—Humpback whale, forcing up the water like waves hitting a reef, reef flats.

More ʻŌ������� of the Week

“E ola i ke kai ma ka leo o nā koholā (The sea is alive with the voices of the humpback whales).”

—Hunter Landt, he haumāna ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language student), Ke Kulanui Kaiāulu o Honolulu (Honolulu Community College)

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo .

Along the Keaukaha coastline at Puhi Bay, keiki from Hawaiian language immersion program Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo are doing what most adults never get to: growing native coral in a nursery and planting it back into the reef their families have known for generations.

He Pūkoʻa Kani ʻĀina—a year-long collaboration between and University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s (PACRC)—is where scientific restoration meets traditional ʻike (knowledge). Keiki learn that the health of the coral is inseparable from the health of the ʻāina (land).

PACRC is the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo research and community-engagement facility in Keaukaha behind the coral nursery. Marine science faculty lead programs that connect directly with the broader Hawaiʻi Island community.

For more go to .

—To embrace with arms, as in a hug, or holding an infant.

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“��ū�����쾱 wau i kaʻu mau keiki i kēlā me kēia lā. (I embrace my children every day.)”

—LaurieAnn Takeno, he haumāna ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language student), Ke Kulanui Kaiāulu o Honolulu (Honolulu Community College)

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo .

—West; Western Maui.

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“Kaulana nui loa ʻo Mokuʻula i Maui Komohana i kona kapu loa. (Mokuʻula Western Maui is very famous due to its sacredness.)”

—Melelani Seiki, he haumāna ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language student), Ke Kulanui Kaiāulu o Honolulu a me Ke Kulanui Kaiāulu o Maui (Honolulu Community College and ����Vlog�ٷ� Maui College)

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo .

Windward Community College Professor of Art and Gallery ʻIolani Director Kapulani Landgraf has been named a 2026 Guggenheim Fellow. Landgraf is one of just 223 distinguished individuals selected from a highly competitive pool of nearly 5,000 applicants for this honor.

The fellowship will support Landgraf’s project, What Was Taken, What Remains, a body of work confronting colonial histories and reasserting Hawaiian visual sovereignty. Through archival research, photographic interventions, collage and the integration of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) and moʻolelo (stories), the project reframes dominant narratives to restore voices to histories long obscured.

‘On our own terms’

“My work has always been about accountability—of images, of histories, and of the ways they are constructed and carried forward,” Landgraf said. “This fellowship supports the continuation of that work, but it also underscores its urgency. What has been taken cannot remain unexamined, and what remains must be made visible on our own terms.”

Widely recognized for her multimedia installations and photography exploring ʻāina (land) and the impacts of colonialism, Landgraf positions the camera as both a witness and an intervention. At Windward CC, she has transformed Gallery ʻIolani into a space centered on Hawaiʻi-based artists and cultural continuity. She is also the author of multiple monographs, including Nā Wahi Pana O Koʻolau Poko and Nā Wahi Kapu O Maui, which extend her explorations of ʻāina, moʻokūʻauhau (genealogy), and resistance.

Established in 1925, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation provides monetary stipends allowing scholars and artists to pursue independent work under “the freest possible conditions.” The Foundation has granted nearly $450 million to more than 19,000 Fellows, an elite group that includes Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners and cultural icons.

—Fun; to have a good time.

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“E leʻaleʻa kēlā lā me kēia lā. (Everyday should be fun.)”

—Maluhia Nahuina, he haumāna ʻŌ������� Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language student), Kulanui Kaiāulu o Honolulu (Honolulu Community College)

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo .

—Flying fish.

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“Ka iʻa lele me he manu (The fish that flies like a bird).”
ʻŌ������� Noʻeau (Hawaiian proverb) 1364

—Sean Mills, he haumāna ʻŌ������� Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language student), Kulanui Kaiāulu o Honolulu (Honolulu Community College)

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo .

—Clever, Wise.

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“Makemake au e akamai kākou a pau (I wish that we may all become wise).”

—Karuna Wiese, ʻŌ������� Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) Student, Honolulu Community College

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo .

