Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, 1 Kepakemapa 1982 — I HEA ANA KAʻOLELO HAWAIʻI [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

I HEA ANA KAʻOLELO HAWAIʻI

WHERE IS THE HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE GOING? by Robert Lokomaika'iokalani Snakenberg Department of Education, State of Hawaii I ka 'olelo ke ola, i ka 'olelo ka make. (In the word there is life, in the word there is death.) In the days when this proverb was uttered to admonish a person to be careful of what he or she was saying or how, little was it thought that the ver language whieh was being spoken might someday have to fight for its very survival. And yet, not only should the Hawaiian language be viewed as being involved in a virtual struggle for life, but the survival of the whole cultural foundation of the Hawaiian people must be seen as being intertwined with the ultimate outcome of this struggle! The 'Olelo to a non-literate people is the most important waiwai or treasure whieh they possess. How else ean they pass on the accounts of genealogical succession and family history; cultural knowledge in all realms of endeavor such as farming, fishing, and medical practices; and, the myths, legends and other stories whieh make up the people's cultural heritage? Onee the written word was introduced to Hawaiians, they accepted it with a passion, pouring out hundreds of thousands of pages of prose, poetry, personal accounts, textbooks, religious books and tracts, and government documents — all in the Hawaiian language. Most Hawaiians alive today do not have the slightest idea of the amount of material whieh was written by their kupuna in Hawaiian and whichsits inlibraries, microfilm drawers, archives, museums and private collections. What is of more urgent eoneem int he 1 980's will be the perpetuation and continued use of the beautiful Hawaiian language among the people of Hawai'i as a spoken language. Hawaiian-speaking kupuna have been hired and are working in selected public elementary school classrooms sharing their knowledge of the language and Hawaiian culture as they lived it. But will this be enough to aeeomplish the goal of revitalizing the language and making it such an attractive and culturally important element of being Hawaiian that young Hawaiians will be motivated to persevere and work hard to overcome the difficulties usually encountered in learning a second language? Is it realistic to expect that children will learn to speak Hawaiian as a second language if their own parents and grandparents do not speak the ancestral language? This is a very serious question for the makua or parent generation to consider. There are many institutions and private teachers offering evening classes in the Hawaiian language. It is very interesting to note that pressure for expanding these public and private programs has not been anywhere near as great as the pressure for getting Hawaiian language programs in the schools! Hawaiians ean not expect to send their children to the multi-ethnic public school system and have the kupuna and teachers there save the ancestral language from extinction. Grandparents and parents are going to have to create a climate within the home where the learning of the Hawaiian language by ALL of the members of the family will be valued and pursued. Learning the Hawaiian language will have to become as important to Hawaiian families as participating in sports, watching television, listening to modern rock music on the radio or tape recorder, going to discos or going to the beach. There is no question that these activities ean be fun or useful or that they build up a good feeling of family, team or friendship spirit whieh is important to good mental and physical health. What is needed for good CULTURAL heahh and preservation is more participation by working fathers and mothers and their families in the cultural activities whieh identify and put a stamp of "Hawaiian-ness" upon the persons participating. This includes/e/-makingand wearing, hula kahiko (dancing, not watching!), eanoe paddling, choral singing and food preparation for family or group parties. It should also include picking a kumu and beginning the study of the Hawaiian language, whatever it be at one of the DOE Community Schools for Adults; the University, Community Colleges, or the Kamehameha Schools Continuing Education ,classes; church and community group classes; or private classes offered by independent teachers of the language. Students are graduating from the University with degrees in Hawaiian language and culture and they ean not find jobs for whieh their Hawaiian languageskills are

needed. How wonderful it would be for them to find groups of Hawaiians in the various communities who are in their twenties through their seventies who would be willing to set aside a few hours of their time and a few dollars to learn finally the language whieh sets them apart and identifies them as being Hawaiian! These problems ean not be solved by any single agency or institution in Hawai'i today working alone. We must alu like and laulima and the work of these organizations and agencies must be founded on the wholehearted support and motivation of the Hawaiian people as a whole to learn the Hawaiian language so as to perpetuate all the other aspects of Hawaiian culture. I mua kakous!

■» —N» ni?Bain&. — 1 ■ '■ 1 1 Chairman Joses Keale & Trustee Rod Burgess wereguest of theMilolii Community during a large community reunion helā after many families have received long term leaves from the state.