: ‘A‘ole...Hawai‘i Official Languages Act: ‘Ae!

E ho‘opili pü ma o ka Pukealo!
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Artwork adapted from Naupaka, written by Nona Beamer and illustrated by Caren Loebel-Fried.
causes.com/h2o

E E ola

ola kākou

ka i ka

‘ōlelo ‘ōlelo

Hawai‘i! Hawai‘i!

...e kāko‘o ana i ka pono kiwila i loa‘a nā ...supporting the civil right of the
lawelawe lehulehu i ka mea noho ma Hawai‘i Hawai‘i resident to receive public
ma ka ‘ōlelo kūhelu āna e koho ai: ‘o ia ka services in the official language of
‘ōlelo Pelekāne a i ‘ole ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i his choice: English or Hawaiian

A Hawai‘i Official Languages Act, similar to • Hawai‘i districts to be benefited by a Hawai‘i OLA in 2010:
those adopted by Canada and Ireland, will:
• Provide Hawai‘i voters the opportunity to enact restitution of Native
Hawaiians’ indigenous linguistic rights in order to end to the age of
Hawaiian cultural genocide

• Ensure continued Hawaiian language revitalization by increasing

professional demand for competent speakers of Hawaiian

• Facilitate growth of the Hawaiian language by linking professional

development of Hawaiian language with Hawai‘i’s economic growth

• Confirm the State of Hawai‘i’s unique cultural identity by increasing

public institutional support for the Hawaiian language

• Mitigate or reverse the Kanaka Maoli diaspora by rewarding fluent

speakers of Hawaiian with increased work opportunities within the
State of Hawai‘i

• Enhance standards of Hawaiian language excellence and higher

quality legislation by producing these documents bilingually
Sources: Demographic data from OHA 2006 Data Book
Language Access criteria from State of Hawai‘i Title 21 Labor and Industrial Relations Chapter 371 (Part II)
Hawaiian language speaker projections from Dr. Pila Wilson, UH-Hilo