UH Hilo Hawaiian studies program marks 40 years
Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikōlani College of Hawaiian Language at UH Hilo offers BA, MA, and PhD programs in Hawaiian language and related topics including linguistics, literature, language acquisition, and indigenous cultural revitalization.
This article by UH Hilo Hawaiian language, Hawaiian studies and linguistics Professor William “Pila” Wilson was first published in Ka Wai Ola on Feb. 1.
Progress on a Foundation Laid down by Kūpuna (elders)
In 1982, the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Hawaiian Studies BA was approved. The following year, the ‘Aha 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, Nāwahīokalani‘ōpu‘u school had been established and then in 1998, Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikōlani 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 Hawai‘i 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.
One such activity here in Hilo was the Hui Ho‘oulu ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i, an organization of kūpuna working for language education with Edith Kanaka‘ole 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 ‘ia o lākou (We owe so much to them for what they did for Hawai‘i)!
(Article in ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i)
O Ka Holomua Ma Luna O Ke Kahua Paepae A Nā Kūpuna
I ka makahiki 1982, ua ‘āpono kūhelu ‘ia ka Papahana Laepua no ka Ha‘awina Hawai‘i o ke Kulanui o Hawai‘i ma Hilo. I ia makahiki aku 1983, ua ho‘okumu ‘ia ka ‘Aha Pūnana Leo. No nā makahiki he 40, he mau pakanā ho‘oikaika nui kēia mau ke‘ena no ke ola o ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ma ke kānāwai a ma ka ho‘opuka lako.
‘A‘ole i piha nā MH he nui ma ia hope aku, ‘o ke kū a‘ela ia o ke kula ‘o Nāwahīokalani‘ōpu‘u. I ka makahiki 1994 kēlā, a i ia makahiki aku ‘o Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikōlani. ‘O lāua nā papahana kaia‘ōlelo Hawai‘i muli-kulaha‘aha‘a mua loa mai ka wā mai o Lahainaluna Kāhiko. Mai loko o kēia mau kula a‘ela i loa‘a mai ai ka ‘ōnaehana ho‘ona‘auao kaia‘ōlelo Hawai‘i piha mai ke keiki li‘ili‘i a hiki i ka lae‘ula.
He mau pōmaika‘i kēia mau mea a pau i kō i loko o nā makahiki hope loa o ke kenekūlia iwakālua. ‘O ke kenekūlia ia i hainā nui ‘ia ai nā keiki mānaleo Hawai‘i hope loa ma nā kula kelikoli. I ka wā po‘ohina o ia po‘e i hainā ‘ia, ua alu nui lākou e ola hou mai ka ʻōlelo Hawai‘i.
Ua lohe nō paha ka nui o kākou no ka polokalamu lēkiō Ka Leo Hawai‘i i paipai ho‘ōla ‘ōlelo nui ai ia mau kūpuna mānaleo. ‘A‘ole na‘e paha i lohe nui ‘ia no nā hana kaiāulu ‘ē a‘e a ua mau kūpuna ‘imi ho‘ōla ‘ōlelo nei.
Ma Hilo nei, ‘o kekahi o ia mau hana, ‘o ia ka Hui Ho‘oulu ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i o Hilo nei. He hui ia o nā mānaleo kūpuna i noho pelekikena ‘ia e Edith Kanaka‘ole. E ‘imi ana ia hui e komo ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ma nā kula. Ma muli o ke kumu ho‘ohālike ‘imi ikaika ‘o ‘Anakē Edith no ka ‘ōlelo a mo‘omeheu Hawai‘i, ua ka‘i nā haumāna kulanui o Hilo e koi ana e loa‘a kekahi kēkelē laepua Ha‘awina Hawai‘i i Hilo nei.
I loko nō ho‘i o ka ‘ae ‘ana o ke kulanui e loa‘a ia kēkelē, ua hopohopo ‘ia o hō‘ole ‘ia e nā mana o luna a‘e no ka loa‘a ‘ole o ke kēkelē mulipuka iā ‘Anakē Edith a me ka po‘e hai no ke a‘o ‘ōlelo. Pēlā i ‘imi mai ai ke po‘okoleke ia‘u e ne‘e mai ka Hale Waihona Palapala Kahiko ma Honolulu i Hilo nei no ka papahana e ho‘olālā ‘ia ana. I ia wā ‘o wau kekahi o ka po‘e kāka‘ikahi i loa‘a ke kēkelē mulipuka pili ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i.
I ka loa‘a ‘ana mai o kēia kono, ua ‘imi koke akula iā ‘Anakē Edith e nīnau i kona ho‘oholo ‘ana, e ‘ae paha wau, ‘a‘ole paha. Ua ha‘i mai ‘o ‘Anakē e ‘ae au. Eia na‘e, ua ho‘oholo māua e ‘ae wale nō me kekahi mau koina e ho‘okō ‘ia o hō‘ole au. ‘O kekahi, ‘o ia ka loa‘a o ka māhele kū‘oko‘a o ka papahana Ha‘awina Hawai‘i. ‘O ka lua, e a‘o a mālama ‘ia ka Māhele Ha‘awina Hawai‘i i loko piha o ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ma ke ‘ano he ‘ōlelo kūhelu ma lalo o ke kumukānāwai hou o ka moku‘āina. He mau mua wāwahi palena kulanui kēia no ia wā pa‘a o nā ‘ike Hawai‘i ma lalo o nā māhele ‘ē a ma ke kaia‘ōlelo Pelekānia e a‘o ‘ia ai.
Ua makemake ‘o ‘Anakē Edith a me nā kūpuna o kona hanauna e ho‘ōla hou ‘ia ka ‘ōlelo e like me ia i loa‘a i nā kula o nā mākua a me nā kūpuna o lākou o ka wā o ke Aupuni Mō‘ī. Ua komo nui lākou ma nā hana ho‘ololi kānāwai a ma ke a‘o ‘ana i loko o nā papa mai nā papahana o Hilo nei. ‘O lākou ke kahua i paepae ‘ia ai nā lanakila piha makahiki e ‘ike ‘ia nei. Nui ka mahalo ‘ia o lākou!
Via UH System News
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