Resurgence of the Hawaiian Language

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No matter where you go in Hawaiʻi, the Hawaiian language, or ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, is sure to be found. Whether in expressions like “aloha” or “mahalo”, songs like our state anthem “Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī”, or in the names of the places we live, work and play, like “Kealakekua”, “Keālia” or “Waiākea”, Hawaiian is a part of our daily life. Today, you can watch Hawaiian-language programs on ʻŌiwi TV or hear ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi on radio stations like KAPA, KHBC or KWXX. And, with Hawaiian being an official language of the state of Hawaiʻi, and with the number of speakers and learners of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi having increased tenfold between 2000 and 2010, it is imperative for the State of Hawaiʻi and the Department of Education to make the learning of Hawaiian language a requirement for all public school students.

Prior to 1896, ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi was not just a native language. It was also the national language. Most people who lived in Hawaiʻi, whether they were native Hawaiian or not, read, wrote and spoke in Hawaiian. Between the 1840s and 1890s, the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi had a literacy rate of 90% and ranked second in the world only to Scotland – surpassing even the United States, Great Britain and France. In 1896, however, the Republic of Hawaiʻi passed Act 57, which ordered all public and private schools recognized by the government to teach all subjects in the English language; although, these schools were free to use a secondary language alongside English. While Act 57 did not “ban” the use of the Hawaiian language, it created a social stigma that led to the suppression of the language well into the twentieth century. Even the Kamehameha Schools, an institution for native Hawaiian children, began to suppress the use of the language by punishing and even...

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... the language is death. Words can heal and words can destroy. This is how this ʻōlelo noʻeau, or Hawaiian proverb, is interpreted in the famous book ʻŌlelo Noʻeau: Hawaiian Proverbs and Poetic Sayings by Mary Kawena Pūkuʻi. But, on its website, the ʻAha Pūnana Leo states, “…a contemporary translation for this proverb is, in the Hawaiian language we find the life of our race, without it (the Hawaiian language) we shall perish.” In other words, unless we know our language, we cannot fully know our culture, history or traditions. Of course, a change cannot happen overnight. It may take several years for our public schools to be able to successfully implement a Hawaiian language curriculum. But, can you imagine, if we were to take the necessary steps towards achieving that, how far we will go in the preservation and perpetuation of the Hawaiian language and way of life?

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