—To leave or place something.

All ʻŌ������� of the Week

“E waiho mai i ka mea ʻai ma laila (Leave the food there).”

—Kilia Hare, Hawaiian language student, Honolulu Community College

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo .

Check back for more ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.

This article by Assistant Specialist in the College of Education at the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� Kahea Faria was first published in .

The growth of the Hawaiian Language Immersion Program from its inception to now is a sign that more of our people in Hawaiʻi are turning to the language, culture, and history of our land and the education that is meant to embody it and facilitate the transmission of this knowledge to our children. For most families, this is the primary means of accessing this knowledge, and as such, it represents a public necessity, not a discretionary option.

While this growth has been encouraging, it has also revealed gaps in the structural foundation of the program. Most Hawaiian language immersion programs remain housed within predominantly English-medium schools, with a few stand-alone K–12 programs statewide and even fewer P–12 programs.

These environments are essential, as they create at least one sustained domain in which Hawaiian can function as the sole language of instruction. This model is not intended to produce monolingual speakers, but rather to strengthen pathways toward genuine bilingualism. Consequently, parents within Hawaiian Language Immersion Programs are increasingly advocating for the establishment of P–12 programs in each school district.

Recent efforts to expand access to advanced Hawaiian language instruction—such as online coursework offered through ����Vlog�ٷ� Maui College – along with financial support for teacher candidates from sources such as Kamehameha Schools’ Hookawowo Scholarship, the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, and the State of Hawaiʻi’s Grow Our Own (GOO) Teachers, have helped to address these challenges.

Despite these efforts, the sustained growth of the program depends on continued investment in teacher preparation. For those who are interested, as well as those who are seeking a meaningful way to support our community through Hawaiian language, history, and culture, please contact either of the Hawaiian Language Immersion teacher preparation programs at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo or at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa.

Finally, the rapid growth of the Hawaiian language immersion program should be addressed in the same manner as those of any thriving public school setting—by being adequately resourced and supported in its expansion, rather than constrained by regulatory frameworks that inhibit development.

The state should take a proactive role in planning for a future that includes P–12 Hawaiian Language Immersion Program schools in every district statewide. Anything less constitutes a disservice to the community and stands in opposition to the program’s purpose and intent to revitalize Hawaiian language, culture and history in Hawaiʻi.

Ke ao ia nei ka naauao, auhea mai nei la hoi ke kahua o ka pono?

—To be curious.

All ʻŌ������� of the Week

“Ua nīele nā keiki ma loko o ka ʻeke. (The children were curious to look inside of the bag).”

—Kiniki Carlson, Hawaiian language student, Honolulu Community College

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo .

Check back for more ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.

Nahunaiki

—Little bites (a new word developed for the cookie cutter shark)

All ʻŌ������� of the Week

—Hauʻoli Lorenzo-Elarco, Assistant Professor of Hawaiian Language, Honolulu Community College

This newly introduced Hawaiian name for the cookie cutter shark is part of recently published research on one of the ocean’s most elusive predators, which Lorenzo-Elarco co-authored.

Check back for more ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.

For more ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi definitions and usage, go to the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo .

Hawaiian language immersion programs across the state are growing fast, however schools need more qualified teachers to meet that demand. At the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, Kananinohea “Kanani” Mākaʻimoku is working to help fill that gap.

As director of the within the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo, Mākaʻimoku prepares educators to teach in Hawaiian medium and immersion schools. Throughout the past decade, the state’s Hawaiian immersion program has grown by 67 percent.

Kahuawaiola is a three-semester graduate certificate delivered in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian). During the pandemic, Mākaʻimoku helped shift the program online, reshaping and expanding access.

“Since 2020, the average number of students enrolling from the outer islands has increased by approximately 56 percent compared to the program’s pre-2020 history,” said Mākaʻimoku.

She has seen firsthand how hybrid learning has opened doors for students in rural communities, including areas such as Lānaʻi and Hāna. That access drives her to reach even more future educators as the need continues to grow. Since its inception, Kahuawaiola has prepared 164 certified teachers.

