HR130

OIAI, o ka olelo Hawaii ka olelo o ka lahui Hawaii no na makahiki he elua kaukani a oi ae paha; a

WHEREAS, ‘Ōlelo Hawaii, the Hawaiian language, has been the native language of Hawaii's indigenous people for more than two thousand years; and

OIAI, ma mua o ka hiki ana mai o ka poe haole i Hawaii i ka makahiki 1778, ua kukulu ia he aupuni Hawaii ma o ka malama pono ana i ka aina a me ke kanaka ma ka olelo, na loina a me na akua Hawaii; a

WHEREAS, prior to the arrival of the first Europeans in Hawaii in 1778, the Native Hawaiian people lived in a highly organized, self-sufficient, subsistent social system based on

communal land tenure with a sophisticated language, culture, and religion; and

OIAI, o ka olelo Hawaii ka mea e paa ai ke kahua o ka nohona Hawaii, ke aupuni Hawaii, ka hoonaauao Hawaii, ke akeakamai Hawaii, na oihana hana lima Hawaii a me ka hana noeau Hawaii; a

WHEREAS, ‘Ōlelo Hawaii has provided the foundation for the establishment and development of Hawaiian society, including government, education, sciences, trades, and arts; and

OIAI, ua ola a mahuahua ka olelo Hawaii i ka wa o ke aupuni Hawaii mai ka makahiki 1795 a ka makahiki 1893; a

WHEREAS, from 1795 to 1893, during the time of the Hawaiian Kingdom, the Hawaiian language thrived; and

OIAI, ua hookumu ia ke kakau ana o ka olelo Hawaii ma ka makahiki he 1825 ma lala o ka noho aupuni ana o ka Moi Kauikeaouli Kamehameha III; a

WHEREAS, in 1825, under the direction of Moi Kauikeaouli Kamehameha III, missionaries and Native Hawaiian scholars devised a Hawaiian orthography; and

OIAI, ua mahuahua ae no ke kakau ana a me ka heluhelu ana o ka poe Hawaii ma ka olelo Hawaii, he 95 pakeneka ka nui, ma ka makahiki he 1834; a

WHEREAS, the orthography led to rapid literacy among indigenous Hawaiians, ninety-five percent of whom attained literacy by 1834; and

OIAI, ua hookumu ka Moi Kauikeaouli Kamehameha III i ke Aupuni Moi o Ko Hawaii Pae Aina ma kahi o na makahiki 1840 ma o ka olelo Hawaii; a

WHEREAS, in the 1840s, Moi Kauikeaouli Kamehameha III used the Hawaiian language to transform the Hawaiian Kingdom into a constitutional monarchy; and

OIAI, ua kukulu ia ke aupuni Hawaii me ka Aha Hookolokolo; ka Oihana Makai; ka Papa Ola; a me ka Papa Hoonaauao o Hawaii nei ma o ka Olelo Hawaii; a

WHEREAS, the Hawaiian Monarchy's judiciary; law enforcement; health system; and public systems for education, which were the genesis of Hawaii's public education system, all functioned solely in the Hawaiian language; and

OIAI, ua aneane make ka olelo Hawaii mamuli o na hihia like ole, e like me ke Kanawai 57 o ka makahiki 1896 i hookumu ia ai mahope o ka hookahuli hewa ia ana o ke Aupuni o Hawaii i ka makahiki 1893; a

WHEREAS, however, by the latter half of the twentieth century, the ‘Ōlelo Hawaii was pushed to the brink of extinction by several factors, including Act 57, Laws of the Republic of Hawaii 1896 (Act 57), which was passed three years after the 1893 overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii; and

OIAI, ua hookumu ia ka olelo Pelekania ma na kula aupuni apau o Hawaii, me ka papa pu ia ana o ka Olelo Hawaii ma na kula; a

WHEREAS, Act 57 declared an English-only law over Hawaii's public schools, prohibiting the use of ‘Ōlelo Hawaii as a medium of instruction; and

OIAI, ua emi loa ka nui o na kanaka olelo Hawaii mai ke kanaha kaukani i ka makahiki 1896 a i ka elua kaukani ma ka makahiki 1978 mamuli o ke Kanawai 57, e hoopai ana i na haumana no ka hoohana ana i ka olelo Hawaii; a

