In honor of Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language Month), University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s Native Hawaiian engagement director, Pelehonuamea Harman, highlights key Hawaiian language milestones in her latest ʻŌlelo Resource of the Month column, exploring Native Hawaiian protocols, traditions and Indigenous learning practices.
Aloha Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi! (Happy Hawaiian Language Month!)
Pepeluali (February) in Hawaiʻi has become synonymous with the Hawaiian language. You may have attended a festival or a concert this month where you heard people speaking in Hawaiian. The State of Hawaiʻi is one of three states that have officially recognized languages besides English. (The other two being South Dakota and Alaska.)
Here is a timeline of significant milestones in Hawaiian language in Hawaiʻi, with key events related to the UH System.
1820: Introduction of Written Hawaiian
- Protestant missionaries introduced the Latin alphabet to Hawaiʻi, creating the foundation for written Hawaiian. This marks the beginning of Hawaiian language preservation in a written form. Citation: Hawaiian Mission Houses.
1834: First Hawaiian-Language Newspaper Published
- The first Hawaiian-language newspaper, Ka Hoku o ka Pakipika, was published. It helped promote literacy in Hawaiian.
1896: Language Ban in Schools
- The Republic of Hawaiʻi passed Act 57, an English-only law that banned Hawaiian as a medium of instruction in public schools. This marked the beginning of a significant decline in the use of Hawaiian.Hawaiʻi
1919: The Hawaiian Dictionary Published
- In 1919, Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel Elbert published Hawaiian Dictionary in the first comprehensive dictionary of the Hawaiian language. It was republished several times with a revised and enlarged edition published in 1991.
- Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel Elbert published Hawaiian Dictionary: Hawaiian-English English-Hawaiian (University of Hawaiʻi Press), the first comprehensive dictionary of the Hawaiian language. It was crucial in preserving the language in its written form.
1921: Hawaiian Language Courses at UH Mānoa
- UH Mānoa began offering Hawaiian language courses, signaling the start of formal efforts to teach Hawaiian at the university level.
1985: Establishment of Hawaiian Studies Department at UH Mānoa
- The Department of Hawaiian and Indo-Pacific Languages and Literatures was established at UH Mānoa, offering a Bachelor of Arts in Hawaiian.
1997: Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani at UH Hilo
- Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani, the College of Hawaiian Language, was established at UH Hilo, making it the first college in the world to offer higher education in an Indigenous language.
2006: Hawaiian Language Dissertation
- The first dissertation written entirely in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi was completed at the UH Mānoa, highlighting the language’s academic capability.
2007: Doctoral Program in Hawaiian Language at UH Hilo
- UH Hilo began offering a doctoral program in Hawaiian language, advancing the language’s use in academia and scholarly research.
Harman joined UH Hilo’s Office of the Chancellor in June 2024 as part of the growing Hawaiʻi Papa o Ke Ao team established throughout the 10-campus UH System to develop, implement and assess strategic actions to enhance the higher education needs of Native Hawaiians.
For more ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi milestones, go to UH Hilo Stories.
