kulisitofāsoni ʻi heʻene moʻui kotoa ke puke ʻa ia ʻoku leleí mei he kakai kotoa pē pea naʻe kamata pē ia mei heʻene ongomātuʻá.
Naʻe fāʻeleʻi ʻa ʻEletā Kulisitofāsoni kia Paula Vikeli Kulisitofāsoni mo Sini Suenisoni Kulisitofāsoni ʻi he ʻaho 24 ʻo Sānuali, 1945, ʻo ne tupu hake ʻi Pelēsoni Kolove mo Linitoni ʻi ʻIutā, ʻi he USA. ʻOkú ne pehē naʻá ne fiefia mo hono ngaahi tehina ʻe toko faá ʻi heʻenau tupu hake ʻi ha feituʻu “nonga” mo “fakatupulaki.”
Ko ʻene manatu ʻeni ki aí, “Ko e moʻui malu mo fiefia naʻa mau maʻu ʻi ʻapí. Naʻe fakaʻaliʻali mai ʻe heʻemau tamaí mo ʻemau faʻeé ʻa e founga ke mau moʻui ai ʻo fakatatau mo e sīpinga ʻo e ongoongoleleí.”
ʻI he kamata ako ʻa ʻEletā Kulisitofāsoni ʻi he akoʻanga māʻolungá, naʻa nau hiki mo hono fāmilí ki Somaseti ʻi Niu Sēsī, ʻi he USA. Naʻá ne mamata ai ha ngaahi feituʻu foʻou, kakai foʻou, mo maʻu ai ha ngaahi faingamālie foʻou.
ʻOkú ne pehē, “Naʻá ku saiʻia ʻi he fakakaungāmeʻa mo fetuʻutaki mo e kakai mei he ngaahi feituʻu kehekehe mo ʻenau ngaahi tui fakalotu kehekehé. Naʻe lelei ʻaupito ʻemau feohi mo fengāueʻakí.”
ʻI he ʻosi ʻa ʻEletā Kulisitofāsoni mei he akoʻanga māʻolungá, naʻá ne ako ʻi he ʻUnivēsiti Pilikihami ʻIongí ʻi ha taʻu ʻe taha peá ne ʻalu ʻo ngāue fakafaifekau taimi kakato ʻi ʻĀsenitiná. ʻOkú ne pehē naʻá ne ako ai mei ha “ongo palesiteni fakamisiona taʻehano tatau,” ko Palesiteni Lōnolo V. Sitouni ʻi ha ngaahi ʻuluaki māhina lahi ʻo ʻene ngāue fakafaifekaú, mo Palesiteni Lisiate G. Sikoti (ʻa ia ʻoku ʻEletā Sikoti he taimi ní, ko ha mēmipa ʻo e Kōlomu ʻo e Kau ʻAposetolo ʻe Toko Hongofulu Mā Uá) ʻi he toenga ʻo e taimi naʻá ne ngāue aí.
Ko e manatu ʻeni ʻa ʻEletā Kulisitofāsoni kia ʻEletā Sikotí: “Naʻá mau ako ke fai pau ki he meʻa naʻe fie maʻu ke mau fakahokó, ʻo hangē ko iá. Naʻá ne tokanga maʻu pē ki ha tuʻunga māʻolunga ange ʻe lava ke lahi ange ai e tupulakí, lahi ange ʻa e meʻa ke faí pea lahi ange mo e meʻa ʻe lavaʻí. Pea koeʻuhí ko e meʻa ko iá, naʻe kamata ke toe māʻolunga ange ʻa e mahino mo e fakakaukau naʻa mau maʻú, ʻi he ngāué mo ia ʻe malava ke mau fakahokó.”
ʻI he foki mai ʻa ʻEletā Kulisitofāsoni mei ʻĀsenitiná, naʻá ne toe hū pē ki BYU ʻo ne ako ai ki he lea faka-Pilitāniá peá ne kau foki ʻi he kau taki ʻo e fānau akó mo e ngaahi sipoti fakaloto ʻapiakó pē. Naʻá ne fetaulaki foki ai mo mali mo hono uaifi ko Kefilina (Kefi) Telemā Sēkope; naʻá na mali ʻi he ʻaho 28 ʻo Mē, 1968, ʻi he Temipale Sōlekí ʻi he fakaʻosinga ʻo hona taʻu tolu ʻi he ʻunivēsití. ʻI he ʻaho ní, ʻoku ʻi ai ʻena fānau ʻe toko nima mo e makapuna ʻe toko valu.
Naʻe maʻu e mataʻitohi BA ʻo ʻEletā Kulisitofāsoní mei BYU ʻi he 1969, hili ko iá naʻá ne hoko atu ki hono mataʻitohi ʻi he laó ʻi he ʻUnivēsiti Tiuké. ʻI heʻene ʻosi mei ai ʻi he 1972, naʻá ne ngāue ko ha kalake lao maʻá e Fakamaau ko Sione J. Silika (Judge John J. Sirica), ʻo ne ngāue ai lolotonga e ngaahi hopo fekauʻaki mo e Watergate.
ʻOku pehē ʻe ʻEletā Kulisitofāsoni, “Ko ʻeku fuofua ngāue foki ia hili ʻeku ʻosi mei he akó pea naʻe fakafiefia e ngaahi meʻa ne u aʻusiá. Ne u mamata ai ʻi he fio fakataha ʻo e lelei tahá mo e kovi taha ʻi he ngāue fakalaó. Ka ne fakahā mai ʻe he meʻa ne u aʻusiá ʻa e meʻa ʻe lava ʻe he ngāue fakalao leleí ʻo faí, pea naʻá ku maʻu ai ha loto-falala mo feinga.”
