As Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language Month) comes to a close, our ‘ohana's celebrations are far from over – and they are extending beyond our aircraft and workplace. On Saturday, members of Team Kōkua, our employee volunteer group, helped mālama the ʻāina (care for the land) at Ke Kula ʻo Samuel M. Kamakau Laboratory Public Charter School.

I ka moe ʻana aku o ko kākou Mahina ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, ʻaʻole naʻe e pau ko kākou hoʻolauleʻa ʻana i ka nani o ka ʻōlelo – a ke puka aku nei ma waho o nā palena o ko mākou kahua hana a me nā mokulele kekahi. Ma ka Pōʻaono i hala, ua huli nā lima o Team Kōkua, ko mākou hui hana kaiāulu, i lalo e mālama ʻāina ai i Ke Kula ʻo Samuel M. Kamakau Laboratory Public Charter School.

Several Team Kōkua volunteers gathered beneath the Koʻolau Mountains at Ke Kula ʻo Samuel M. Kamakau Laboratory Public Charter School.

“The language of our elders flourishes through engaging with one another, through breaking bread together and through eating traditional foods that bring energy to the body and spirit. Mahalo to Hawaiian Airlines for giving us occasion to rejuvenate the land. We say this with great aloha, joyful spirits, and thanks," said Kamehaʻililani Waiau, principal of Ke Kula ʻo Samuel M. Kamakau Laboratory Public Charter School.

“E ola a ōhāhā mai ka ʻōlelo kūpuna ma o ka launa, ka pū paʻakai, ka hoʻāʻo ma nā ʻano a pau a me ka ʻai kuʻuna e hōʻikehu ai ke kino a me ka naʻau. Mahalo e ka Hui Mokulele ʻo Hawaiian ka hoʻoulu ʻana i ko mākou ʻiʻini e hoʻi hou i ka māla e kahukahu ai i ka honua kula e ola, e ulu, e wehi. Me ke aloha Kamakau a me ka naʻau piha hauʻoli mākou e hāpai ai ko mākou leo mahalo.” – Kamehaʻililani Waiau, Ke Kula ʻo Samuel M. Kamakau Laboratory Public Charter School.

Ke Kula ʻo Samuel M. Kamakau Laboratory Public Charter School staff welcoming Team Kōkua with an oli (chant).

The 10-acre campus is nestled at the base of the humbling Koʻolau Mountain Range on Oʻahu’s Windward (eastern) side. There, hundreds of local young minds are molded through Hawaiian language and culture curricula. The immersion school is celebrated for weaving traditional and contemporary teaching to instill in children a strong cultural identity and sense of place. Students have become stewards of the language, in a sense, learning from innovative digital resources created by the school’s faculty and partners for language learning, including manomano, an online Hawaiian dictionary, and Lehulehu, a ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi puzzle app modeled after the popular game Words with Friends.

Aia ke noho hanohano maila ua kula nei i mua o ke alo o ʻIolekaʻa a me Keahiakahoe i Koʻolaupoko, Oʻahu ma luna o ka ʻāina he 10 mau ʻeka. Aia ma laila he haneli a ʻoi mau haumāna e aʻo nei ma o ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi i nā mea Hawaiʻi. ʻO ka waiwai o ia ʻōnaehana aʻo, ʻo ia hoʻi ka wili pū ʻia ʻana o nā mea o ke au nei a me ko ke au i hala i paʻa mai ai ke kahua o nā haumāna. A i mea hoʻi e hoʻokuluma ʻia ai ka ʻōlelo, ua haku ko ke kula i mau ʻenehana hou no ka poʻe haumāna a me ke kaiāulu, e laʻa me manomano, he puke wehewehe pūnaewele, a me Lehulehu, he pāʻani i ʻano like me ka pāʻani ʻo Words with Friends.

Team Kōkua helped clear overgrowth in the school's māla (garden) to make way for native plants.

"Ke Kula ʻo Samuel M. Kamakau rises above the call of duty to its students, and views it as their kuleana (responsibility) to serve the community through innovation both in and out of the classroom,” said Debbie Nakanelua-Richards, director of community and cultural relations at Hawaiian Airlines. “From creating digital Hawaiian language resources to publishing books for their students, the school’s work for ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi is only the surface of what they do. They continue to teach how others can apply native Hawaiian thinking and a sense of place for those who call Hawaiʻi home."

