Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language

Undergraduate Programs

Director: Leslie Kaʻiu Kimura
Email: lesliek@hawaii.edu

Website: https://olelo.hawaii.edu/

Professors:

• Larry Kimura, Ph.D.
• Scott Saft, Ph.D.
• Glenn Kalena Silva, Ph.D.
• William Pila Wilson, Ph.D.

Associate Professors:

• Jason Iota Cabral, Ph.D.
• Kekoa Harman, Ph.D.
• Betty-Joann Noelani Iokepa-Guerrero, Ph.D.
• Kauanoe Kamanā, Ph.D.
• Keiki Kawaiʻaeʻa, Ph.D.
• Kananinohea Mākaʻimoku, M.A.
• Yumiko Ohara, Ph.D.
• Hiapo K. Perreira, Ph.D.
• Leisy Wyman, Ph.D.

Assistant Professors:

• Frank “Kaʻiuokalani” Damas, M.A.

Vision and Mission of the College

ʻO ka ʻōlelo ke kaʻā o ka mauli.
Language is the fiber that binds us to our cultural identity.

UH Hilo's College of Hawaiian Language, Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani, was established in 1998 as the world's first college through the medium of Hawaiian. The College is named in honor of Ruth Keʻelikōlani Keanolani Kanāhoahoa, the 19th century high chiefess known for her strong advocacy of Hawaiian language and culture.

The mission of the College is to assure the revitalization and continued advancement and growth of the Hawaiian language and mauli ola Hawaiʻi. A thriving Hawaiian language is the means through which the mauli ola Hawaiʻi will once again become commonplace in both traditional and contemporary contexts in Hawaiʻi. The College joins with other Indigenous peoples in the revitalization of their own languages and cultures. Our collective efforts will ensure the furthering of local, national and international initiatives toward establishing language and cultural vibrancy throughout the world.

College Learner Outcomes

1. Speak and write with fluency in appropriate contexts. (Casual, Workplace, Formal Ceremony, Undergraduate/Graduate level)
2. Locate and utilize scholarly information as a part of academic research.
3. Demonstrate increased knowledge and use of the Kumu Honua Mauli Ola Educational Philosophy.
4. Identify and strategically engage in current issues in revitalizing and maintaining Hawaiian and Indigenous languages and cultures.
5. Exhibit leadership in Hawaiian and Indigenous language and culture revitalization in academic and community environments.

What does a degree from Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani mean?

A degree from Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani (KHʻUOK) signifies students have obtained Hawaiian language proficiency and Hawaiian culture knowledge. All students exiting with degrees from this college have the potential to actively engage and contribute to the revitalization and continued advancement and growth of the Hawaiian language and mauli ola Hawaiʻi. KHʻUOK also offers a pathway that produces students with the fundamental skills to analyze the structure of language, its place in the mind, and its role in society to then support language revitalization in general, multilingual education, and Indigenous languages.

KHʻUOK was established in 1998 as the world’s first college through the medium of Hawaiian emphasizing Hawaiian language, traditional Hawaiian culture, indigenous language and culture revitalization, linguistics and education in a Hawaiian language medium environment including Na Kula Mauli Ola, the P-12 laboratory school program.

Mandated by state law (Act 315) to “serve as a focal point for the State’s efforts to revitalize the Hawaiian language through teacher training, undergraduate and graduate study of Hawaiian, community outreach, research and testing, use of technology, national and international cooperation, and the development of liberal education in Hawaiian for future generations of Hawaiian speakers.” KHʻUOK implements outreach to other indigenous peoples on a national and international basis, and is thus recognized as the leader in indigenous language revitalization in the United States and the North Pacific Basin.

Academic Division

Division Chair: Jason “Iota” Cabral, Ph.D.
Email: jasoncab@hawaii.edu

Website: https://olelo.hawaii.edu/

The Mokuna Papahana Kālaiʻike (Academic Programs Division) of Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language emphasizes Hawaiian language, traditional Hawaiian culture, indigenous language and culture revitalization, linguistics and education in a Hawaiian language medium environment. It also includes Nā Kula Mauli Ola, the P-12 laboratory school program. The following are the College undergraduate degree and certificate programs.

• B.A. in Hawaiian Studies
  • Minor in Hawaiian Studies
  • Hawaiian Culture Certificate
  • Hawaiian Language Certificate
  • Hawaiian and Indigenous Language Medium Early Education Certificate
  • Multidisciplinary Hawaiian Studies Certificate
• B.A. in Linguistics
  • Minor in Linguistics
  • Contemporary Indigenous Multilingualism Certificate

For information on the College's graduate programs, including the Kahuawaiola Indigenous Teacher Education Program, please see the graduate section of this catalog.