Hawaiian Language Commission

Hawaiian Language Commission
Name	Hawaiian Language Commission
Nativename	ʻAha Pūnana Leo? (not linked)
Formation	2001
Jurisdiction	State of Hawaiʻi
Headquarters	Honolulu, Oʻahu
Chief1name	(Chair)
Website	(official)

Hawaiian Language Commission

The Hawaiian Language Commission is a state-established body charged with advising on the preservation, revitalization, normalization, and promotion of the Hawaiian language (ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi). It operates within the political and cultural contexts of Hawaiʻi and collaborates with educational institutions, cultural organizations, and community groups to influence policy, standards, and programs that affect language use across the islands. The Commission engages with stakeholders including University of Hawaiʻi, Kamehameha Schools, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and other entities to coordinate efforts in lexicography, orthography, and media.

History

The Commission was created in response to decades-long decline of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi following the Overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi and subsequent policies that marginalized indigenous language use, as documented by scholars associated with Hawaiian Renaissance movements and institutions such as Bishop Museum and Hawaiian Civic Clubs. Its formation parallels legal and cultural developments including the passage of state statutes recognizing Hawaiian as an official language alongside English language in the United States in Hawaiʻi. Early proponents included educators from Kamehameha Schools, activists from Nā Koa Ikaika o Ka Lāhui, and academics from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa; subsequent work drew on models from bodies like Académie française and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori. Major milestones include standardized orthography adoption, cooperative agreements with Hawaiʻi State Department of Education, and initiatives linked to the founding of ʻAha Pūnana Leo immersion preschools.

Mandate and Functions

The Commission's statutory mandate encompasses advising the Governor of Hawaiʻi, the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, and state agencies on matters related to language policy, orthography, and nomenclature for place names, signage, and official documents. Functions include producing recommendations on language standards, supporting translation and interpretation protocols for agencies such as Hawaiʻi State Judiciary and Hawaiʻi County, and issuing guidance for public signage in coordination with bodies like Department of Transportation (Hawaiʻi). The Commission also evaluates petitions concerning orthographic practices, influences toponymy decisions intersecting with Hawaiian Place Names efforts, and liaises with cultural stewards including Kumu Hula and practitioners from Hawaiian cultural renaissance organizations.

Organizational Structure

The Commission is constituted under state statute with members appointed by the Governor of Hawaiʻi and confirmed by the Hawaiʻi State Senate. Membership traditionally includes language experts from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, representatives from Office of Hawaiian Affairs, educators from Kamehameha Schools, and cultural practitioners connected to institutions such as Bishop Museum and ʻAha Pūnana Leo. Committees address orthography, education, lexicon development, and public outreach; advisory panels consult with entities like Hawaiʻi State Board of Education and municipal governments of Honolulu and Maui County. Administrative support is often provided through interagency arrangements with offices such as the Hawaiʻi State Archives and Hawaiʻi State Library System.

Language Policy and Programs

The Commission formulates language policy recommendations that impact naming conventions for National Historic Landmarks in Hawaii sites, signage at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, and translations for official proclamations by the Governor of Hawaiʻi. Programs include development of standardized orthography for modern terminology, coordination with lexicographers at ʻAha Pūnana Leo and University of Hawaiʻi Press for dictionaries, and protocols for transliteration of foreign loanwords as used by outlets like Hawaiian Public Radio and Honolulu Star-Advertiser. The Commission works with cultural institutions such as Iolani Palace and Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau on interpretive materials, and aligns efforts with federal initiatives involving National Park Service Hawaiian site signage.

Education and Revitalization Initiatives

Initiatives focus on supporting immersion programs like ʻAha Pūnana Leo and K–12 curriculum reform via collaboration with the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education and teacher training at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. The Commission advises on credentialing for ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi instructors, materials development partnered with Kamehameha Schools Press and ʻUlukau: The Hawaiian Electronic Library, and scholarship programs administered alongside foundations such as Kamehameha Schools Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate and Native Hawaiian Education Council. Outreach extends to community colleges like Kapiʻolani Community College and cultural exchanges with international bodies such as Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori and Office québécois de la langue française.

Publications and Resources

The Commission oversees or sponsors resources including style guides for orthography, glossaries produced with University of Hawaiʻi Press, and digital corpora contributed to platforms like ʻUlukau: The Hawaiian Electronic Library and archival collections at Bishop Museum. It collaborates on bilingual educational materials for institutions such as Kamehameha Schools and produces recommendations used by Hawaiʻi State Archives and the Hawaiʻi State Legislature for drafting Hawaiian-language versions of statutes and reports. Outputs often cite scholarship from linguists affiliated with University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and cultural historians linked to Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding streams include state appropriations enacted by the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, grants administered through agencies like Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and partnerships with philanthropic organizations such as The Kamehameha Schools and private donors engaged in Hawaiian cultural preservation. Collaborative projects involve institutions including University of Hawaiʻi System, Bishop Museum, Kamehameha Schools, ʻAha Pūnana Leo, and media partners like Hawaiian Public Radio and Hawaiʻi News Now; federal collaboration has involved entities such as the National Endowment for the Humanities for archival and digitization efforts. Cross-jurisdictional cooperation extends to municipal governments of Honolulu, Maui County, Hawaiʻi County, and Kauaʻi County for signage, education, and cultural-event programming.

Category:Hawaiian language Category:State agencies of Hawaii