“Kūlia ko Ke Kula ʻo Samuel M. Kamakau i ka nuʻu no ka pono o ko lākou poʻe haumāna, a i ka manawa hoʻokahi lākou e mālama aku nei i ko lākou kuleana i ke kaiāulu ma o ka noke mau i ka haku mea hou ʻana i loko, a i waho hoʻi o ka lumi papa,” wahi a Debbie Nakanelua-Richards, kuhina o ke keʻena kaiāulu a me ke kuʻuna ma ka Hui Mokulele ʻo Hawaiian. “Mai ka haku ʻana i mau ʻenehana ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, a hiki i ka pāniki ʻana aku i nā puke no ka poʻe haumāna, ʻo ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi kekahi hakina wale nō o kā lākou hana e lawelawe nei. Oi noke mau lākou i ke aʻo aku i nā kānaka like ʻole e pili ana i ke kuanaʻike Hawaiʻi a me ke aloha ʻāina no ko kākou home.”

A Team Kōkua volunteer learning about the plants that will make up the school's māla.

Twelve Hawaiian Airlines volunteers, including two fluent ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi speakers, pulled weeds from the school’s gardens and helped plant native trees and medicinal shrubs, such as naʻu (gardenia), aʻaliʻi and ti. Throughout the day, they were also encouraged to use basic ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi phrases, like “Naʻu e hana (I will do it)" and “He aha kēia/kēla (What is this/that?)", taught in our Ke Kumu: Papa ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (The Source: Hawaiian Language Class), a free, virtual learning opportunity offered to all employees and retirees.

Ua komo he 12 mau mea hana kaiāulu (aia hoʻi 2 mau kānaka i wali ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi iā lāua) mai loko mai o ka Hui Mokulele ʻo Hawaiian i ka waele nāhelehele i nā māla o ke kula, a me ke kanu ʻana i nā lāʻau lapaʻau. ʻO ka nāʻū, ʻo ka ʻaʻaliʻi, me ka lāʻī kekahi o nā mea kanu i kanu ʻia ma laila. No ka lā holoʻokoʻa, paipai ʻia nā limahana e hoʻohana i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi e laʻa me “Naʻu e hana” a me, “He aha kēlā?” e like ma ka mea i aʻo ʻia ma Ke Kumu: Papa ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, he papa ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi pūnaewele hoʻi i hoʻolako ʻia no nā limahana a me nā mea līkaia o ka Hui Mokulele ʻo Hawaiian.

Volunteers planted young ti plants, a symbol of good fortune in Hawaiian culture, in the heart of the school's campus.

"It was a dream come true to see Team Kōkua and Ke Kula ʻo Samuel M. Kamakau’s ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi warriors working so closely together,” said Mathew “Manakō” Tanaka, senior specialist of cultural and community relations, who attended the volunteer event and taught the recent Ke Kumu class. “To be in the presence of those who have dedicated their lives to the preservation of the language was humbling, and to see my friends participating in the cause while clearing overgrowth made me even more proud to be a part of Hawaiian Airlines.” 

“Me he kō ʻana ia o ka moemoeā i ka ʻike ʻana i ko Team Kōkua me ko Ke Kula ʻo Samuel M. Kamakau mau koa ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi e pūpūkahi ana i ka holomua,” wahi a Mathew “Manakō” Tanaka, laekahi keʻena kaiāulu a kuʻuna, he mea hana kaiāulu hoʻi nāna i aʻo i nā papa Ke Kumu. “Haʻahaʻa i ka nohona i ke alo o nā kānaka na lākou e kiaʻi nei i ko kākou ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, a i ke ʻike ʻana i nā hoa hana e komo piha ʻana i ka hana, hū aʻela ka haʻaheo no kaʻu ʻoihana ma ka Hui Mokulele ʻo Hawaiian.”

Jamie Pirkl was among several volunteers learning and encouraged to use ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi when offering to complete a job.

