HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

223

TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO MAHINA ‘ŌLELO HAWAI‘i.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     MAHELE 1. ‘O ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ka ‘ōlelo ‘ōiwi o ka lāhui Hawai‘i.

     ‘Oiai ua ‘ōlelo mau ‘ia ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i o ka ‘āina e nā kupa o ke aupuni Hawai‘i, ua hele a ‘ane halapohe ka ‘ōlelo ‘ana i ua ‘ōlelo la ma ka hiki ‘ana aku i ka makahiki 1980 a ua koe wale mai ma kahi o ke kanalima mau mānaleo o ka ‘ōlelo e ola nei ma lalo o ka piha makahiki he umi kumamawalu. ‘O kekahi kumu o ka emi nui o ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ‘o ia nō ke kānāwai o ka makahiki 1896 i ho‘onoho i ka ‘ōlelo pelekania ‘o ia wale nō ka ‘ōlelo o ke kula. Eia na‘e ka hopena, ua ho‘opāpā ‘ia ka ‘ōlelo ‘ana, ka heluhelu ‘ana, ke kākau ‘ana a me ke a‘o ‘ana i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ma nā kula aupuni.

     I mea e ho‘ōla a‘e ai i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, ua ho‘olana ‘ia aku la kekahi mau hāpai kānāwai ho‘ōla ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i a me nā hana huliāmahi e ho‘oūlu a‘e i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i e like me ka ‘aukahi Pūnana Leo, ka papahana Kula Kaiapuni o ke Ke‘ena Ho‘ona‘auao, a me nā papahana ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ma ke Kula Nui ‘o Hawai‘i.

     Eia kekahi, ma ka makahiki 1978, ua pāku‘i ho‘ololi ‘ia iho ka Palapala Kumukānāwai o ka Moku‘āina ‘o Hawai‘i me ka ho‘ololi ‘ōlelo pāku‘i e hō‘oia‘i‘o aku i ke kūlana o ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i he ‘ōlelo kūhelu i like kona kūlana me ka ‘ōlelo pelekania--‘o lāua nā ‘ōlelo kūhelu o ka moku‘āina.

     Eia hou kekahi, ua ho‘olaha a ho‘ohanahanao ‘ia a‘e la ka ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i ma loko o ‘elua mau palapala kūkala ko‘iko‘i e ke kia‘āina ma nā makahiki o nā 1990.  Ma ka makahiki 1995, ua ho‘opuka ‘ia aku la kekahi palapala kūkala mai ke ke‘ena kia‘āina mai a ua kākau ‘ia mai ma nā ‘ōlelo kūhelu ‘elua o ka ‘āina, Hawai‘i me ka Pelekania, ‘o ka mahina ‘o Pepeluali 1995 ka "Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i ma Hawai‘i Nei".  Ua koi aku kēia palapala kūkala i ka lehulehu e komo aku, komo mai i nā hanana ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i like ‘ole i mālama ‘ia ma ka mahina o Pepeluali.  ‘O nā hanana Hawai‘i i mālama ‘ia ma Pepeluali ka Lā ‘Ohana, ka Lā Kūkahekahe, a me ka ‘Ahamele ‘o Ho‘omau ma O‘ahu.

     Ma ka makahiki 1996, ua kūkala ‘ia kekahi palapala kuahaua e ke kia‘āina e nānā i ka makahiki 1996 ‘o ia ka "Makahiki o ka ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i" i mea e ho‘omana‘o ai i ka hala ‘ana o haneli mau makahiki ma hope o ke kānāwai 1896 ‘o ia kānāwai ho‘opāpā ‘ōlelo kūpuna ma nā kula o Hawai‘i nei.

     ‘Oiai ua holomua nō kēia ‘aukahi ho‘ōla ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ma loko o kēia mau makahiki he kanakolu i hala iho nei, he pono nō ho‘i ka ho‘onui ‘ana i nā kānaka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i i mea e ho‘olaupa‘i ‘ia ai a ola nō ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. 

     ‘O ke kumuhana o kēia kānāwai ka ho‘onoho pono ‘ana mai i ka mahina o Pepeluali ‘o ia ka "Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i " a lilo ia i mea e ho‘omaika‘i a e paipai a‘e mau ai  i ka ‘ōlelo ‘ana i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. 

