Lālani Mua: L-R: Makalapua Alencastre, the late ʻĪlei Beniamina and Larry Kimura. Lālani Hope:, L-R: Hōkūlani Cleeland, Kauanoe Kamanā, Kīʻope Raymond and Pila Wilson.
Ma Ianuali 1983, ua hui nō kekahi poʻe kumu aʻo me kekahi mānaleo no ka hoʻomohala ʻana i nā manaʻo no ka hoʻōla ʻana i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. Ma ke kamaʻilio ʻana me nā kūpuna, ua ʻike lākou, no ka hoʻōla ʻana i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, he koʻikoʻi maoli ka hānai ʻia ʻana o nā keiki ma kahihi i kū ai ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ʻo ia ka ʻōlelo kumu. ʻO ka mea nui ka hoʻokumu hou ʻia ʻana o nā kula kaiaʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, e like hoʻi me ka wā o ke Aupuni Mōʻī. Ua kia ko lākou mau manaʻo ma ka hoʻoulu ʻana i hanauna ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi hou e ʻōlelo ana me ke kuanaʻike Hawaiʻi, me ka mākaukau pū ma ka ʻōlelo Pelekānia a me nā ʻōlelo ʻē aʻe ma o nā kiʻina hana lanakila o ʻEulopa. Pēlā i hoʻāla ʻia ai ka papahana kula kamaliʻi Pūnana Leo a me ke kuanaʻike Hawaiʻi o ka hoʻonaʻauao, i ʻike ʻia i kēia wā ma Ke Kumu Honua Mauli Ola.
ʻO ka Pūnana Leo ka pūnana kahi e pūʻā ʻia ai ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi mai ka waha aku o ka makua i ke keiki. Ua hoʻokumu ʻia ke kula mua ma Kekaha, Kauaʻi ma ʻAukake 1984. I ia makahiki aku, ma ʻApelila 1985 i hoʻokumu ʻia ai kekahi Pūnana Leo hou aku ma Hilo, Hawaiʻi a ma Honolulu, Oʻahu. A ma hope mai, mana aʻe ma nā mokupuni hou aku.
Pili nō ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo i ka hoʻōla ʻōlelo Maori ma Aotearoa. Ahuwale ia pilina ma ka inoa o Pūnana Leo,ʻo ia hoʻi ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi no Kōhanga Reo ma ka ʻōlelo Māori.
I kēia lā, he ala hoʻonaʻauao ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi piha ko kākou mai ka pae kula kamaliʻi a i ka pae laeʻula.
Ka Mōʻaukala Hoʻōla ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
L-R ʻO Mehana Evans, Kūhaʻo Zane, a me Kuʻulei Kalani-Maskell nā keiki me Tūtū Lee Hong.
He hui ʻauhau ʻole ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo nona ka nuʻukia “E Ola ka ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi,” i hoʻokumu ʻia e kekahi mau kumu aʻo a me kekahi mānaleo o ka pae ʻāina ʻo Hawaiʻi.
Ua hoʻokumu ʻia ka Pūnana Leo mua loa ma Kekaha i Kauaʻi, a laila hoʻokumu ʻia he 11 hou Pūnana Leo ma ʻō a ʻō o Hawaiʻi no nā makahiki he iwakālua ma hope mai.
Ma ke kūpaʻa o ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo i ke kīpaipai, ua holo ka pila e kāpae ana i ke kānāwai he 90 makahiki e pāpā ana i ke aʻo ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma nā kula aupuni a me nā kula kūʻōkoʻa.
Hana pū ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo me ka ʻOihana Hoʻonaʻauao o ka Mokuʻāina ʻo Hawaiʻi ma ka hoʻomohala ʻana i nā haʻawina no nā kula kaiaʻōlelo ʻōiwi mua loa ma ʻAmelika ma ka hoʻokumu ʻana i nā kula kaiapuni mua loa ma ke Kula Haʻahaʻa o Keaukaha ma Hilo a me ke Kula Haʻahaʻa o Waiau ma Pearl City.
