Lolena Nicholas is a mānaleo (first language Hawaiian speaker) from the island of Niʻihau who has dedicated her life to perpetuating ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. Throughout her 30+ year career, she has had a hand in teaching ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi to thousands of students.
HINALEIMOANA WONG-KALU:
Aloha mai nui iā kāua e Aunty Lolena, pehea ʻoe?
LOLENA NICHOLAS:
Maikaʻi, aloha nō. Pehea ʻoe?
HINA:
Maitaʻi nō. Mahalo Iesū, maitaʻi nō wau. Kala mai nō ʻoe iaʻu, a he mau nīnau no taʻu iā ʻoe i tēia lā. Taʻu e mamate nei e nīele aku nō hoʻi iā ʻoe. Hiti nō?
LOLENA:
Hiti nō.
HINA:
Mahalo, mahalo. E pili ana nō ta ʻōlelo matuahine o ta ʻāina aloha, ta ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. Pehea lā te ʻano, te ʻano ka mānaleo, ua like anei? Aiʻole ua ʻano ʻotoʻa anei nō paha te ʻano o ta ʻōlelo ʻana, ta ʻōlelo matuahine mai tēlā o ta ʻōlelo a ta poʻe hele nō i ke kula? Like nō aiʻole ua ʻano ʻotoʻa iti nō paha?
LOLENA:
He au hou, ʻeā? ʻO mākou ka poʻe Niʻihau, hoʻohana mākou i ka T, ʻeā? Ma waho nei hoʻohano ʻia ke K ʻeā? Ua like nō a like iā mākou, inā ʻōlelo K ʻia, ʻōlelo T, maopopo nei mākou. ʻAʻole ʻokoʻa. Like nō.
HINA:
No tēia mua aku, i tou noʻonoʻo ʻana aku no ta pono a me ta maitaʻi a me te ola a me ta maluhia nō hoʻi, ta hoʻoilina o tēia ʻōlelo matuahine a kāua, he aha lā tāu mau mea e manaʻolana nei no tēia mua aku, o ta ʻōlelo matuahine, ta ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi?
LOLENA:
ʻO te ola mau no aku ta ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. ʻO tēia hanauna, tēlā hanauna, ʻo ia nō ka ʻōlelo o kēia pae mokupuni a pau. Mai Hawaiʻi a Niʻihau. I ka wā poʻe kūpuna ʻeā? ʻO kēlā nō ka ʻōlelo mua.
HINA:
Pehea lā tou mau manaʻo i ta kāua mea e ʻite nei o ka loli nui o ia au nei, o tēia au nei he au hou. He aha lā tāu mau manaʻo no tēia hanauna hou e ulu mai nei, nohoʻana ua ʻotoʻa nō. He aha lā tāu mau manaʻo no lākou?
LOLENA:
Ke Atua nō hoʻopōmaikaʻi i ka poʻe mālama nei i tā kātou ʻōlelo, a ola mau aku i tā kātou ʻōlelo. I kona mana, nāna no alakaʻi i tēlā hanauna, tēia hanauna. Mālama mai iā kātou, hōʻola mai i tā kātou ʻōlelo. Ka ʻōlelo o tā kātou motupuni a pau, a me to kātou poʻe kūpuna. ʻO kātou tēia wā, tā kātou hanauna ma hope aku, na lākou hoʻomau aku. Na Ke Atua nō hoʻomau aku. Tēlā hanauna, tēia hanauna i ola mau tā kātou ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. Mahalo.
HINA:
Mahalo ā nui iā ʻoe e Aunty Lolena, no tou ʻoluʻolu me ta ho‘omanawanui ʻana i tā kāua hui walaʻau, kūkā kamaʻilio nō hoʻi. Mahalo no tēia hui ʻana.
LOLENA:
Mahalo iā ʻoe.
HINA:
Iesū pū me kātou a pau loa.
LOLENA:
ʻAe.
HINA:
ʻO ia. Aloha.
LOLENA:
Aloha.
