Synopsis: Kauakūkalahale poses three questions to gubernatorial candidates on Hawaiian immersion schools.

Nīele ‘ia nā moho kia’āina ‘elua, ‘o Neil Abercrombie lāua ‘o Duke Aiona, i ko lāua mau mana’o no nā kula ‘ōlelo Hawai’i. ‘Ekolu nō nīnau i nīnau ‘ia iā lāua a ‘elua, penei:

1. He aha kāu mea e mana’olana ai no nā kula ‘ōlelo Hawai’i?

2. He aha nā kāko’o e pono ai ia mau kula i kou mana’o?

3. Pehea ‘oe e hō’oia ai i ka ho’olako ‘ia o ia mau kula i kēia kāko’o?

Penei nā mana’o o Neil Abercrombie i unuhi ‘ia ma ka ‘ōlelo Hawai’i: E kāko’o ‘ia a hō’āmana ‘ia nā kula aupuni a pau e pono ai i hiki ke pono ke kula ‘ia ‘ana o kamali’i. ‘Ike akāka ‘ia he kūpono nā kula ‘ōlelo Hawai’i no nā keiki he mau kaukani nō. Makemake au e ‘ike i ka māhuahua o nā kula ‘ōlelo Hawai’i i hiki ke kula ‘ia nā keiki o nā ‘ohana makemake ma ka ‘ōlelo Hawai’i.

Hiki ke puka pono ka hana a kamali’i ma nā kula ‘ōlelo Hawai’i. Ua waiwai ka ‘āina i ka ‘ōlelo me ka nohona Hawai’i. ‘Ike ‘ia he mea nui ia mau kula ma ka ulu hou ‘ana o ka ‘ōlelo Hawai’i. Ua pōmaika’i nō kākou ma ka lohe ‘ana i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai’i ma nā wahi like ‘ole, ‘o nā hui hana ‘oe a me nā home pū nō. Mana’o’i’o wau he pono e ‘oi aku ka mahalo me ke kāko’o ‘ia o nā kula ‘ōlelo Hawai’i no ke kōkua ‘ana i ka lehulehu a makemake au e ‘ae ‘ia e kōkua ma ia mau hana ‘elua.

Ma ke ‘ano kāko’o, kūpono e nānā ‘ia kēia mau mana’o: E ‘oi aku ka nui o ka hana ‘ia ‘ana o nā lako kāko’o, ka papa ha’awina, ka loiloi ‘ana, a me nā kōkua kumu like ‘ole. E ho’onui ‘ia ke a’o ‘ana i nā kumu hou ma ka ‘oihana ho’ona’auao ma ka ‘ōlelo Hawai’i.

Pono e a’o ‘ia nā kumu kula ‘ōlelo Hawai’i e lilo i po’okumu. E paipai ‘ia nā po’e i ‘ike i ka ‘oihana kula ‘ōlelo Hawai’i a i ‘ole ka ‘ōlelo Hawai’i e hana ma nā ke’ena o ka ‘Oihana Ho’ona’auao, ‘o nā ke’ena hana papa ha’awina ‘oe, loiloi ‘oe, hai limahana ‘oe, ho’ona’auao kūikawā ‘oe, a me ka ‘oihana ho’omalu.

E kaulike ka loiloi ‘ia ‘ana o nā haumāna i hiki ke ‘ike akāka ‘ia nā mea i ‘ike a ‘ike ‘ole ‘ia e nā haumāna. E mahalo ‘ia nā papa hana ‘ōlelo Hawai’i e nā ke’ena aupuni a me nā hui hana no ke kōkua ‘ana i ka lehulehu. ‘Oiai aia ka hapa nui o nā keiki Hawai’i ma nā kula aupuni haole, he pono e hō’oi ‘ia nā kula a pau. Pono e māhelehele like ‘ia nā mana ho’omalu a e ki’eki’e ke kūlana o nā mea i ‘upu ‘ia no nā mākua a me nā haumāna.

He kāko’o ikaika wau i nā kula ‘ōlelo Hawai’i mai ko’u wā he luna aupuni o ka moku’āina nei a ho’omau akula wau i ko’u kāko’o ma ko’u wā he Luna ‘Aha’ōlelo. Ma ko’u ‘ao’ao ‘o wau ke kia’āina, e ho’omaika’i wau i nā kula ‘ōlelo Hawai’i me ka nānā nui pū i nā mea e pono ai. E ho’ohui pū au i nā po’e e ho’oholo ai i nā kāko’o ‘oi loa no nā kula ‘ōlelo Hawai’i. ‘O kekahi mea e nānā ai, ‘o ia ka hana ‘ana i polokalamu hō’oia no nā po’okumu kula ‘ōlelo Hawai’i a me nā pu’u kālā kōkua no nā haumāna o nā kula ‘ōlelo Hawai’i e hele i nā kulanui o ka ‘Oihana Kulanui o Hawai’i.