     MAHELE 2.  Mokuna 2, Nā ‘Ōlelo Kūpa‘a O Hawai‘i, ua ho‘oponopono ‘ia me ka ho‘opāku‘i ‘ana i mahele hou e ho‘onoho kūpono a e heluhelu ‘ia ana penei:

     "§8-     Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i.  E ‘ike mau a e kapa ‘ia ana ae ka mahina ‘o Pepeluali ‘o ia ka "Mahina‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i" i mea e ho‘omaika‘i a e paipai aku ai i ka ‘ōlelo ‘ana o ua ‘ōlelo makuahine nei la.  ‘A‘ole e kū ana kēia mahina i kapa ‘ia ka "Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i" i lānui o ka moku‘āina o Hawai‘i.

     §8-     ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i Month.  The month of February shall be known and designated as "‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i Month" to celebrate and encourage the use of Hawaiian language.  This month is not and shall not be construed as a state holiday."

     MAHELE 3.  Ua kahalina ‘ia nā mahele pili kānāwai hou.

     MAHELE 4.  E ka‘a ana kēia Kānāwai ma kona ‘āpono ‘ia ‘ana.

(English translation)

     SECTION 1.  ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i, or the Hawaiian language, is the native language of the Native Hawaiian people.

While once spoken throughout Hawai‘i by Native Hawaiians and foreigners alike, ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i was considered to be nearly extinct by the 1980s, when fewer than fifty fluent speakers under the age of eighteen were left.  A major reason for the deterioration of the Hawaiian language was an 1896 law that required English instruction in Hawai‘i schools.  In practice, this law functioned to "ban" students from speaking ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i at their schools.

     To save the Hawaiian language, a number of historic initiatives were launched, including ‘Aha Pūnana Leo’s Hawaiian language immersion preschools, the department of education’s Hawaiian language immersion program, and the Hawaiian language programs of the University of Hawai‘i system.

     In addition, in 1978, the Hawai‘i constitution was amended to recognize the Hawaiian language as one of the two official languages of the State.

     Furthermore, several important gubernatorial proclamations on ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i were issued in the 1990s.  In 1994 and 1995, gubernatorial proclamations, written in both Hawaiian and English, were issued recognizing February 1994 and February 1995 as "Hawaiian Language Month in Hawai‘i".  The proclamations urged people to participate in the Hawaiian language activities held in February.  Hawaiian language events held in February at that time included Lā ‘Ohana, Lā Kūkahekahe and O‘ahu’s Ho‘omau concert.

     The following year, another gubernatorial proclamation was issued that recognized 1996 as "Year of the Hawaiian Language" in observance of a century passing since the enactment of the 1896 law that prohibited speaking Hawaiian language in Hawai‘i schools.

     While the Hawaiian language revitalization movement has made major strides in the last thirty years, for ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i to not just survive, but to also thrive, more people need to speak Hawaiian.

     The purpose of this Act is to designate the month of February as "‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i Month" to celebrate and encourage the use of Hawaiian language.

     SECTION 2.  Chapter 8, Hawai‘i Revised Statutes, is amended by adding two new sections to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

     "§8-     Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i.  E ‘ike mau a e kapa ‘ia ana ae ka mahina ‘o Pepeluali ‘o ia ka "Mahina‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i" i mea e ho‘omaika‘i a e paipai aku ai i ka ‘ōlelo ‘ana o ua ‘ōlelo makuahine nei la.  ‘A‘ole e kū ana kēia mahina i kapa ‘ia ka "Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i" i lānui o ka moku‘āina o Hawai‘i.

     §8-     ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i Month.  The month of February shall be known and designated as "‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i Month" to celebrate and encourage the use of Hawaiian language.  This month is not and shall not be construed as a state holiday."

     SECTION 3.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

 

 


 


 

Report Title:

OHA Package; Hawaiian Language; ‘Ōlelo Hawaii Month

 

Description:

Designates the month of February as "‘Ōlelo Hawaii Month" to celebrate and encourage the use of Hawaiian language.

 

 

 

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.