Thirteen Hawaiʻi students have achieved something never done before. Their projects in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi are now featured — without translation — in the Smithsonian Museum’s National History Day online showcase.
The projects were part of the Hawaiʻi History Day competition held earlier this year. Topics included racism against Asians, women’s right to vote, and this Kailua High School senior group performance entitled "Ke Kahua."
Made by Kilinahe Naluai, Pāhonu Coleman and Kaipo Akioka, "Ke Kahua" expresses their love for the Hawaiian language. Nine projects in total are part of the display, including two from Kamehameha Schools - Kapālama Campus and five from Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo in Hilo.
To learn more about how these students accomplished this achievement, The Conversation caught up with Aiko Yamashiro, executive director of the Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities, which runs Hawai‘i History Day.
The “In Language There is Life: I ka ‘ōlelo nō ke ola” collection will be featured on the Smithsonian Museum’s website through July. This interview aired on The Conversation on June 30, 2022. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
