Historic legislation approved by Honolulu City Council

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 4, 2022

Historic legislation approved by Honolulu City Council Chair Waters’ Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i bill wins approval

HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I — The Honolulu City Council today established the annual observance of Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i, or Hawaiian Language Month, for the City and County of Honolulu. Bill 11 is the first Honolulu City Council bill in modern history to be written in the language of Hawai‘i’s native, host culture, and it was unanimously approved by all nine Councilmembers. The bill establishes a law in the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu, that the City and County ofHonolulu will annually recognize February as ‘Ōlelo Hawaii Month, to celebrate and encourage use of the Hawaiian language.

In the second half of the 19th century, the Hawaiian nation was among the most literate in the world. Tragically, three years after the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, schools were prohibited from teaching the Hawaiian language. In 1978, the Hawai‘i State Constitution was amended to recognize the Hawaiian language as one of the two official languages of the State of Hawai‘i. Alongside the Hawai‘i State Constitutional Amendment, a number of historicinitiatives were launched, including ‘Aha Pūnana Leo’s Hawaiian language immersion preschools, the Department of Education’s Hawaiian language immersion program, and the Hawaiian language programs of the University of Hawai‘i system. This period of revitalization was known as the second Hawaiian Renaissance.

“Having seen the revitalization of ‘Ōlelo Hawaiʻi over the past forty years, it is so rewarding to have this historic legislation approved. We have come so far since the days where our language was nearly extinct, and this legislation is a critical step in uplifting the language of our people.” said Council Chair and Presiding Officer Tommy Waters.

Several nonprofit organizations testified in support of the measure as it moved its way through the Council and celebrated its passage. CEO Kūhiō Lewis of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement stated, “We at the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement wholeheartedly applaud the Honolulu City Council for approving legislation to create an annual, month-long celebration of ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i at the City level. Bill 11 represents a significant step towards furthering the normalization of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, the native language of these islands and an official language of the State of Hawaiʻi. Moreover, our research indicates that this may be just the second law written in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi in more than 80 years. As such, this landmark legislation signals a historic return of our native language to official government spaces.”

“‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i is the language of our home,” wrote Kauʻi Burgess, Kamehameha Schools Director of Community and Government Relations, in testimony submitted to the Council. While there still remains work to be done, Director Burgess went on to state, “the renormalization of Hawaiian Language in all aspects of life in Hawaiʻi is necessary to enable Native Hawaiians and the larger community to gain a deeper understanding of Hawaiʻi’s history and cultural practices, and unveil over a millennia of place-based, ancestral knowledge that continues to guide innovative solutions to modern problems.”

Taking effect upon its approval, the City and County of Honolulu now joins the State of Hawai‘i in its official observation of February as Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawaiʻi, established in 2013.