Schatz, Hirono lead resolution celebrating Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi

US Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i) introduced 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, 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 Native Hawaiian Community.”

“Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i, Hawaiian Language month, serves as a testament to the resilience of the Native Hawaiian community and the importance of Hawaiian history and culture,” said Hirono. “Despite laws and practices that banned ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i from being taught in schools or used in official governing documents—nearly driving it to extinction—the Native Hawaiian community kept their language alive and today it is flourishing. Indigenous languages are a critical part of American history that cannot be erased. 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.”

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.

“As we celebrate Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawai‘i, we acknowledge not only the revitalization of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, but also the hard work that our community has put into both preserving and renormalizing the Hawaiian language over the past 40 years,” said Kaʻiu Kimura, Director of the UH Hilo Hawaiʻi ʻImiloa Institute and UH Hilo’s Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language. “Without this work, and the manaʻo shared by those who have maintained and uplifted ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, our language would not be as flourishing as it is today. Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawai‘i is both a celebration and a reminder that it is our responsibility to share our manaʻo not only with the next generation of Hawaiian language learners, but with other Native American and Alaska Native communities to help them uplift their own ʻōlelo ʻōiwi (Indigenous languages).”