By Makiʻilei Ishihara, OHA Educational Pathways Strategy Consultant
In the 1970s, only about 2,000 people spoke Hawaiian – and most of them were over the age of 60. It was a near-inevitable – and likely intentional – outcome of the 1896 ban on Hawaiian medium education following the hostile overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893.
From that point on, in public spaces from government to education to business – and eventually in private homes, English rapidly replaced ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.
In a 2019 National Public Radio interview, UH Hilo Professor Larry Kimura said, “Language is the first aspect of a people to vanish. People don’t recognize that until it’s almost gone because they’re hanging onto their typical cultural identification tags such as their songs, their dances, their foods, their religion maybe, or what they wear or how they look. But language is the one that is slipping away without them noticing it. And by the time it happens, it’s in very dire straits.”
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) categorizes five levels of language endangerment: vulnerable, definitely endangered, severely endangered, critically endangered and extinct.
While there is no definite threshold for categorizing each level, in the 1970s there is no doubt that ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi was critically endangered: most speakers were elderly and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi was not being taught to new generations.
In 1983, a group of passionate young educators from across the pae ʻāina united with an ambitious mission: to ensure the survival of the Hawaiian language by fostering a new generation of fluent speakers. The group included Kimura along with Makalapua Alencastre, the late ʻĪlei Beniamina, Hōkūlani Cleeland, Kauanoe Kamanā, Kīʻope Raymond and Pila Wilson.
Their vision was rooted in re-establishing the historical Hawaiian Medium Education (HME) schools of the Monarchical Period and inspired by the Māori Kōhanga Reo movement, a grassroots initiative that began in 1982 to revitalize the Māori language in Aotearoa (New Zealand).
The group focused their efforts on nurturing a new generation of Hawaiian language speakers using immersion methods proven effective in Europe. This was the genesis of the Pūnana Leo preschool program and the re-emergence of a Hawaiian philosophy of education known as the Kumu Honua Maoli Ola.
Pūnana Leo, meaning “nest of voices,” is the equivalent of the Māori term Kōhanga Reo and honors those connections. The name symbolizes an environment wherein keiki are “fed” their native language exclusively – the way baby birds are cared for in their nests.
The first Pūnana Leo preschool opened in Kekaha, Kauaʻi, in 1984. At the time, it was still illegal to use Hawaiian as the medium of instruction because the 1896 ban on Hawaiian language was still in place.
In 1986, after a three-year lobbying campaign by ʻAha Pūnana Leo, the Hawaiʻi State Legislature passed a bill lifting the ban on Hawaiian medium instruction in public schools.
Today, ʻAha Pūnana Leo operates 13 preschools across the pae ʻāina, along with two infant-toddler childcare centers and other specialized programs.
About 7,000 keiki have either completed – or are enrolled – in the program. Of these, most have, or will, matriculate to one of the 22 kula kaiapuni (Hawaiian language immersion) public schools established by the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (DOE). The kula kaiapuni also exist as a direct result of the advocacy efforts of ʻAha Pūnana Leo.
In 2014, ʻAha Pūnana Leo (and all its preschools) received the world’s first endangered language early education accreditation from the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium (WINHEC).
WINHEC acknowledged the cognitive advantages of learning ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (in the Hawaiian language), noting that children in Pūnana Leo preschools often outperform their English-speaking peers in early literacy.
Pūnana Leo’s 40 years of success is deeply rooted in its family-focused approach which encourages parents to use Hawaiian at home to reinforce what their keiki are learning in school. This home-school connection strengthens the language within the family unit, ensuring that it thrives not only in the classroom, but in daily life as well.
Through partnerships – such as the one with the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language – ʻAha Pūnana Leo offers professional development for teachers statewide, including opportunities to earn Hawaiian language teaching certifications. This broad network of support strengthens the foundation of Hawaiian language education, benefiting both students and teachers alike.
Moreover, by providing accessible resources for families, such as the ʻOhana Kaiapuni modules for families learning together, and Nā Kai ʻEwalu Self-directed Modules for individual learners, Pūnana Leo continues to expand opportunities for Hawaiian language revitalization beyond the classroom.
Outside of Hawaiʻi, ʻAha Pūnana Leo’s impact extends globally through the Niuolahiki Distance Learning Program, a flexible online initiative that allows learners from anywhere in the world to engage in Hawaiian language courses. The program’s accessibility ensures that everyone can participate in the revitalization of Hawaiian language and culture. Whether self-directed or teacher-led, Niuolahiki provides learners with the tools to deepen their connection to Hawaiian heritage.
The legacy of ʻAha Pūnana Leo in transforming education in Hawaiʻi is undeniable. From its intrepid opening of an “illegal” Hawaiian immersion preschool on Kauaʻi in 1984, through its decades-long efforts and advocacy, ʻAha Pūnana Leo has been a driving force and inspiration of the ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi movement.
In addition to Pūnana Leo’s 13 preschools, there are now 22 DOE kula kaiapuni, 17 Hawaiian-focused public charter schools, and it is possible to pursue a doctoral degree in Hawaiian language at Ka Hala ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani. Today, approximately 24,000 people are fluent speakers of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi – an increase of about 1100% since the 1970s – and that number continues to grow.
E ola mau ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi!
For more information about ʻAha Pūnana Leo or to apply go to: www.ahapunanaleo.org.
