Hawai‘i Congressional Delegation Leads Resolution Celebrating Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i
February Is Hawaiian Language Month
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i) and U.S. Representatives Ed Case (D-Hawai‘i) and Jill Tokuda (D-Hawai‘i) today introduced a resolution celebrating Mahina ‘Olelo Hawai‘i, also known as Hawaiian Language Month.
“This February, we celebrate Mahina ‘Olelo Hawai‘i and the people, schools, and programs that work every day to preserve the Hawaiian language and culture,” said Senator Schatz, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. “The resurgence of the Hawaiian language not only serves as a model for Indigenous communities around the world, but also as an example of the strength and resilience of the Hawaiian community.”
“Indigenous languages are an important part of our country’s history and fabric,” said Senator Hirono. “Yet various laws, practices, and prejudices led to many indigenous languages dying, or nearly dying out. Hawai‘i’s indigenous, Hawaiian language, or ‘Olelo Hawai‘i, was similarly nearly made extinct by misguided policies banning the language from being taught in schools or used in official governing documents. Through perseverance the Native Hawaiian community protected and revitalized the use of ‘Olelo Hawai‘i, but the language is still endangered and we must continue working to protect it. I am proud to join my colleagues in reintroducing this resolution to celebrate Mahina ‘Olelo Hawai‘i, and I will keep advocating for the preservation of Native Hawaiian language and culture. E ola ka ‘olelo Hawai‘i.”
“Olelo Hawai‘i is not just the language of the Kanaka Maoli, but an inseparable part of the living, breathing soul of our Hawai‘i,” said Representative Case. “We know from our own two-and-a-half century post-contact experience that the languages and cultures of our indigenous peoples around the world can and do disappear, that the fates of our indigenous peoples and of all of us who inhabit their ancestral homes are tied to the survival and prosperity of this heritage, and that it takes conscious, ongoing effort to ensure that survival. Hawaiian Language Month is not only a commemoration of the success story of Olelo Hawai‘i, but a recommitment to the continued effort that will always be required.”
“I am proud to join my colleagues from the Aloha State in introducing this resolution, which recognizes, promotes, and celebrates ‘Olelo Hawai‘i,” said Representative Tokuda. “The Hawaiian language was once banned to near extinction, but after years of revitalization efforts, is now heard all over Hawai‘i and reminds us daily about the culture in which we live. This resolution highlights the significance of ‘Olelo Hawai‘i to our state, and the need to fight for its continued respect so future generations can proudly learn and use their ancestral language.”
Schatz, who serves as vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, has authored several laws promoting Native languages, including the Native American Language Resource Center Act, which awarded a consortium led by the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo with $6.6 million to establish the first National Native American Language Resource Center. The federal funding is providing resources to foster collaboration and promote the use of Native American languages across the country.
The resolution text is available here.
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