LEO 'ELELE - TRUSTEE MESSAGES

Ola nō ka 'Ōlelo Hawai'i

Robert K. Lindsey, Jr. Trustee, Hawai'i

Aloha nui kākou! This year marks the 25th year of operation of 'Aha Pūnana Leo Inc. and the 20th year of Nā Kula Kaiāpuni. I would like to send my personal thanks to each and every one of you who have helped in the development of these programs. As I reflect on my own life, I remember my parents, especially my mother who was a native speaker of Hawaiian. They raised my brother and me in a time when speaking Hawaiian to the po'e kamali'i, the children, was discouraged. Many of my relatives were raised the same way, but a few of them were able to learn Hawaiian growing up. One of them in particular is Larry Kimura who happens to be one of the founders of 'Aha Pūnana Leo Inc.

My Aide, Kama Hopkins, was a teacher at Pūnana Leo 'O Kawaiaha'o and Pūnana Leo 'O Ko'olauloa. Two of his three children were schooled at Pūnana Leo 'O Kaua'i and Ke Kula Kaiāpuni 'O Kapa'a. I have asked him to share some of his thoughts in this month's column on these programs and the influence the programs have had on his life and the life of his own family.

“Mai ka piina a ka la i Haehae a i ka mole olu o Lehua, eia au ko Kama e, he mamo aloha na Haloa” – Kūlāiwi, by Larry Kimura

A favorite song of mine at Pūnana Leo was Kūlāiwi. Literally, this line of the song speaks of the rising of the sun from one end of the major Hawaiian Islands to the other. We are descended from noble birth, from Hāloa, our elder brother, the taro. For me in particular, I view it this way. In our lifetime, we must be happy and always remember where we come from, why we are here and where we are going. By looking to our past, we are able to prepare for our future.

I am very thankful to have had many wonderful experiences teaching preschool at Pūnana Leo. This program along with the Hawaiian language immersion schools, grades K-12, creates opportunities for children and their families to not only learn the Hawaiian language, but to also let it become a part of their everyday lives. Everything from cooking meals in the morning to getting ready for bed in the evening can be experienced in Hawaiian even though we live in a predominately English-speaking society.

These schools have opened up a door through which we can enter and experience a bit of our past. We can know what our Kūpuna were thinking and experiencing 100 years ago by reading newspapers of that time period printed in the Hawaiian language.

Today our children are able to learn concepts taught in English-speaking schools and they come to realize that they can learn these concepts very well without speaking English. The Hawaiian language is not a stumbling block. In fact, in my opinion, it is a building block. Our keiki do not only analyze something from one perspective anymore. They are able to analyze different things or situations from different points of view.

Our youth of today are our leaders of tomorrow. We must encourage them to dream ... to plan for the future. Thankfully, they have the opportunity, thru learning the language of this land, to review the past, learn from the present and forge ahead with their plans for the future of our islands. These programs have given my children a chance to explore where they come from, why they are here and where they are going. 

I too, would like to join Trustee Lindsey in saying Mahalo. Many more things could be shared, but I think that we would need a book to do it. Mahalo to all of you who continue to encourage our keiki every day to Kūlia i ka nu'u, to strive for the summit. 

Na ke Akua no kakou apau e hoopomaikai a malama i keia la a mau loa aku. May God bless us all and care for us forever. Aloha.