“By preparing teachers who are fluent in Hawaiian and grounded in culturally responsive pedagogy, we ensure that Hawaiian language medium and immersion schools can continue to serve families across the state,” Mākaʻimoku said, noting that education has long been one of the most effective ways to reverse language loss in Hawaiʻi.

Full-circle journey

Mākaʻimoku’s own path reflects that mission. Educated in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi from preschool through high school, she later spent 16 years teaching in immersion classrooms. She earned her bachelor’s degree in at ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo, along with a through the Kahuawaiola program and a master’s degree in . She is now pursuing her doctorate in within ����Vlog�ٷ� �ᾱ����’s College of Hawaiian Language.

—By Susan Enright

Just in time for Mahina ‘Ō������� Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language Month), PhD candidate Nicholas “Kealiʻi” Lum is turning social media into a classroom for cultural deepening.

Hiʻona Haku Mele, Lum’s new Instagram video series, invites learners to explore the poetic soul of Hawaiian music, going beyond conversational speech to uncover the unique lexical phrases that make mele (songs) distinct.

“There are specific pieces of language and ways of expression that make mele unique and separate it from common speech,” Lum explained, adding that he was inspired by Kahikina De Silva, an assistant professor at ����Vlog�ٷ� �Ѳ��ԴDz�’s , who recommended that Lum document these poetic devices in his dissertation.

Hiʻona Haku Mele launched on February 1 on and Instagram accounts, and new episodes will drop every Monday and Thursday throughout the month. Each minute-long video highlights a specific term, explains its function, and provides examples from recorded albums. “ʻA����Vlog�ٷ�ea”—listen, heed my words—is featured as the first episode’s offering.

Related ����Vlog�ٷ� News story: Mele Hawaiʻi Reimagined: ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Makuakāne scholar bridges past and present, October 2025

Lum notes that while spoken Hawaiian and “mele language” share a foundation, Hawaiian haku mele (composers) use musical jargon to convey ideas more descriptively or poetically.

“Our kupuna had ways of expressing emotion in a far more beautiful way than saying something so literal,” explained Lum.

Makuakāne scholar

The initiative is just one part of Lum’s broader academic and creative journey. As a doctoral student at , Lum was recently named the first recipient of the . This award honors the Makuakāne family’s lifelong advocacy for ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and supports scholars dedicated to Indigenous language revitalization.

For more go to .

—Turning point, a time of change.

All ʻŌ������� of the Week

“Huliau speaks to those pivotal moments when life turns and invites transformation. Like the shifting winds and changing seasons, these transitions call us to reflect, recalibrate and move forward with renewed purpose. While change can bring uncertainty, it also creates space for growth, deeper understanding and new possibility. Huliau reminds us that change is not an ending, but a continuation—shaping who we are and guiding the path ahead.”

—Jaime Kanani Green, First Lady of Hawaiʻi and proud graduate of the ����Vlog�ٷ� William S. Richardson School of Law.

Check back for more ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo .

—Strong wind.

All ʻŌ������� of the Week

—Moanikeʻala Nabarro, Office of Communications, Ke Kulanui o Hawaiʻi ma Mānoa (University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa)

Check back for more ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo .

As Mahina ʻŌ������� Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language Month) draws attention to the growing vitality of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language), a recently released mele Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian song) offers a compelling example of how the language is taking root far beyond the islands, this time through a rare partnership between a University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo PhD student and a young recording artist from Japan.

Award-winning Hawaiʻi musician and ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo graduate student Nicholas Kealiʻi Lum composed Waikīkī, a mele recorded as a duet with Tom Noʻeau, a Japan-born musician and trained ʻōlapa hula (hula dancer). Collaborations like this remain uncommon in Hawaiian music, even as hula has flourished in Japan for decades, with an estimated two million dancers nationwide.

Modern mele Hawaiʻi

Lum developed Waikīkī through the , which supports his ongoing creative research following his 2023 debut album Pewa. Praised by listeners for its modern vibe and R&B-influenced sound, Pewa reimagines traditional mele Hawaiʻi in a contemporary context while centering cultural resilience and linguistic vitality, values that continue to shape Lum’s work.