WHEREAS, due to Act 57, many students were punished for speaking ‘Ōlelo Hawaii at school, and the number of Hawaiian language speakers collapsed from nearly forty thousand in 1896 to a mere two thousand in 1978; and

OIAI, ua papa ia ka Olelo Hawaii maloko o na kula aupuni o Hawaii no kanaiwa mau makahiki a aole i hoonaauao ia na haumana ma o ka olelo Hawaii no na hanauna he eha; a

WHEREAS, the ‘Ōlelo Hawaii was excluded from Hawaii's public schools for ninety years and would not be heard in official instruction for four generations; and

OIAI, ua paa ma ke Kumu Kanawai o Hawaii:

Pauku X, Mahele 4, e kakoo ka mokuaina o Hawaii i ke ao ana i na loina Hawaii, na moolelo Hawaii a me ka olelo Hawaii; a

Pauku XV, Mahele 4, kakau ia, o ka olelo Pelekania a me ka olelo Hawaii na olelo kuhelu o ka mokuaina o Hawaii; a

WHEREAS, the Constitution of Hawaii includes, among other provisions:

Article X, Section 4, which requires the State to promote the study of Hawaiian culture, history, and language; and

Article XV, Section 4, which states that English and Hawaiian shall be the official languages of the State of Hawaii; and

OIAI, me ke ku no o ke Kumu Kanawai o Hawaii, aole no i komo ka olelo Hawaii ma na kula aupuni a i ka hookumu ia ana o na kula ma o ka olelo Hawaii i ka makahiki 1986; a

WHEREAS, in spite of the foregoing amendments to the Constitution of Hawaii, ‘Ōlelo Hawaii was excluded from Hawaii's public schools until 1986, with the establishment of the Hawaiian Language Immersion Program; and

OIAI, aia no ke ola a me ka pono o ka poe Hawaii i ke aloha i ka aina a me ka olelo; a

WHEREAS, the health and well-being of the Native Hawaiian people are intrinsically tied to their deep feelings and attachment to the land and language; and

OIAI, ua luku ia no ka poe Hawaii ma muli o ka loli ana o ke aupuni Hawaii, ka hookele waiwai o Hawaii a me ka nohona Hawaii i na kenekulia he 19 a me 20; a no laila,

WHEREAS, the long-range economic and social changes in Hawaii over the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries have been devastating to the population and to the health and well-being of the Native Hawaiian people; now, therefore,

E hooholo ia, ua apono ia keia palapala aelike e ka aha olelo 31 o ka mokuaina o Hawaii, kau mau 2022, me ka aelike o ka aha kenekoa, i palapala mihi i ka poe Hawaii no ka papa ana i ke ao ana i ka olelo Hawaii ma na kula aupuni mai ka makahiki 1896 a hiki i ka makahiki 1986; a

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, that this body offers this resolution as an apology to the Native Hawaiian people for the effective prohibition in Hawaii schools of the instructional use of ‘Ōlelo Hawaii from 1896 to 1986; and

E hooholo ia, ke hoohiki nei keia aha e hooiaio mai i na hopena pili o ka hookahuli ia ana o ke aupuni Hawaii a e kakoo i ka pono o na hihia ma waena o Amelika a me ka poe Hawaii mai ka wa ma mua a i keia manawa; a

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this body expresses its commitment to acknowledge the ramifications of the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii to provide a proper foundation to address the historical and contemporary issues between the United States of America and the Native Hawaiian people; and

E hooholo ia, ke koi nei keia aha i ka aha hooko o ka mokuaina o Hawaii e hooiaio mai i na hopena pili o ka hookahuli ia ana o ke aupuni Hawaii a e kakoo i ka pono o na hihia ma waena o Amelika a me ka poe Hawaii mai ka wa ma mua a i keia manawa; a

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this body urges the executive branch of the State of Hawaii to also acknowledge the ramifications of the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii and to address the historical and contemporary issues between the United States of America and the Native Hawaiian people; and

E hooholo ia, e hoouna ia ana na kope hooiaio o keia palapala olelo aelike i ke Kiaaina, i ka luna hoomalu o ke Keena Kuleana Hawaii, i ka luna hoomalu o ka Keena Aina Hoopulapula.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Chairperson of the Hawaiian Homes Commission, Chairperson of the Board of Education, and Interim Superintendent of Education.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Native Hawaiians; Hawaiian Language; Apology

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	130
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022
STATE OF HAWAII