Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 13, Number 8, 1 August 1996 — Punana Leo to publish Hana Pale Hulu Hipa story [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Punana Leo to publish Hana Pale Hulu Hipa story

By Kelli Meskin

A Hawaiian language composition class, supported by an OHA grant and taught by Hōkūlani Cleeland at Kaua'i Community College, continues to perpetuate the Hawaiian language even after the class has ended. Elama Kanahele, a native speaker from Ni'ihau and one of Cleeland's students, wrote a paper about going to work with her parents, her father watched the sheep and her mother cleaned the wool after it was sheared. The story is told in a detail possible only because it is from the perspective of a child speaking her mother tongue, in her native land. Pūnana Leo the Hawaiian Ianguage preschool, I plans to publish Kanahele's story for children. "She chose a moment in history and brought it I alive," Cleeland said. In Kanahele's childhood story she remembers waking up early in the morning and describes the

excitement she felt about all the things around her. She goes off to work with her father and her unele after her mother prepares their luneh box (kini 'aiō). They eheek the paddock (pā) to make sure the sheep have enough grass to eat. The three then go down to the sheep wool bailing house (hale pale hulu hipa) in Nonopapa where the sheep are herded up. sheared and the wool is cleaned. Kanahele's mother and the other women would elean the wool of the kukū (thorns) and other things that were stuck to it. It was then folded and packed tightly into large bags to be shipped out. "We are so lucky to have gems like Elama who ean put such valuable history on paper for our children and all Hawaiian speakers," said Liiinoe Andrews, who handles curriculum and publishing for Pūnana Leo. Andrews said the story will be published and available by next year.

Children from Punana Leo: The Hawaiian language immersion pre-school plans to publish Hana Pale Hulu Hipa, a story written by Ni'ihau native Elama Kanahele.