Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 2, 1 Pepeluali 2022 — Aloha mai kākou, [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Aloha mai kākou,

At our home in Kohala, hearing my mother and grandparents (all of whom were manaleo) laugh and talk story in Hawaiian was he mea ma'amau - a regular thing. I regret not learning the language ffom them, but by the time I was born, Hawaiian language had been banned from sehools for almost 70 years. So of eourse, when I was growing up there were no eonstruets or systems in plaee to support teaehing or learning 'ōlelo Hawai'i. My edueational options were to remain in Kohala puhlie sehools or, perhaps, to board at Kamehameha, as I approaehed the seventh grade. I've often wondered how different an 'ōlelo Hawai'i sehool experienee would have been if my mother had the educational choices that the current generation of parents now have.

From Punana Leo and the Kula Kaiapuni to Hawaiian-focused charter schools and the University of Hawai'i, olelo Hawai'i medium educa-

tion has taken root and flourished over the past 40 years. I am always delighted when I overhear olelo Hawai'i in ordinary places like the grocery store or the bank. But the fact

that I find myself craning my neek to see who is speaking is a reminder that hearing olelo Hawai'i spoken outside of classrooms or formal events is not yet he mea ma'amau. Our olelo is core to to the heahh of our 'ohana, mo'omeheu and 'āina, so as we celebrate what has been achieved, we are mindful that there is still a long way to go. E ola mau ka olelo Hawai'i! ■

Sylvia M. Hussey, Ed.D. Chief Executive 0fficer