Lum said the song the pair recorded in a Kalihi studio was shaped with intention toward visitors, particularly from Japan, Hawaiʻi’s largest international tourism market. “What would be so cool is when tourists come here that they don’t just go surfing and go to a lūʻau, but they actually have an educational piece, as well,” he said.

• Related ����Vlog�ٷ� News: Mele Hawaiʻi Reimagined: ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Makuakāne scholar bridges past and present, October 28, 2025

Learning deeply

For Noʻeau, the collaboration marked a meaningful step in a journey shaped by years of hula training. He grew up dancing in Japan under the guidance of Kahikina Ah Sing and his brother Kalani, who grew up in Kona and opened Ke Ala O Ke Ao Cultural Arts Studio, their hālau in Japan, more than 20 years ago. Through the hālau, Noʻeau has been learning ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, with a strong focus on accuracy and understanding.

“This song taught me a lot. I’m still learning Hawaiian language, and pronunciation is really hard, but it made me want to learn more,” Noʻeau said.

For Lum, that commitment to language was central to the collaboration. “If you pronounce everything wrong, there’s no meaning there anymore, especially in mele, where the poetry carries the story,” he said.

Ah Sing said watching his student step into Hawaiian music has gone far beyond what he once imagined. “I never thought that the younger generation in Japan would root themselves so deeply in our language and culture,” he said.

Noʻeau has also recorded with award-winning Hawaiian musicians Robert Uluwehi Cazimero and Kuana Torres Kahele, further grounding his work in Hawaiian musical tradition.

Voices, movement and moments of reflection filled at the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� in early February as , a biennial conference brought together scholars, artists and community members for two days of exchange. Hosted by the (ANNO), the conference explored how Indigenous performance sustains knowledge, language and relationships across generations.

The second biennial conference featured panels, workshops and special events that emphasized learning through practice.

Participants took part in everything from hula workshops led by ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� instructor and Kumu Hula Tracie Kaʻōnohilani Farias Lopes to kapa making, puppet making, carving and a movement-based session by Sami L.A. Akuna that invited reflection on storytelling and the body.

“We hope that the conference delegates engaged in the many offerings of the two-day event and see the importance of Indigenous performance as a site of knowledge production, cultural preservation, and collective imagination,” said Tammy Hailiʻōpua Baker, who co-founded ANNO and is a director of ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s award-winning .

One panel, Aloha ʻĀina Embodied: The Praxis of ʻAha, was conducted entirely in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. The session featured several kumu, including Kaliko Baker, an associate professor at ; Kaipu Keala, an assistant professor at , Kaulu Luuwai, an attorney with at William S. Richardson School of Law, and Snowbird Bento, kumu hula of Ka Pā Hula O Ka Lei Lehua.

Panelists discussed how is expressed through performance and community practice, reflecting on the ways language and movement inform artistic and community-based work.

Celebration and story

The conference concluded with a hoʻolauleʻa, a celebration that combined conversation and creative sharing. Events included a film screening of , directed by Lisette Flanary, professor at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� and a preview of a new hana keaka (theatre work) by ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Hawaiian theatre graduate student Ikaika Mendez. The production, Lele Wale, reflects on community rebuilding after the Lahaina wildfires, honoring those who were lost, those who survived, and those continuing the work of rebuilding on Maui. Performances run March 4–8 at the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre at Kennedy Theatre.

• Related ����Vlog�ٷ� News story: Lahaina’s story lives in new hana keaka production, February 5, 2026

Established in 2022 through the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Provost’s Strategic Investment Initiative, ANNO advances Hawaiian and Indigenous performance through scholarship, curriculum and outreach, supporting ongoing research and creative practice at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�.

The University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� will debut , a new hana keaka (Hawaiian theatre work) that takes audiences on a journey of community rebuilding in the wake of the Lahaina wildfires. The production honors those who were lost, those who survived, and those who still carry the weight of rebuilding on Maui. Performances run March 4–8 in the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre at Kennedy Theatre.

