Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani

Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani is a Hawaiian language college within the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo focused on the revitalization, preservation, and development of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. The program offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, immersive instruction, and community outreach that intersect with Hawaiian studies, indigenous pedagogy, and cultural practice. It functions as a hub for scholars, educators, and cultural practitioners engaged with Hawaiian literatures, oral histories, and language policy.

History

Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani traces its roots to initiatives that followed the Hawaiian Renaissance and efforts by figures such as Queen Liliʻuokalani advocates, community activists, and educators working with institutions like the University of Hawaiʻi system, Kamehameha Schools, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Early development involved collaborations with the Hawaiian Language Revitalization movement and partnerships with organizations including the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education immersion programs, the Hawaiian Civic Clubs, and cultural centers such as the Bishop Museum. Legislative engagement from the Hawaiʻi State Legislature and support from agencies like the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Native Hawaiian Education Council helped formalize graduate studies and certification pathways. Over time the program interfaced with national and international indigenous language initiatives connected to institutions such as University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of British Columbia, and research programs at the Smithsonian Institution.

Academic Programs

The school provides degrees and certificates spanning Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education frameworks, teacher licensure aligned with the Hawaiʻi Teacher Standards Board, graduate research supervised by faculty affiliated with the American Council on Education and the Modern Language Association. Coursework covers Hawaiian literacy, oral traditions, digital humanities projects, archival practice with materials from the Bishop Museum and the Hawaiʻi State Archives, and language pedagogy informed by models from Kaupapa Māori initiatives in New Zealand and indigenous education programs at University of Victoria. Students engage with fieldwork alongside partners like Nā Koa Ikaika, community immersion sites including Hoʻokahua Cultural Center, and cooperative programs with the Kūhiō Hale legal clinics addressing language rights framed by precedents such as the Apology Resolution and discussions influenced by Kanaka Maoli advocacy. Graduate theses often intersect with topics explored in venues like the Association for Hawaiian Civic Clubs forums and conferences including the Conference on Hawaiian Language Research.

Campus and Facilities

Located on the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo campus near Mokuola and Liliʻuokalani Park and Gardens, facilities include dedicated classrooms, language labs, a ʻuluʻulu (archives) partnership with the Hawaiʻi State Archives, and multimedia production suites used for the ʻŌlelo Online and immersion curriculum development. The program utilizes collections from the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, the Hawaiʻi State Public Library System, and collaborates with the Hawaiʻi Island Community Development Corporation for outreach. Performance and exhibition spaces host practitioners from institutions such as Hālau Hoʻokōkō, Nā Hōkū Hanohano artists, and visiting scholars from entities like the East-West Center and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Cultural Significance and Hawaiian Language Revitalization

Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani plays a central role in the statewide Hawaiian language revitalization movement linked to milestones like the establishment of Hawaiian language immersion schools influenced by Kumu Hula pedagogy and advocacy from groups such as the Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate. Its work resonates with legal and cultural developments involving the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation and public policy debates before the Hawaiʻi State Legislature and federal forums connected to indigenous language funding from agencies like the U.S. Department of Education. The program's publications, curricula, and community partnerships have contributed to language normalization efforts visible in media outlets such as Hawaii Public Radio, cultural festivals like Merrie Monarch Festival, and collaborative projects with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs museums and education initiatives. Comparative scholarly exchange has linked the school's efforts to indigenous revitalization projects including Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and the National Museum of the American Indian.

Notable Faculty and Alumni

Faculty and affiliates have included scholars trained at institutions such as University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, and the University of British Columbia, and have collaborated with cultural leaders associated with Kamehameha Schools, the Hawaiian Language Commission, and the Queen Liliʻuokalani Trust. Alumni have gone on to roles in the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education immersion programs, positions with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, ʻohana cultural enterprises, and academic appointments at universities including Hawaiʻi Pacific University and Brigham Young University–Hawaii. Visiting scholars and partners have included recipients of fellowships from the Fulbright Program, grants from the National Science Foundation, and awardees of recognitions such as the MacArthur Fellows Program and Guggenheim Fellowship who have contributed to Hawaiian language scholarship and pedagogy.

Category:University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Category:Indigenous language revitalization