Penei nā mana’o o Duke Aiona: He pono e kaulike nā kula aupuni a pau, me nā kula ‘ōlelo Hawai’i pū, no laila, pono e ho’olako ‘ia ā kaulike. He mea nui ka ho’ona’auao ‘ana i ka po’e Hawai’i. Ma ko’u ‘ao’ao ‘o wau ka Hope Kia’āina, ‘ike akula au i ka pi’i o ka maika’i o nā kaiāulu i ka ho’ona’auao ‘ana me ka emi pū o ka nohona ‘ilihune, ke kalaima, ka ‘ai lā’au ‘ino, ke olakino pilikia, a me ka hana ‘ole.

Ma ko’u ‘ao’ao ‘o wau ke kia’āina, e hana wau i kūpono ka ho’olako ‘ia o nā kula ‘ōlelo Hawai’i i hiki ke ho’ona’auao ‘ia kamali’i me ka ‘ike i ka ‘ōlelo a me ka nohona Hawai’i i pa’a ke kahua e lilo ai lākou he po’e kānaka makua ho’okō kuleana, ‘olu’olu i nā ‘ano nohona like ‘ole a ho’opukapuka hana kūpono e kōkua nui ana i nā kaiāulu.

He pono e hana ‘ia nā papa ha’awina i kūpono no nā kula ‘ōlelo Hawai’i, pono e hana ‘ia nā puke ‘ōlelo Hawai’i a pono e ho’olako pono ‘ia nā polokalamu a’o kumu. ‘O ka ‘Oihana Ho’ona’auao ka mea nui loa ma ka ho’ona’auao ‘ana i nā keiki Hawai’i. ‘O ka mea minamina, ua pi’i ka ho’olilo kālā ‘ana no nā kula aupuni he 200 pakeneka i loko o nā makahiki 30 i hala a’ela, akā, aia kā kākou po’e haumāna ma ke kūlana ma lalo loa ma nā loiloi kūlana aupuni.

Makemake au e hō’oia piha ‘ia ka ho’olilo kālā ‘ana o ka ‘Oihana Ho’ona’auao na kahi hui kū’oko’a, no ka mea, pono e ‘ike ka lehulehu i ke ‘ano o ka ho’olilo ‘ia ‘ana o kā lākou kālā no ka ho’ona’auao ‘ana i mea e ‘ike ‘ia ai ke ‘ano o ka ho’olako ‘ia ‘ana o nā haumāna i nā lako e pono ai. Ma nā kula ‘ōlelo Hawai’i, ua emi loa nā lako a nui loa ka hana.

Pono e kūkulu ‘ia ke kahua e mākaukau ai nā kumu kula, nā haumāna, a me nā ‘ohana i mea e ho’omau ‘ia ai ka ‘ōlelo a me ka nohona Hawai’i me ka ikaika. I mea e hiki ai i nā Hawai’i ‘ōiwi ke ho’okūkū ma ke ao nei e loli mau ana, pono kākou e a’o i kā kākou po’e keiki no ka ho’okele waiwai ‘ana o ke ao nei ma ka ‘ike a me ka hana akamai. Ma ko’u ‘ao’ao ‘o wau ke kia’āina, e kāko’o wau i ka ho’ololi ‘ia ‘ana o ka ho’ona’auao ‘ana, ho’ohuli i ke kālā i loko o ka lumi papa, ho’onui i nā papa hana STEM ma nā kula ‘ōlelo Hawai’i ma mua o ka piha ‘ana o ka 2012, a e ho’onui wau i nā papa hana a’o ma ka ‘ōlelo Hawai’i no kamali’i i emi i ke kūlana mālaa’o.

‘O ka mea nui i nā kula ‘ōlelo Hawai’i, ‘o ia ka ho’omau ‘ana i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai’i ma ka hana ‘ana i hanauna hou ‘o ka ‘ōlelo Hawai’i kā lākou ‘ōlelo mua. No laila, pono e lako kamali’i Hawai’i i puka kā lākou mau hana me ka hēkau pū ‘ia ma ka ‘ōlelo me ka nohona Hawai’i.

This column is coordinated by the Hawaiian Language Department at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, supported by the Initiative for Achieving Native Hawaiian Academic Excellence.