"I’m not a native ʻōlelo Hawai’i speaker, so it was very humbling and such an enriching experience for me to be so immersed in it,” said Jamie Pirkl, systems lead for revenue management systems and Team Kōkua volunteer. “This volunteer event has inspired me to take my learnings of ʻōlelo hawai’i further, and helped give me the courage to just ‘a’a i ka ‘ōlelo! (try speaking!) It is our responsibility as kama’āina (residents) that we at least try to learn the language and culture of where we live.”

“ʻAʻole au i mākaukau loa ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, no laila ua haʻahaʻa a kūpaianaha hoʻi au i ke komo piha ʻana i ka ʻōlelo,” wahi a Jamie Pirkl, he alakaʻi mālama kālā loaʻa a mea hana kaiāulu no Team Kōkua. “Ua komo ihola ka ʻiʻini i loko oʻu e hoʻonui aʻe i ke aʻo ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ʻana ma muli o kēia hana kaiāulu ʻana, a mākaukau ihola i ka ʻaʻa wale ʻana i ka ʻōlelo! ʻO ko kākou kamaʻāina kuleana ia ʻo ka huli i ka ʻōlelo a me nā loina o ko kākou ʻāina e noho nei.”

Manaʻo readers can support Ke Kula ʻo Samuel M. Kamakau Laboratory Public Charter School’s efforts by purchasing any item from the Keola Rapozo x Hawaiian Airlines Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i Collection, available on our airline’s online logo store.

In navigating his creative brainstorms, local designer Keola Nakaʻahiki Rapozo says tapping into a Hawaiian mindset is like following a compass. For Rapozo, the co-founder of Hawaiʻi brand FITTED, thinking Hawaiian means reconnecting to a mainframe rooted in culture, language and perspective. In looking through this lens, Rapozo envisioned the word ōhāhā, the focus of his latest collaboration with our airline in celebrating Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language Month). 

Ōhāhā, meaning flourishing, fully developed and healthy, stemmed from Rapozo’s commitment to designing with a sense of place and perpetuating ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi – starting inside his home. A native Hawaiian raised in a predominantly blue-collar community on Oʻahu, Rapozo didn’t grow up with the language.

Rapozo pictured in our Honolulu headquarters with select items from our Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi collection.

“I was very much immersed in Hawaiian culture growing up, but back then [in the 1980s and 90s] things were different,” Rapozo said. “We weren’t encouraged to learn ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, but cultural practices, like dancing hula, farming and working with kalo (taro) were very apparent. At that time, nobody was teaching ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. For someone to speak back then, at least in my experience, was rare.” 

Years later, Rapozo marveled at the reintroduction of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi in public schools (done at the helm of the Hawaiian revitalization movement). “I thought it was brilliant that the native Hawaiian community was establishing all-Hawaiian speaking schools," he said. "I knew that if I ever had a child, I was going to commit to teaching them the language.”

Rapozo with his ʻohana holding a kalo (taro) plant pulled from their māla (garden).

Today, Rapozo and his wife have two daughters, ages 3 and 9, who attend Ke Kula Kaiapuni ʻO Ānuenue, a K-12 Hawaiian language immersion public school. But for him, language is just the start. “I want my children at some point to be able to think Hawaiian, which is a different thing than speaking Hawaiian,” he said. “If I can get my daughters to learn how to look at things through a Hawaiian lens first, I think that will be incredibly beneficial in any aspect of their lives.”

Have time to learn a new moʻolelo (story)? Keola Rapozo shared one of his favorites that inspires his work every day and highlights how one can think Hawaiian.

“Ōhāhā is a Hawaiian word that describes being full, and my interpretation of it is, ‘How do I apply ōhāhā, fullness, to my own life?’ I want to give my daughters confidence, set them up for success and use culture and language to understand the world," he said. "There’s a Hawaiian proverb that says, ‘I ka 'ōlelo nō ke ola, i ka 'ōlelo nō ka make,’ or ‘In language there’s life, and in language there’s death.’ Words are powerful, and we can choose how to use our language. For me, I’m using my language and layering it with my interpretation of ōhāhā to build kiʻi (imagery); to share moʻolelo (stories) through kiʻi; to leave this space better for my daughters and the next person.”

Photo credit: Mark Kushimi

Rapozo at his work studio in Honolulu where he conceptualizes his cultural and island-inspired designs.

