Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 11, Number 7, 1 Iulai 1994 — E ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma nā wahi a pau [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

E ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma nā wahi a pau

■k ^ -k *r k (Speak Hawaiian everywhere)

bv Jeff Clark There should be Hawaiian-lan-guuge TV stations and newspapers, the government should make available all documents and services in Hawaiian and hire Hawaiian speakers to make that possible, and Hawaiians should get first crack at uni versity Hawaiian language classes. These were some of the ideas agreed upon when almost 400 members of the Hawaiian lan-

guage community gathered at Kamehameha Schools May 21-22 to discuss ways to ensure the lan2uage's survival.

"If you don't know the language, learn it. ... Don't think you ean*not. We ean do anything." - Kauanoe Kamanā

They were part of a resolution signed by a majority of the participants at the close of the conferenee, whieh was organized and funded by OHA's culture office. The resolution also states that people from Ni'ihau should be hired as language teachers even if the\ laek degrees or certificates, additional Hawaiian language teacher positions should be created and programs developed to train speakers to fill those positions. and OHA should Dav

tuition for kumu hula to take Hawaiian language classes so the\ ean teach hula ma ka 'ōlelo Haw ai'i. The conference's official theme was "Ka 'Ōlelo Hawai'i Ma Nā Wahi A Pau." or, "Hawaiian Language Spoken Everywhere." That theme was summed up, for many, by Kauanoe Kamanā of Pūnana Leo, who said the Hawaiian language is living in the classroom, but outside we tend to use English, and we can't survive

that way. Kamanā also explained what the term "mother tongue" means to her - her own mother spoke the same language at home, in school, in church, at the market, everywhere. Said Kamanā through interpreter Puakea Nogelmeier, "If you don't know the language, learn it. Let's help eaeh other. ... If you are young, you ean. If you are a parent, you ean. If you are a kupuna, you ean. Don't think you cannot. We ean do anything." The conference was conducted almost totally in Hawaiian, with no translation in the break-out groups. In the open sessions, Hōkūlani CIeeland, Pila Wilson and Nogelmeier served as translators. In a set-up similar to the United Nations and other international proceedings, they sat in a booth and interpreted the proceedings for the less-than-fluent, who wore earpieces over whieh their broadcast could be heard. After a challenging talk from keynote speaker John Keola Lake, the participants broke into nine smaller groups to address three questions: • Pehea kākou e ho'onui ai i ka po'e mākaukau i ka 'ōlelo Hawai'i? (How ean we increase the number of people proficient in Hawaiian?); • Pehea kākou e hō'ike ākea ai i ka waiwai o ka 'ōlelo Hawai'i? (How ean we promote the value of the Hawaiian language?); and • Pehea lā kākou e ho'okomo ai i nā loina Hawai'i i loko o ka 'ōlelo? (How ean we instill

Hawaiian eulture and values in the language?) The groups discussed those questions in the contexts of schools, hālau hula, the churches, in the 'ohana, at work, in government, in business, and so forth. There were perhaps one or two English speakers per group. In addition to their

comments, about the only other English heard was the occasional encouragement to English speakers to inject their English with what Hawaiian they do know. OHA culture officer Plkake Pelekai said the language conferenee was the first in a series of "'aha no'eau" intended to bring together the practitioners of different aspects of culture. The next 'aha will cover lomilomi, or the art of Hawaiian massage, and will be held Aug. 11-12. (For more

information see page 2.) At the conference's opening OHA culture specialist Manu Boyd asked the kūpuna to raise their hands and be recognized so that everyone could "honor them and give them praise because these are the people, especially the ones who are native speakers or manaleo, that we are ... trying to emulate in all of these efforts." Then, on Sunday, Pelekai invited kūpuna to share their mana'o. The elders uniformly expressed support of the younger generations' work toward ensuring Hawaiian's survival. "Those that I spoke with were really appreciative and really thankful that the young people are picking it up and moving with it so they know that the language will not die," Pelekai said. Boyd said the major work of the 'aha was completed on Saturday, so on Sunday the task was really to sit back and listen, to talk story, and to hear the style and vocabulary of the kūpuna.

It was easy to see why OHA chairman Clayton Hee, in welcoming the participants to the conference, said, "Ke ho'oulu a ho'omau 'ia nei ka 'ōlelo me ka maika'i loa (The language is being revived and continued well)." Pelekai said, "I think that, more than anything, [the 'aha] engendered in the people who were there that desire to want to be able to speak and to use it more, but that has to happen everywhere." Boyd said, "There is without a question a sacrifice that must be made on people's part in order for the language proficiency and the language usage to grow in this community. It will not grow by people's good intentions. It will not increase by people saying, 'Oh I think it's a great idea but I don't have any time right now.' The sacrifice that needs to be made may be time, it may involve money, but there are adult education classes that don't require

money — they're free. "So if you really do support it then you have to do it and I think the word 'sacrifice' is very important. It's one that says, 'You must give up something of yourself in order for this to happen.' ... I can't emphasize enough the sacrifice that the parents in Pūnana Leo and the unmersion schools have to put in and want to put in: time, money, effort, strength, energy; they really are pouring it all in. If we are going to assume a new kuleana and a new goal for ourselves as a eommunity, whieh is increasing the number of speakers of the Hawaiian language, you can't do it by talking about it. You have to do it by going out and leaming it." So onee one leams the language, what's next? Boyd: "Use it! Eho'ohana!" Pelekai: "Use it everywhere. E ho'ohana ma nā wahi a pau." Added Boyd, "Use it, believe in it, understand it. E ho'ohana, e hilina'i, a e ho'omaopopo."

OHA's culture officer Pikake Pelekai and culture specialist Manu Boyd organized the conference with the help of a committee comprised of some of the leaders in the resurgence of the Hawaiian language.

The success of OHA's Hawaiian language conference was due in part to the way it brought together academicians and kūpuna. Here Maui Community College Hawaiian language instructor Kī'ope Raymond, left, shares a moment with Tom Maunupau. Photos byJeffClark

Lively discussions were conducted when conference attendees broke into small groups to find ways to promote Hawaiian.