Hawai‘i congressional delegation introduces resolution celebrating Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i

Hawai‘i’s congressional delegation of US Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono and Reps. Ed Case and Jill Tokuda introduced today a resolution celebrating Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i, also known as Hawaiian Language Month.

“This February, we celebrate Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i and the people, schools, and programs that work every day to preserve the Hawaiian language and culture,” said Schatz, who serves as 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,” Hirono said. “Yet various laws, practices and prejudices led to many indigenous languages dying, or nearly dying out. Hawai‘i’s indigenous, Hawaiian language, or ‘Ōlelo 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 ‘Ōlelo 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 ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i, and I will keep advocating for the preservation of Native Hawaiian language and culture. E ola ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i.”

“Ōlelo Hawaiʻi is not just the language of the Kānaka Maoli, but an inseparable part of the living, breathing soul of our Hawai‘i,” Case said. “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 Ōlelo Hawaiʻi, 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 ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi,” Tokuda said. “The Hawaiian language was once banned to near extinction, but after years of revitalization efforts, is now heard all over Hawaiʻi and reminds us daily about the culture in which we live. This resolution highlights the significance of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi 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.