This is not our first collaboration with Rapozo, who is best known for spearheading streetwear fashion of headwear and apparel inspired by Honolulu’s urban scene. In 2011, we tapped Rapozo to create Hawaiian patterns and branding during a major renovation of our corporate headquarters. In 2015, he partnered with POW! WOW! Hawaiʻi in the painting of murals that adorned our Honolulu ground service vehicles.

“This [Hawaiian's corporate headquarters] is a very endearing place for me,” Rapozo shared. “Working on the initial project with Hawaiian Airlines opened up a beautiful, long-lasting relationship between our companies. It’s been fruitful for me and for FITTED, which opened up our portfolio of client work. I’ve learned a lot through this partnership. I’ve been fortunate to consult on Hawaiian’s uniform projects, cabin designs, service truck projects, branding, etc., and always felt that Hawaiian valued my perspective.”

The Keola Rapozo x Hawaiian Airlines Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i Collection is available at our airline’s online logo store. Proceeds from the collection will go to Ke Kula ʻo Samuel M. Kamakau Laboratory Public Charter School, a language immersion school on Oʻahu’s windward (eastern) side that teaches and shares ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi through traditional and contemporary methods. Sales will also benefit the school's innovation projects, including manomano, an online Hawaiian dictionary, and the creation of Lehulehu, a ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi puzzle app modeled after the popular game Words with Friends.

Thumbnail photo credit: Mark Kushimi

Since childhood, ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) has served as a guiding compass for ʻIwalani Kūaliʻi Kahoʻohanohano, senior specialist of internal communications at Hawaiian Airlines. Raised in Hilo on the Island of Hawaiʻi, Kahoʻohanohano grew up surrounded by ʻohana (family), hoaloha (friends), and kumu (teachers) in the native Hawaiian community who gifted her a language that continues to shape her understanding of the world. 

Now 30 years old, Kahoʻohanohano is known as one of Hawaiian Airlines’ core storytellers, with ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and Hawaiian culture as her work pillars. For several years, she has produced digital and editorial content highlighting our employees’ dedication to welcoming our guests, sharing warm and authentic Hawaiian experiences, and perpetuating company values, including lōkahi (unity), mālama (care), poʻokela (excellence), and hoʻokipa (hospitality). 

In continuing our celebration of mahina ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi on Manaʻo, we sat down with Kahoʻohanohano to learn about her approach to sharing ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi with others. To read more blog stories in the series or about past ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi initiatives at Hawaiian Airlines, click here. 

Manaʻo readers can also visit our Instagram channel and participate in our weekly social media sweepstakes, which encourage followers to learn ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi from employee-created videos for a chance to win a prize.

Meet ʻIwalani Kūaliʻi Kahoʻohanohano

Can you share the moʻōlelo (story) about your experience with ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi?

Ma koʻu wā kamaliʻi i komo ai māua ʻo koʻu makuahine i ke aukahi hoʻōla ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma o ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo a me ke Kula Kaiapuni ʻo Keaukaha. He limahana ʻo ia ma ia manawa a he haumana papa mālaaʻo au, a ʻoiai he mea nui ka pilina ʻohana i ke ola maoli o ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma waho o nā lumipapa a i waena o ke kaiāulu, ua aʻo like māua ʻo koʻu makuahine, a pēlā nō i aʻo ai koʻu kaikunāne iā ia i komo i ka Pūnana Leo o Hilo kekahi. E like me ka hapanui o nā ʻohana Hawaiʻi, ʻaʻole i ʻōlelo ʻia ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma koʻu ʻohana no ʻelua hanauna. Nui koʻu mahalo i koʻu makuahine no kona hoʻoholo ʻana e aʻo mākou i ko kākou ʻōlelo Makuahine o Hawaiʻi nei.

A photo of Kahoʻohanohano and her mother taken after a show-and-tell hula performance at her preschool.