Naʻe fuofua kamata e ngāue maʻuʻanga moʻui ʻa ʻEletā Kulisitofāsoni ʻi he tafaʻaki fakalaó ʻi ha kautaha lao pea hili iá naʻá ne hoko ko ha tokotaha fai-faleʻi fakalao maʻá ha ngaahi pangikē mo ha ngaahi kautaha kehe pē kae tautautefito pē ki he feituʻu faka-Hahake ʻo e ʻIunaiteti Siteití. ʻOku pehē ʻe ʻEletā Kulisitofāsoni ko e meʻa naʻá ne fiefia taha ai ʻi he ngaahi taʻu ko iá “ko ʻene feohi mo ha kakai lelei ʻi he tafaʻaki kotoa pē ʻo e moʻuí pea ʻo e ngaahi tui fakalotu kotoa pē. Ne u ʻiloʻi ai ʻa e fie maʻu moʻoni ʻe ha kakai tokolahi ke nau tokoni ki he kakai kehé pea ʻoku līʻoa ʻenau moʻuí ke fakahoko ia.”
Naʻe uiuiʻi ʻa ʻEletā Kulisitofāsoni ʻi he 1993 ke ne hoko ko ha mēmipa ʻo e ʻUluaki Kōlomu ʻo e Kau Fitungofulú, pea ʻokú ne fakamatalaʻi ia ko ha vahaʻataimi naʻe “tākiekina lahi ai ʻene moʻuí.” Naʻe ʻi ai ha taimi naʻe ʻave ai ia ʻe hono fatongiá ki he ʻĒlia Tonga-Hihifo ʻo ʻAmelika Tokelaú mo e ʻĒlia Mekisikou Sauté.
ʻOku manatu ʻofa ʻa ʻEletā Kulisitofāsoni ki he ngaahi ʻinitaviu naʻá ne fakahoko lolotonga hono fokotuʻutuʻu foʻou ʻo ha siteiki ʻe taha ʻi Mekisikou. “Ko e taha ʻo e kakai naʻa mau ʻinitaviú ko ha tangata loto fakatōkilalo moʻoni, pea naʻá ne sino siʻisiʻi. Naʻá ma fakahoko ha ʻinitaviu lelei peá u ʻoange kiate ia ha abrazo [fāʻofua]. ʻI he hū ʻa e tangatá ni ki tuʻá, naʻá ne pehē ange ki he palesiteni fakasiteikí, ‘La autoridad me abrazó.’ [’Naʻe fāofua kiate au e maʻu mafaí.’] Naʻá ne toutou leaʻaki ia. Ne akoʻi au ʻe he meʻá ni ke u fakahoungaʻi e fanga kiʻi meʻa iiki ko ia ʻoku fai ʻe he kakaí. Ne u ako foki ʻo ʻiloʻi ai te ke lava maʻu pē ʻo fai ha meʻa ke tokoniʻi ai e niʻihi kehé ke nau ongoʻi ʻoku ʻi ai honau mahuʻinga, ko ha foha pe ʻofefine ʻo e ʻOtuá.
Naʻá ne toe pehē, “Te ke lava ke ako ha meʻa lelei mei he tokotaha kotoa pē ʻokú ke fetuʻutaki mo feohi mo ia. Fakatauange pē ʻoku tau fai ʻa e meʻa tatau maʻá ha niʻihi kehe.”
Naʻe uiuiʻi ʻa ʻEletā Kulisitofāsoni ʻi he 1998 ke ne hoko ko ha mēmipa ʻo e Kau Palesitenisī ʻo e Kau Fitungofulú, pea naʻá ne ngāue ai ʻo aʻu ki hono uiuiʻi ki he Kōlomu ʻo e Kau ʻAposetolo ʻe Toko Hongofulu Mā Uá. ʻOkú ne pehē ko e taimi naʻá ne ʻuluaki maʻu ai hono uiuiʻi foʻou meia Palesiteni Tōmasi S. Monisoní, “hangē he ʻikai te ne lava ʻo fakahoko iá.”
“ ʻI heʻeku fakakaukau atu ki aí, hangē ʻoku fuʻu taulōfuʻú e fatongiá. Ka ne ʻi ai ʻeku kau faiako lelei ʻi heʻeku ngāue ʻi he Kōlomu ʻo e Kau Fitungofulú mo e kau mēmipa ʻo e Kōlomu ʻo e Kau ʻAposetolo ʻe Toko Hongofulu Mā Uá ʻi he taʻu ʻe 15 kuo hilí. Pea ʻoku ou toe ʻiloʻi fakapapau ai kuo poupouʻi maʻu pē au ʻe he ʻEikí. Kuó u lava maʻu pē ʻo fetuʻutaki kiate Ia ʻi he lotu he taimi ʻo e faingataʻá, ngaahi liliú pea mo ʻeku ngaahi fie maʻu kotoa pē. Naʻá ku falala kiate Ia pea kuo teʻeki ai tō noa ʻeku ʻamanakí. Ko e moʻoni ʻokú Ne kei tauhi pē ki Heʻene ngaahi talaʻofa. ʻOku ou ʻilo te Ne foaki mai foki mo e tokoni te u fie maʻu hení.”