Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 24, Number 7, 1 July 2007 — Hawaiian Kanji [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaiian Kanji

Submitted by UH Hilo Hawaiian immersiūn staff

On its trip to lapan, Hōkūle'a carried messages from children in UH Hilo's Hawaiian immersion laboratory school Ke Kula 'O Nāwahlokalani'ōpu'u. The messages' kanji symbols were familiar to the Iapanese, but the language - Hawaiian - wasn't. Staff from the Hawaiian language organization 'Aha Pūnana Leo crewed on Hōkūle'a, and they explained use of kanji for writing Hawaiian to the Iapanese puhlie. Iapanese professors and museum directors who attended the presentations were amazed to see Hawaiian read fluently using kanji. Hawaiian language college faculty at UH-Hilo have pioneered schools run entirely through Hawaiian. Best practices for running such schools are demonstrated at their laboratory school. Nāwahl has produced 100 percent high school graduation and approximately 80 percent college attendance. "When we first began teaching through Hawaiian, some people said we should be teaching a more economically useful language such as Japanese or Chinese," says Kauanoe Kamanā, the director of the school. "Ironically, today, Nāwahī has one of the most developed elementary school Asian language programs in Hawai'i." From first through sixth grades, all ehildren at the school study kanji in Hawaiian for one hour a week and Japanese for another hour. As early as third grade, they ean read books written in Hawaiian using kanji. One of the books recounts the travels of King Kalākaua to Japan. Kanji learned in Hawaiian then ean be easily used in the Japanese language class and in Ian after-school program in Chinese. The focus of the kanji message carried on Hōkūle'a was aloha to the ancestral See KANJI on page IG

KANJI

CūntinuEd fram page II land of those in the school who are partJapanese as well as Hawaiian. Nāwahl teaches all subjects through Hawaiian language and values, including the value of honoring one's ancestors. Students honor their Japanese, Chinese, Okinawan and Korean ancestors by learning the Chinese characters, or kanji, in whieh those East Asian languages are traditionally written. European ancestors are honored by study of Latin in the upper grades. "My unele Mona Shintani took our cards to Japan," said Nāwahl student Laukeha Helekahi-Kaiwi. "Our cards were put into museums in Japan to remember Hōkūle'a's visit." The system of writing Hawaiian in kanji

was developed as a project by UH-Hilo's Dr. Pila Wilson with support from Ms. Miki Kawaehi and Ms. Wen Chi. Writing in kanji is not possible for English, but it is possible for Hawaiian because the language shares certain structural features with East Asian languages. Dr. Wilson says there are additional academic advantages to writing Hawaiian in kanji. "Using kanji reinforces reading by syllables and whole words that helps reading in any language. The stroke order and distinctive positioning of kanji on the page strengthens artistic and mathematieal skills as well," he says. "It is fun to read our Hawaiian language in huakina (kanji), and we ean understand some of the words on Japanese signs and on menus in Chinese restaurants," says Laukeha. For more information on writing Hawaiian in kanji, visit their website: www.punanaleo.org. ^