Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 12, 1 December 2021 — UNESCO's International Decade of lndigenous Languages lncludes 'Ōlelo Hawai'i [ARTICLE]

UNESCO's International Decade of lndigenous Languages lncludes 'Ōlelo Hawai'i

By Malia Nobrega-Olivera On Dec. 18, 2019, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly passed a resolution proclaiming 2022-2032 as the "International Decade of Indigenous Languages." The purpose of this resolution is to draw attention to, and create action around, the critical loss of Indigenous languages across the globe with an urgent eall to preserve, revitalize and promote them at the loeal, national and international levels. The UN resolution has mobilized a coalition of Hawaiian language speakers, students, teachers, scholars, and communities around this mandate to assess, plan, and act to preserve, revitalize and promote olelo Hawai'i. The Steering Committee and Advisory Group of UNESCO's Global Task Force for the Paeihe region has established a Kanaeokana ad-hoc committee and is currently seeking Hawaiian language organizations, proponents, and stakeholders to join the committee and eommenee with strategic planning. Hawaiian language is key to ensuring the continuation

and transmission of culture, customs and history as part of the heritage and identity of Kānaka Maoli. Yet despite the amazing progress our communities have made to strengthen and increase Hawaiian language here in Hawai'i, the enduring heahh and vitality of olelo Hawai'i remains a eoneem. UNESCO's efforts provide an opportunity for Hawaiian language proponents, organizations, communities, and the government to create an action plan to preserve, promote and revitalize Hawaiian language. As language advocates work towards normalization of the Hawaiian language, there is hope that the Decade of Indigenous Languages will help achieve this outcome. "The Hawaiian language represents a complex system of knowledge that has been developed over thousands of years and is inextricably linked to our care of our lands, waters, and cultural resources," said ad-hoc committee member J. Hau'oli Elarco-Lorenzo, a Hawaiian language instructor at Honolulu Community College. "Our language represents a unique framework for understanding the world in all its complexity and is a repository of traditional knowledge that is vital for sustaining the Earth's biological diversity, finding effective

responses to the challenges presented by climate change and providing important contributions to sustainable development, peacebuilding and reconciliation processes." Kanaeokana Network Facilitator Manuwai Peters echoed these sentiments adding, "We will be meeting for the next 10 months to seek community input to build an action plan that ean prepare us to reach a set of ambitious goals in the next 10 years. We look forward to hearing from Hawaiian language communities in Hawai'i and abroad who are eager to join this initiative." ■ Individuals or organizations who would like tojoin the effort should email Kanaeokana at advocacy@kanaeokana.net.

Malia Nobrega-Olivera has heen appointed to serve on the Steering Committee and Advisory Group ofUNESCO's Global Task Forcefor the Pacific region. She is a member of Kanaeokana Kōmike Hookele and the eommunity engagement specialist at Hawai'inuiākea School ofHawaiian Knowledge at UH Mānoa. Nobrega-Olive-ra isfrom Hanapēpē, Kaua'i.