Skip to content
Reading time: 5 minutes
Exterior of building with a rainbow in the sky
Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani

This article by UH Hilo Hawaiian language, Hawaiian studies and linguistics Professor William “Pila” Wilson was first published in Ka Wai Ola on February 1.

Progress on a foundation laid down by kūpuna (elders)

In 1982, the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Hawaiian Studies BA was approved. The following year, the ʻAha Pūnana Leo was formed. For 40 years these two entities have been partners striving to revitalize the Hawaiian language, lobbying for legal changes and providing resources.

By mid-1994, Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu school had been established and then in 1998, Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani at UH Hilo. These were the first Hawaiian language-medium middle school, high school and college programs since the time when Lahainaluna was transitioned from a Hawaiian medium school to an English medium one in the late 1800s. From these efforts would grow an integrated Hawaiian language medium system from preschool through to the doctorate that exists today in Hilo.

All these resources came into being in the last part of the 20th century. However, the early 20th century was a period of territorial school persecution of the last native-speaker children. When those children became kūpuna, they would work to reestablish Hawaiian in the schools. Most of us have heard of the Ka Leo Hawaiʻi radio program where many kūpuna put out the call to revitalize the Hawaiian language. However, not many people may be aware of other activities in which kūpuna activists were engaged.

12 black and white images of kupuna
Kūpuna mānaleo (Native-speaking elders)

One such activity here in Hilo was the Hui Hoʻoulu ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, an organization of kūpuna working for language education with Edith Kanakaʻole as their president. Following the strong example of Aunty Edith in support of language and culture revitalization, UH Hilo students petitioned to have a Hawaiian Studies BA established here in Hilo.

Although the university agreed to seek the establishment of such a degree, its leadership was concerned that the degree would ultimately be denied because Aunty Edith and potential language teacher hires lacked graduate degrees. The dean charged with planning the degree contacted me about moving to UH Hilo from the state archives in Honolulu. At that time I was one of the few persons with a graduate degree related to the Hawaiian language.

After being contacted by the dean, I sought out Aunty Edith to get her decision on whether I should accept the job. She told me to accept. The two of us then decided that I should only accept under certain conditions. One was that Hawaiian studies would have its own department. The other was that the new Hawaiian Studies Department be operated and taught through Hawaiian as an official language under the new state constitution. Both ideas were groundbreaking as no Hawaiian area in any university had its own department and English was then the university medium of instruction even for Hawaiian studies.

Aunty Edith and the kūpuna of her generation wanted to revitalize Hawaiian as it had existed in schools attended by their parents and grandparents during the monarchy. They were intensely involved in establishing policies and in teaching in the classrooms here at UH Hilo. They are the foundation from which was built the various programs that we have today. Nui ka mahalo ʻia o lākou (We owe so much to them for what they did for Hawaiʻi)!

(Hawaiian language translation)

O Ka Holomua Ma Luna O Ke Kahua Paepae A Nā Kūpuna

I ka makahiki 1982, ua ʻāpono kūhelu ʻia ka Papahana Laepua no ka Haʻawina Hawaiʻi o ke Kulanui o Hawaiʻi ma Hilo. I ia makahiki aku 1983, ua hoʻokumu ʻia ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo. No nā makahiki he 40, he mau pakanā hoʻoikaika nui kēia mau keʻena no ke ola o ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma ke kānāwai a ma ka hoʻopuka lako.

ʻAʻole i piha nā MH he nui ma ia hope aku, ʻo ke kū aʻela ia o ke kula ʻo Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu. I ka makahiki 1994 kēlā, a i ia makahiki aku ʻo Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani. ʻO lāua nā papahana kaiaʻōlelo Hawaiʻi muli-kulahaʻahaʻa mua loa mai ka wā mai o Lahainaluna Kāhiko. Mai loko o kēia mau kula aʻela i loaʻa mai ai ka ʻōnaehana hoʻonaʻauao kaiaʻōlelo Hawaiʻi piha mai ke keiki liʻiliʻi a hiki i ka laeʻula.

