ʻŌlelo
nvt. Language, speech, word, quotation, statement, utterance, term, tidings; to speak, say, state, talk, mention, quote, converse, tell.
Aloha mai kākou,
Hoʻomanaʻo wau i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ʻana a koʻu makuahine a me koʻu mau kūpuna i nā wā a lākou i makemake ʻole ai iaʻu e hoʻomaopopo i kā lākou ʻōlelo. He haliʻa aloha a he mea hoʻokaumaha ia ke hoʻomanaʻo aʻe au i ka makamae o ko lākou kamaʻilio ʻana a me ka hiki ʻole iaʻu ke kamaʻilio pū. Ke lohe au i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma nā wahi maʻa mau o ka nohona, — ma ka halekūʻai, iaʻu e kū laina ana ma ka panakō, a i ʻole ma kekahi lūʻau piha makahiki — paipai ʻia au he hōʻoia ia iaʻu i ke ola o kō kākou ʻōlelo makuahine.
Ma ka hapa mua o ke kenekulia 20th, mai make ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. He hua ʻeʻehia ko ka hoʻokāhuli aupuni o ka makahiki 1893 a me ka pāpā ʻia ʻana o ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma hope iho. Ua hoʻopaʻi mau ʻia nā keiki no ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ʻana ma ke kula a ua oki pau loa ʻia ke aʻo ʻana o ka nui mākua i kā lākou mau keiki i ka ʻōlelo. Ua manaʻo ʻia, ʻo ke aʻo ʻōlelo Pelekānia ke ala e piʻi aʻe ai a holomua i ka wā o ke Kelikoli ʻo Hawaiʻi, ka wā ma hope iho o ke aupuni mōʻī. Ma nā 1970, ua kākaʻikahi nō nā mānaleo, he makule ka hapa nui, e ola ana.
He mea nui ka hoʻokumu hou ʻana i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi i ʻōlelo kūhelu o ka Mokuʻāina o Hawaiʻi ma ka ʻAha Kumukānāwai o ka makahiki 1978. I loko o ʻeono makahiki ua hoʻokumu ʻia ka Pūnana Leo a i ka makahiki 1987 ua hoʻokumu ʻia ʻelua o nā papahana kula kaiapuni Hawaiʻi DOE mua loa. I kēia lā, aia he ʻiwakāluakūmāhā mau kula kaiapuni Hawaiʻi ma ka paeʻāina a poeko ma kahi o 20,000 mau kānaka i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi i kēia wā.
Ma kēia pukana ʻo Ka Wai Ola kākou e mālama ai i ka Mahina ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. Ma ka hōʻola ʻana i ka ʻōlelo, e hoʻomau ʻia nō kā hoʻi kā kākou moʻomeheu; i ka ʻōlelo nō ke kuanaʻike o kō kākou kūpuna. Ma ke aʻo ʻōlelo kākou e hoʻomaopopo ai iā kākou ma ke ʻano he ʻohana, he lāhui, a ma ke ʻano he keiki o kēia ʻāina nei. ʻAʻole hiki iā kākou ke hoʻomāiki i ka mana o ka ʻōlelo. Ua ʻike kō kākou poʻe kūpuna, “I ka ʻōlelo nō ke ola; i ka ʻōlelo nō ka make.” E ola mau ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.
Sylvia M. Hussey, Ed.D.
Ka Pouhana
