Pepeluali (February) marks Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi or Hawaiian Language Month
A kumu ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language instructor) at Windward Community College is dedicated to empowering more Native Hawaiians residing on Hawaiian Homelands to embrace their native language. Last September, Kapela Wong, a homesteader in East Kapolei, initiated complimentary ka papa ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language classes) for residents within Hawaiian homestead communities in Kapolei.
“I really want to enrich our pulapula (homesteaders) because now that we have a growing population of kanaka in Hawaiian Homestead lands in Kapolei, there is still a lot of work to be done, and that includes language,” said Wong.
Wong, a UH Mānoa alumna who majored in Hawaiian language and Hawaiian studies within the Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, is hosting the second installment of papa ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi through the end of February in partnership with the Kapolei Community Development Corporation.
‘It’s never too late to learn’
The majority of her haumāna (students) are kūpuna (elders) who are enthusiastic about immersing themselves in ʻōlelo, though some begin their Hawaiian language journey with a sense of guilt.
“We’re healing a lot of kūpuna who come and say, ‘ʻMy parents they couldn’t ʻōlelo (speak) to me and I just feel so bad and so shame that I canʻt speak it.’ And I tell them, there’s no reason to feel shame, you did the best you could, and it’s never too late to learn,” Wong explained.
Mokihana Aea is one of the many kūpuna in Wong’s papa (class) on Monday nights. The Hawaiian homesteader has lived in the Maluʻōhai Hawaiian Homes subdivision for the past 24 years and is grateful for the opportunity to finally learn to speak.
“I enjoy the class and wish I did it earlier. I want to pass it down so our kids know their language,” Aea said.
Tomorrow is never promised
Motivated by two life-altering experiences, Wong’s dedication to teaching ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi to fellow kānaka ʻōiwi (Native Hawaiians) found its roots in resiliency. In 2016, the mother of two toddlers faced the daunting diagnosis of aggressive leukemia at the age of 25. Despite the challenges, Wong’s resilient spirit, positive mindset, and unwavering support from her family and friends propelled her to overcome the cancer and enter remission. However, in 2019, doctors discovered leukemia cells in her spinal fluid which left her unable to walk and severely immunocompromised.
Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wong and her caregiver support team including her husband, Kaihilani and parents Steven Kahili and Carolyn Lopes-Shane, sought treatment in Seattle where she recovered from the disease once again. She expresses particular gratitude for the care provided to her keiki (children) by her in-laws, Annette Kuuipolani Kanahele Wong, an associate professor at the Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at UH Mānoa who also oversees the Mānaleo (native speaker) Office on campus and Keola Wong, a kumu ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama.
“Cancer can really change a lot of families for the better or for worse. We now make the best of each moment. Be in the present moment, tell each other how much we care and really love one another. I’m grateful that it turned out to be in our favor. We learned to graciously accept that Ke Akua (God) has a plan and to hoʻomanawanui (be patiently steadfast),” Wong expressed.
Hoʻōla hou (renewed life)
Her renewed zest for life shaped her path to teach. In 2021, she began teaching Hawaiian language at Windward CC and later in 2022 she began teaching neighbors on her street in the Kaʻuluokahaʻi Hawaiian Homes subdivision. The idea sprang from a deeply spiritual conservation.
“Ok, Ke Akua, it seems like you want me to do more with my life. I don’t have a whole lot of skills but at the very least, I can put the knowledge that was shared with me by all of my kumu (teachers) from Pūnana Leo o Waiʻanae, Ke Kula Kaiapuni o Ānuenue, UH Mānoa, and my ʻohana in action and be a bridge and help other kanaka reconnect with our Hawaiian culture through ka ʻŌlelo Makuahine (Mother Language),” Wong said.
Aside from teaching ʻōlelo through Windward CC’s Hawaiʻiloa program, a fully online Hawaiian studies pathway, Wong is also a counselor at a substance abuse treatment center that weaves Western best practices with Hawaiian spiritual values.
