Surviving westernization in Hawaii

In 1980 the Hawaiian language was near death with a dwindling community of speakers. Hundreds of years of westernization, persecution, and hate pushed the once solid and flourishing language and culture almost to extinction. Educators and natives realized the danger of losing their language and acted through the development of education (Kawai'ae'a, Alohalani, & Alencastre, 2007). The ‘Aha Punana Leo (language nest) preschool was established with one purpose, to put life back into their Hawaiian culture and educate through their native tongue (Nāmāhoe, 2007). This program was the first major legislation changing the outcome of the language.

Three years after the preschool opened, the Hawaiian board of education approved the implementation of Papahana Kaiapuni ‘Ōlelo Hawaiian (Hawaiian language immersion program) (Warschauer, Donaghy 1997). Two mixed kindergarten first-grade classes were formed to take on the keki (children) who had graduated from the Punanan Leo school. These keki paved the way for a permanent immersion program, with the programs only continuing to grow and educate through Hawaiian with the success of the children in their curriculum and their desire to continue their education through the program (Kawai'ae'a, Alohalani, & Alencastre, 2007).  1987 brought a permanent immersion program that spread to 20 local schools. The implementation of the programs rescued the language and thus the culture from the westernization that killed many cultures internationally (Kawai'ae'a, Alohalani, & Alencastre, 2007).

Never in my life have I experienced a place so full of pride for their culture, heritage, and maoli (native roots) as Hawaii. Hawaiians have fought cultural appropriation since 1778 when Captain James Cook sailed to the island. These cultural warriors realized the need for their native tongue and made sure their language had a sturdy future (Warschauer, Donaghy 1997). Despite the odds, ‘Ōlelo Hawaiian is growing and Hawaiian culture is thriving.

        

References 

Kawai'ae'a, K. K., Alohalani, K., & Alencastre, M. (2007). Pu'a i ka 'Olelo, Ola ka 'Ohana: Three Generations of Hawaiian Language Revitalization. ERIC. Retrieved December 1, 2016, from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED523186

Warschauer, M., & Donaghy, K. (1997). Leoki: A powerful of Hawaiian Language Revitalization. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 10(4), 349-362. Retrieved December 2, 2016, from http://www2.hawaii.edu/~donaghy/eng/call1997.html

Nāmāhoe, L. (2007). ‘Aha Pūnana Leo. Retrieved December 2, 2016, from https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/united-states/aha-p-nana-leo