Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 2, 1 February 2022 — The Welcoming Voice Speaks 'Ōlelo Hawai'i [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The Welcoming Voice Speaks 'Ōlelo Hawai'i

By Mālia Sanders From the rising of the sun in Ha'eha'e to where it sets in Lehua, Hawai'i thrives on the mother

ī tongue of this aina, 'ōlelo Hawai'i. While we celebrate Mahina 'Ōlelo Hawai'i every

February, it is certainly not enough time to truly normalize the use of 'ōlelo Hawai'i in our communities, in our workplaee, and beyond. However, within this challenge lies an opportunity. Our language truly lives when we insist on speaking it continuously. For those who are not fluent, we encourage continuous education in language to further these efforts. For the Native Hawaiian Hospitality (NaHHA), the resilience of our language is also intrinsically tied to its use in the visitor industry. NaHHA encourages industry leaders, workers and visitors to engage with the olelo Hawai'i resources at NaHHA.com/ olelo-hawaii. Learn the Pīāpā (Hawaiian alphabet) and practice pronunciation with Hakalama Drills. Use the Ma'ema'e Toolkit as a guide to grow your knowledge of plaee, culture and language. Strengthen your olelo Hawai'i in our monthly classes offered at NaHHA.com. See how olelo Hawai'i and the values of hospitality are reflected in our training, tools and resources. As the living language of Hawai'i, we all have kuleana to ensure olelo Hawai'i continues to thrive. How do we expect our visitors to embody the values we desire if we do not present them by speaking our language? The aloha built into our hospitality lies in the humhle voice that calls one to visit. It is a voice that must undoubtedly embrace olelo Hawai'i. ■ Mālia Sanders is the executive director of the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association (. NaHHA ). Working to better connect the Hawaiian community to the visitor industry, NaHHA supports thepeople whoprovide authentic experiences to Hawai'i's visitors. For more information go to www.nahha.com Follow NaHHA on Paeehook, Instagram, and Twitter @nahha808 and @kuhikuhi808