He mau pōmaikaʻi kēia mau mea a pau i kō i loko o nā makahiki hope loa o ke kenekūlia iwakālua. ʻO ke kenekūlia ia i hainā nui ʻia ai nā keiki mānaleo Hawaiʻi hope loa ma nā kula kelikoli. I ka wā poʻohina o ia poʻe i hainā ʻia, ua alu nui lākou e ola hou mai ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.

Ua lohe nō paha ka nui o kākou no ka polokalamu lēkiō Ka Leo Hawaiʻi i paipai hoʻōla ʻōlelo nui ai ia mau kūpuna mānaleo. ʻAʻole naʻe paha i lohe nui ʻia no nā hana kaiāulu ʻē aʻe a ua mau kūpuna ʻimi hoʻōla ʻōlelo nei.

Ma Hilo nei, ʻo kekahi o ia mau hana, ʻo ia ka Hui Hoʻoulu ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi o Hilo nei. He hui ia o nā mānaleo kūpuna i noho pelekikena ʻia e Edith Kanakaʻole. E ʻimi ana ia hui e komo ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma nā kula. Ma muli o ke kumu hoʻohālike ʻimi ikaika ʻo ʻAnakē Edith no ka ʻōlelo a moʻomeheu Hawaiʻi, ua kaʻi nā haumāna kulanui o Hilo e koi ana e loaʻa kekahi kēkelē laepua Haʻawina Hawaiʻi i Hilo nei.

I loko nō hoʻi o ka ʻae ʻana o ke kulanui e loaʻa ia kēkelē, ua hopohopo ʻia o hōʻole ʻia e nā mana o luna aʻe no ka loaʻa ʻole o ke kēkelē mulipuka iā ʻAnakē Edith a me ka poʻe hai no ke aʻo ʻōlelo. Pēlā i ʻimi mai ai ke poʻokoleke iaʻu e neʻe mai ka Hale Waihona Palapala Kahiko ma Honolulu i Hilo nei no ka papahana e hoʻolālā ʻia ana. I ia wā ʻo wau kekahi o ka poʻe kākaʻikahi i loaʻa ke kēkelē mulipuka pili ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.

I ka loaʻa ʻana mai o kēia kono, ua ʻimi koke akula iā ʻAnakē Edith e nīnau i kona hoʻoholo ʻana, e ʻae paha wau, ʻaʻole paha. Ua haʻi mai ʻo ʻAnakē e ʻae au. Eia naʻe, ua hoʻoholo māua e ʻae wale nō me kekahi mau koina e hoʻokō ʻia o hōʻole au. ʻO kekahi, ʻo ia ka loaʻa o ka māhele kūʻokoʻa o ka papahana Haʻawina Hawaiʻi. ʻO ka lua, e aʻo a mālama ʻia ka Māhele Haʻawina Hawaiʻi i loko piha o ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma ke ʻano he ʻōlelo kūhelu ma lalo o ke kumukānāwai hou o ka mokuʻāina. He mau mua wāwahi palena kulanui kēia no ia wā paʻa o nā ʻike Hawaiʻi ma lalo o nā māhele ʻē a ma ke kaiaʻōlelo Pelekānia e aʻo ʻia ai.

Ua makemake ʻo ʻAnakē Edith a me nā kūpuna o kona hanauna e hoʻōla hou ʻia ka ʻōlelo e like me ia i loaʻa i nā kula o nā mākua a me nā kūpuna o lākou o ka wā o ke Aupuni Mōʻī. Ua komo nui lākou ma nā hana hoʻololi kānāwai a ma ke aʻo ʻana i loko o nā papa mai nā papahana o Hilo nei. ʻO lākou ke kahua i paepae ʻia ai nā lanakila piha makahiki e ʻike ʻia nei. Nui ka mahalo ʻia o lākou!

For more go to Ka Wai Ola’s website.

Back To Top