Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 2, 1 February 2023 — FROM CELEBRATION TO CODIFICATION [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FROM CELEBRATION TO CODIFICATION

V 'OLELO A KA POUHANA 1 ^ MESSAGE FROM THE CEO '

Holo i Mua (To progress, go forward.)

Aloha mai kākou,

Eia nō kākou, i kēia au kūikawā o ka ho ola olelo Hawai'i, e kū nei ma waena o 'elua kekeke ko'iko'i. 'Umi makahiki aku nei, ua kūkala ka Moku'āina 'o Hawai'i, ua ho'ola'a 'ia ka mahina 'o Pepeluali, 'o ia ka mahina 'Ōlelo Hawai'i. A i kēlā makahiki aku nei, 'o ia ka makahiki mua loa o ko Nā Lāhui Huipū "Kekeke Ho'oulu 'Ōlelo 'Ōiwi." 'O ka wā kūpono kēia no kākou e no'ono'o nui pehea e holomua ai. Ma hope o nā makahiki 82 o ka ho'oluhi hewa 'ana, ua ho'iho'i 'ia ka 'ōlelo Hawai'i i kona kulana kūpono, 'o ia kahi olelo kūhelu o ke aupuni Hawai'i (e kaulike ana me ka olelo Haole) ma ka 'Aha Kumukānāwai Hawai'i o ka makahiki 1978. A ma muli ho'i o ka noke mau 'ana o nā kānaka aloha i ka olelo Hawai'i, nui ka holomua 'ana i loko o nā makahiki 45 i hala no ka ho'okuluma 'ana i ka olelo Hawai'i, a ua lehu a mano ka nui o nā kānaka olelo Hawai'i i kēia mau lā. Akā na'e, mau nō ke kulana o ka olelo Hawai'i he olelo "'ane make loa", 'oiai 'emi mai ka huina nui o nā kānaka poeko ma ka olelo Hawai'i ma lalo o 'elima pakeneka (5%). Like

a like ke kulana kūhelu o ka olelo Hawai'i me ka olelo Haole ma Hawai'i nei, 'a'ole na'e like a like ka ho'opuka 'ia 'ana. I loko o kēia kekeke o nā 'Ōlelo 'Ōiwi, pono ko kākou koi 'ana i ka Moku aina e haku i mau kānāwai hou e ho'olako i nā kumu pa'a e ho'onui a'e i ka ho'ohana 'ia 'ana o ka

olelo Hawai'i ma nā hana o ke aupuni a me ka 'oihana. Iā kākou e noke mau ana, hiki iā kākou ke lawe i kēia mau papahana i ho'okumu 'ia e ka UN no nā 'ōlelo 'ōiwi a ho'okohukohu i ia mau papahana no ka 'ōlelo Hawai' i? A pehea, hiki paha ke ho'okumu i nā kānāwai e koi ana i ka Moku'āina e 'auamo i ke kuleana no ka 'ōlelo Hawai'i waho aku o ka ho'ohana 'ana i ka 'ōlelo i mea ho'owehiwehi wale nō? I ko'u mana'o, hiki nō nā mea 'elua. E ola mau ka 'ōlelo Hawai' i. ■

SylviaM. Hussey, Ed.D. | Ka Pouhana

Aloha mai kākou,

It is an interesting time in the resurgence of olelo Hawai'i, as we stand poised between two significant decades. Ten years ago the state declared February as Mahina 'Olelo Hawai'i. And last year was the first year of the United Nations' (UN) "Decade of Action for Indigenous Languages." It is an excellent time to consider our next steps. After 82 years of social-political-educational suppression, Hawaiian was restored as an official language of Hawai'i (equal to English) at the 1978 Hawai'i Constitutional Convention. And thanks to the dedicated efforts of olelo Hawai'i advocates, the past 45 years have seen tremendous gains towards normalizing the language and expanding the number of speakers. Still, olelo Hawai'i is considered "endangered" with fewer than 5% of 'Ōiwi fluent in the language. And while Hawaiian is equal to English in the constitution, in practice it is not. During this international decade of Indigenous languages, our lāhui must ad-

vocate to expand the state's support for olelo Hawai'i to include new laws that establish real, systemic change and that provide tangible resources to restore olelo Hawai'i as a language on par with English in governL ment and business.

As we look ahead, are there opportunities to take the Indigenous language policies developed by the UN in this next decade and adapt them for Hawai'i? And ean support for olelo Hawai'i be codified so that the state's commitment extends beyond celebratory annual

language events and into the daily life of residents? I think the answer to both questions is "yes." E ola mau ka olelo Hawai'i. ■

Sylvia M. Hussey, Ed.D. | Chief Executive Officer