Created by ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� master of fine arts (MFA) candidate Ikaika Mendez, Lele Wale does not seek to recreate the tragic wildfires. Instead, the work moves through memory, music and movement to create space to remember, grieve and reflect on what comes next for both people and place. For Mendez, a Maui native, Lahaina holds deep personal meaning.

“Although I am from Kanaio, Lahaina became the place where I learned what it meant to be a performer in service to people and place…working at the Feast at Lele Lūʻau at just 15 years old,” said Mendez. “I learned discipline, responsibility and the power of storytelling through music and movement. That experience deeply influenced my path, leading me to pursue education in music, ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language), and ultimately my MFA in hana keaka.”

Voices of place

Lele is the traditional place name for Lahaina. In ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, lele wale evokes prayer and speaks to motion, as well as the act of releasing. The hana keaka is performed in a combination of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi Creole English (Pidgin) and English intertwined with live music, hula and imagery.

“There are experiences, emotions and understandings that cannot be fully expressed in English, so we speak them, sing them and chant them in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi,” said Mendez. “At the same time, Pidgin and English reflect the lived reality of Lahaina today: the sounds of home, work, family and community.”

Ticket information

Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.

A free post-show Q&A with the director and cast will follow the Friday, March 6th performance for ticket holders.

Content advisories: Covers themes connected to wildfire, loss of life, strong language, haze effects and flashing lights. Questions about tickets or accessibility can be directed to ktbox@hawaii.edu or (808) 956-7655.

English language version

This article by Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language Assistant Professor Pililuaikekaiohilo Keala was first published in on February 2.

I kēlā me kēia mahina ʻo Pepeluali, ka mahina ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, mālama ʻia nā hanana e hoʻokuluma ai i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma o ka hoʻolauleʻa a hoʻonaʻauao ʻana i ke kaiāulu.

He wā paʻahana maoli nō kēia no nā kula kaiapuni, nā papahana hoʻonaʻauao ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, a me kekahi wahine kūpaʻa mau i ka hoʻoulu ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ʻana, ʻo Ekela Kaniaupio-Crozier.

Mai nā ʻaha Lā Kūkahekahe, i nā ʻaha mele Hoʻomau, i ka papahana kīwī ʻo Kulāiwi, ā i nā hanana Ola Ka ʻĪ o kēia mau lā, aia nō ʻo ʻAnakē Ekela e ʻauamo ana i ke kuleana nui o ka hoʻōla ʻana i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi a me ka hōʻike ʻana i ke aloha i loko o ia ʻōlelo hiwahiwa nei.

He wahi leo mahalo a hoʻohanohano kēia iā ʻoe, e ʻAnakē Ekela, no ka nui o nā makahiki o kou aʻo, paipai, a hoʻoulu ʻana i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.

ʻO ka pahuhopu o Ola Ka ʻĪ ka hoʻokuluma ʻana i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma o nā pāʻani, nā mele, nā hanana aʻo ʻōlelo, a me nā hoʻokūkū haʻiʻōlelo no nā haumāna kula haʻahaʻa a i ke kula kiʻekiʻe.

He aloha ʻōlelo e ʻī mai ana

Every February, Hawaiian language month, there are a multitude of events put on to normalize the use of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi through celebration and education across communities.

This is indeed a busy time for many Hawaiian immersion schools, organizations that provide Hawaiian language education, and one woman who has remained steadfast in her purpose to strengthen and grow ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, Ekela Kaniaupio-Crozier.

From the Lā Kūkahekahe events, to the Hoʻomau concerts, to the TV program Kulāiwi, to the Ola ka ʻĪ events of today, Aunty Ekela is there, continuing efforts to revitalize the use of the Hawaiian language while showing the aloha that is present in our esteemed language.

This is but a humble voice of gratitude and honor for you, Aunty Ekela, for all of the years of dedication to the education, encouragement, and the overall increase of Hawaiian language.

Ola Ka ʻĪ aims to normalize the use of Hawaiian language through games, songs, educational activities, and speech competitions for students from elementary through high school.