Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 7, 1 July 1993 — Materials: "We used to weave mats -- now we cut and paste." [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Materials: "We used to weave mats -- now we cut and paste."

Developing materials for Hawaiian immersion programs is "a monumental chore, one that cannot be done without partnerships with other organizations in the Hawaiian language eommunity," says DOE educational specialist Anita Bruce. Lilinoe Andrews, materials development coordinator for Hale Kāko'o o Pūnana Leo, agreed and said there is mueh sharing between Hale Kāko'o, the DOE and Hale Kuamo'o, and Kamehameha Schools. Communication be-

tween the agencies is crucial so they don't duplicate efforts, Andrews added. Translation is the major avenue for developing materials. Generally, translators write Hawaiian text for standard English textbooks and stories, and then the

translations are pasted into the books right on top of the English. Many hours later, The Cat in the Hat becomes Ka Pōpoki i ka Pāpale. "The parents cut and paste and

laminate," says Bruce. "It's an art to cover the English." Uluwehi Sai, a mother of children enrolled in Pūnana Leo o Honolulu, said, "It's good because it's working together. We used to weave mats - now we cut and paste." There are also Mainland publishing companies that issue translations. But Keiki Kawai'ae'a, who taught for three years in the immersion program at Pā'ia Elementary and now develops curriculum at Hale Kuamo'o, said translation

shouldn't be the final answer for immersion. "We ean always translate materials, but we laek our own," she said, emphasizing a need for new, original works in Hawaiian. In response to that need, some of the teachers and parents have written, illus-

trated and "published" their own simple books, while Hale Kāko'o and Hale Kuamo'o have developed some beautiful texts for classroom use.

Lilinoe Andrews

Keeping immersion students supplied with Hawaiian language books and other materials is a constant chatlenge. photo by Jeff Clark