Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 4, Number 1, 1 January 1987 — La Kukahekahe Slated Apr. 11 [ARTICLE]

La Kukahekahe Slated Apr. 11

'Ahahui 'Olelo Hawaii will be holding another in a long succession of La Kukahekahe on Oahu April 11 when high school and college students mix with kupuna and night school adults in a full day of Hawaiian language only conversation and games. La Kukahekahe is one of the many yearly activities of the 'Ahahui 'Olelo Hawaii whose "day of flowing eonversation" has long been a favorite activity. It has recently become a showplace for bilingual preschool children from Punana Leo. There are similar Hawaiian language activities on Kauai in February and in Hilo in March of eaeh year. The 'Ahahui evolved from a committee established at the Kamehameha Schools in the early 1970s. It was known as the Preservation of Hawaiian Language eommittee (POHL). Naomi Noe Losch, who teaches Hawaiian at Leeward Community College, is the current president.

She recently presided at a gathering of about 25 Ha- ' waiian language teachers, kupuna and interested eommunity members at the Kamehameha Schools' Keopuolani Conference Center. Participants were in two groups — professional Hawaiian language teachers in one and kupuna and other interested community members in the other. Following lively sessions, both groups reported back some of the following recommendations: • The need for Hawaiian language camps for families and oeople of all ages who wish to get together in an u. rmal, live-in setting to leam or practic'e their Hawaiian. • Setting up small group trips to various places throughout the islands over long weekends during whieh Hawaiian would be the main language of eommunications. • Creation of a list of expressions in Hawaiian that could be used by leaders in Hawaiian organizations to run meetings using ka 'olelo makuahine. • Updating of the 'Ahahui's visibility in the eommunity through providing a speakers' bureau, writing articles in English and/or Hawaiian for various media such as Ka Wai Ola O OHA, and the development of informal language experiences involving Hawaiian language speaking community members such as kupuna. The organization also amended its bylaws to create two classes of members — reguiar and associate. The former are those who consider themselves active, professional instructors of the Hawaiian language and pay the $6 annual dues. Associates or lala kako'o are all others having an interest in the preparation of the native language of these islands. Their dues are $4 per year. All members receive the Hawaiian language newsletter Ka 'Aha'i 'Olelo. In addition to its La Kukahekahe in April, the 'Ahahui is planning for teachers' meetings in January, March and May. Among topics to be discussed are the creation of new vocabulary to facilitate the use of Hawaiian in modern day situations, creation of new and exciting instructional materials and teacher training in various areas of staff development. Two exciting recent developments are the printing and total sellout of a Hawaiian language calendar for 1987 and the finalization of plans for a Hawaiian lan'guage eamp for high school students at Camp Erdman in Mokule'ia at the end of January. Ihquiries about the organization and its activities may be made by writing to 'Ahahui 'Olelo Hawaii, P.O. Box 22902, Honolulu, Hawbii %822.