Members of the Waipa Foundation have secured a $53,500 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Native Americans to revive the use of the Hawaiian language in the Halele‘a district, known more commonly as Kaua‘i’s
Members of the Waipa Foundation have secured a $53,500 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Native Americans to revive the use of the Hawaiian language in the Halele‘a district, known more commonly as Kaua‘i’s North Shore.
Another $14,892 in matching funds is anticipated to be secured to complement the federal grant, according to Stacy Sproat-Beck, a spokeswoman for the foundation, a Native Hawaiian non-profit organization.
The project sets out to ensure the “continued existence of our ‘Olelo Makuahine (mother tongue) in Halele‘a,” Sproat said.
The native tongue was widely spoken in the district at one time. The district today consists of Kilauea, Kalihiwai, Kalihikai —‘Anini, Princeville, Hanalei – Wai‘oli, Waipa, Wainiha and Ha‘ena, Sproat said.
The district boasts a population of 6,348 people, according to U.S. Census figures for 2003.
Within the next few months, volunteers and staffers with the Waipa Foundation will survey the kanaka ( the indigenous people of Hawai‘i) in the district. Supporting the effort will be Hanalei Hawaiian Civic Club members.
The intent behind the survey is to determine how best to use and understand the native tongue.
Most Native Hawaiians don’t speak their native tongue because of history and because of the pressures “our kupuna faced that kept them from teaching us,” Sproat said in a news release.
“Today we have the opportunity to turn the tide, to learn and to speak (it) once again, to teach our children, so that they will be able to teach their children,” Sproat said.
As part of the project, Waipa Foundation proponents hope to interview kupuna and native speakers to learn and “malama” (take care of) the dialect, place names, mo‘olelo (story) and the history of Halele‘a District, Sproat said.
The impetus for the project apparently materialized four years ago.
During the Kaua‘i Taro Festival in 2000, representatives for the Waipa Foundation surveyed members of the Halele‘a community and people attending the festival, Sproat said.
“Overwhelmingly, both Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian members of the Halele‘a community identified Hawaiian language programs at the top of the priority list,” Sproat said.
A small, informal survey of the kupuna in the Halele‘a district done by the Waipa Foundation in 2003 indicated that there may be just a few native speakers remaining in the community, Sproat said.
The survey also revealed there are almost no “venues in the community” where the native tongue is spoken, Sproat said.
Historically, the Hawaiian language varied from island to island, using different sounds, vocal patterns and expressions that led to regional dialects, Sproat said.
Providing support for the project are the Hawaiian Farmers of Hanalei Inc., Hui Maka ‘ainana o Makana, and the Hanalei Canoe Club.
Those wanting to help with surveying work can call the Waipa Foundation Office at 826-9969.
