E Ola Mau ka ʻŌlelo Mākuahine (English)

0
78

Read this article in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi

 

By Leialoha Kaʻula

Growing up in Hawaiʻi, especially in Hawaiian Immersion, it was indeed an honor and privilege to continue the revitalization of the language of our Hawaiʻi. My grandmother, Meleana Kaʻula of Kekaha, Kauaʻi, and Niʻihau, dreamt of her grandchildren speaking the language of our homeland. Twenty-four years later I find myself here in Aloha, Oregon, advocating for our community who have been displaced and working to make a better life for themselves and their families. Remembering the generational pain that could be felt through my grandmotherʻs stories, I am proud to have graduated from Ke Kula ʻo Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu.

Today, the pain of feeling disconnected and so far from home can be felt by the hundreds of thousands who now live here in Oregon. Iʻm sure this can be said for our Kānaka ʻŌiwi who are living across the country. Being a part of the community here in Oregon, I felt a sense of responsibility to bring resources and access for our poʻe Hawaiʻi who donʻt see themselves being able to move home. A sense of identity, place, and connection is a constant yearning within our community who now live thousands of miles away from Hawaiʻi. For those who are first, second, or third generation born here on the continent, connection is something they feel as if they donʻt have a right to.

For far too long, western influences have diluted our thinking to believe that we do not deserve to speak our language outside of the shores of Hawaiʻi. However, here in Oregon, you can hear languages across the world being spoken. The Hawaiian Kingdom was once the most literate in the world. We were well versed and knowledgeable beyond the western ideologies. We were the future. Although living so far from home, I believe language can exist, and must exist, no matter where our Hawaiian people are.

Ka Aha Lāhui O Olekona is proud to partner with the Oregon Department of Education, Oregon Pacific Islander Coalition, and Pacific University to bring the first Hawaiian language classes to higher education. Fall of 2025, Pacific University will be the first University in the state of Oregon to offer Hawaiian language classes that can be accredited for their language requirements. Our community center, AloHa Resource and Community Center will be opening Oregon’s first Hawaiian language after-school program that will be lead and supported by Hawaiian Immersion students who have made home here in Oregon.

Although for many of us the dream to return home continues to help us find our way here in the diaspora, we are firm believers that Hawaiian language will thrive here in Oregon and reconnect our Hawaiian people to Hawaiʻi. Our efforts will continue to be a reminder that Hawaiʻi, no matter where we are, lives inside of each and every one of us. We, all of us, are Hawaiʻi. E ola ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.


Leialoha Kaʻula is the executive director of Ka ʻAha Lāhui o Olekona Hawaiian Civic Club of Oregon. She resides in Aloha, Oregon, but is from Hilo, Hawaiʻi Island and Kāneʻohe, Oʻahu. She graduated from Ke Kula ʻo Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in education.