Pūlima ka Pelekikena o ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa i ke Kānāwai ʻŌlelo ʻŌiwi ʻAmelika ma hope o ko ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo hana pū ʻana me kekahi mau kaiaulu ʻōiwi ma ʻAmelika e kīpaipai pū ana no ka mālama ʻana i nā ʻōlelo ʻōiwi ʻAmelika he 200 a emi mai paha mai ka halapohe ʻana.
Hoʻonui ʻia nā kahua Pūnana Leo ma Hilo me Waiʻanae ma ka hoʻokumu ʻia ʻana o ka papahana Hiʻipēpē. Ua wehe ʻia no nā keiki 6 pule a i ka 3 makahiki. He papahana kēia no nā ʻohana e kūpaʻa ana i ka ʻōlelo ʻana i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ʻo ia nō ka ʻōlelo mua o ko lākou mau ʻohana.
Hoʻokumu ʻia ka papahana Keleaʻo ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, ʻo Niuolahiki, e mālama i nā papa ʻōlelo hikaaʻo a makepono pū no ke aʻo ʻana i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. Ma kahi o ka 3,000 haumāna i kāinoa a puni ka honua e aʻo ana i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.
Hoʻokumu ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo i ka papahana Hale Kipa ʻŌiwi e kākoʻo aku ai i nā kaiaulu a hui ʻōiwi ʻAmelika e hoʻomohala i kā lākou papahana a papa haʻawina hoʻōla ʻōlelo ʻōiwi.
Kuahaua ʻia ʻo ka lā 24 ʻOkakopa ka lā ʻAha Pūnana Leo ma Hawaiʻi ma hope o ka hoʻokō ʻana i ka ʻākūloia mua ʻia ʻana o ka hoʻonaʻauao ʻana ma ka pae kula kamaliʻi e ka World Indigenous Nation’s Higher Education Consortium (WINHEC).
Ma hope o ko ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo ma ke kipa makamua ʻana i ka United Nations (UN) me kekahi mau kāʻeʻaʻeʻa mai ka honua a pau, ua kuahaua ʻia ka makahiki 2019 ka Makahiki Kauʻāina o nā ʻŌlelo ʻŌiwi, no ka hoʻoulu ʻana i ka ʻike no ka hopena o ka ʻane halapohe o nā ʻōlelo ʻōiwi.
Ma ka hana a ka Hale Kipa ʻŌiwi, ua hoʻokumu ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo i ke Kikowaena ʻo Mokuola Honua Global Center for Indigenous Language Excellence me ka hana kuʻikahi ʻana me Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani, i mea e lilo ai ia wahi e hoʻoulu ai i ka hana pū ʻana ma nā nīnūnē a kaʻakālai e pā ai nā lāhui ʻōiwi.
Piha ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo he 35 makahiki me 6,000 pukana mai nā Kula Kamaliʻi a Hiʻipēpē Pūnana Leo, a he 3,000 haumāna mai ʻō a ʻō ka honua i aʻo i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma Niuolahiki.
Hoʻolilo ʻia ka $100,000 a ʻoi aku a emi mai paha a me ka 100 hola hoʻomākaukau limahana, a hoʻolaha kūhelu akula ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo no ka papahana Hoʻomākaukau Limahana ʻo Aukukui ma ka hana kuʻikahi ʻana me Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani ma ka hāʻawi i ka Palapala Hōʻoia Aʻo Kula Kamaliʻi ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi a ʻŌiwi.
Kaʻau Hua, Kaʻau Ola. Ua piha he kaʻau makahiki, he kaʻau (40) makahiki o ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo ma ka hoʻōla ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ʻana i hoʻi kona kūlana i ʻōlelo kumu o kēia ʻāina.
ʻImi ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo i ka ʻāpono mai ka World Indigenous Nationʻs Higher Education Consortium (WINHEC).