My Hawaiian language journey started when I was in kindergarten. My mother enrolled me at Ke Kula Kaiapuni ʻo Keaukaha (a Hawaiian immersion school) when she became employed by the ʻAha Pūnana Leo, the entity spearheading the Hawaiian language revitalization movement. At the core of its vision of "e ola ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi – the Hawaiian language shall live," is a mission to incorporate family engagement into the education model to normalize the Hawaiian language beyond the classroom. I was fortunate to learn alongside my mother and later my brother, who attended Pūnana Leo o Hilo (a Hawaiian immersion preschool). Like most families in Hawaiʻi, mine didn't speak the Hawaiian language for two generations. My mother's commitment to revive a lost language is why we know the mother tongue of our Hawaiʻi, and for that, I am super appreciative.

How has the language resonated with you growing up, and how does it continue to influence your life?

ʻO ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi kekahi ʻano e Hawaiʻi ai ka Hawaiʻi. Ua pōmaikaʻi au i ka hiki ke aʻo i ka ʻōlelo o koʻu mau kūpuna ʻoiai ma o ka ʻōlelo au i aʻo i koʻu kuleana – ʻo wai au, no hea mai au a me ke ʻano e hoʻihoʻi ai au i koʻu ʻohana, keu hoʻi ke aukahi a me nā kaiāulu e pili pū ana iaʻu. He mea ka ʻōlelo a me ia mau hiʻohiʻona a pau ona i kūikawā i ko Hawaiʻi nei a noʻu ponoʻī iho nō, he mea ia e alakaʻi ana iaʻu ma koʻu ola, ma nā hana a pau aʻu e hana ai. Ua hiki nō ke paʻa ia ʻike nei ma o nā ʻano like ʻole ʻē aʻe, eia naʻe, ʻo ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi koʻu kahua a ma muli o kēlā e paʻa ai au ma ke kuanaʻike, ka lawena, ka ʻike kuʻuna a me ka pili ʻuhane he Hawaiʻi. ʻO ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ka mea e hoʻopili ana iaʻu i nā pōʻaiapili a pau e pono ai au ma ke ʻano he kanaka.

Kahoʻohanohano drying freshly caught fish at her ʻohana's hale (house) in Hilo. Hawaiian food (catering, specifically) is her family's expertise, and the memories of returning to Hilo and helping her ʻohana cook is often enhanced by their dedication to sharing ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi in the home.

The Hawaiian language is one aspect of being Hawaiian. For me, it's my foundation that continues to provide an understanding of who I am, where I come from, and how I will continue to give back to my family – both immediate and extended, especially my Hawaiian language speaking ʻohana. The Hawaiian language and the qualities embedded in it are unique to Hawaiʻi and a compass that continues to guide me on my path in life. The Hawaiian language continues to connect me to people and places that help to keep me on track. Many people connect to Hawaiʻi and their kuleana (responsibility and privilege) in many different ways. I'm grateful that for me, it's my ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and its metaphysics that are unique to Hawaiʻi.

How do you share the language with others?

He ʻelele au o ke aukahi hoʻōla ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. Ma koʻu puka ʻana mai Ke Kula ʻO Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu aku, ua komo au i ke Kulanui o Hawaiʻi ma Mānoa a ma waho o nā papa ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ua pōmaikaʻi pū au i ka hana ma ʻĀhaʻi ʻŌlelo Ola, ʻŌiwi TV a me Palikū Documentary Films, he mau papahana hoʻi e hoʻōla ana i ka ʻōlelo, moʻomeheu a pilina kanaka ma o ka pāpaho. ʻAneʻane ʻumi makahiki o kaʻu hana ʻana me ia mau papahana nei a komo akula i ka hana ma ke Keʻena Kuleana Hoʻokipa o Hawaiʻi. Ma ia puka ʻana oʻu mai ka pūnana ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi aku i ʻike maoli ai au i ke ʻano e alakaʻi pū ana ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi a me nā hua a pau a ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo i nā honua a pau ʻē aʻe o Hawaiʻi a komo nui ka haʻaheo i loko oʻu a me ka ʻiʻini e kākoʻo e like me ka mea hiki ma nā pōʻaiapili a pau e pili ana iaʻu. Ke nui hou aku nā lālā o ia kumu nui e hoʻākea ana i ka lehulehu, a laila e ola maoli ana ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi iā kākou.

Kahoʻohanohano takes pride in her work at Hawaiian Airlines. You can often catch her behind the scenes producing, directing and thinking of ways to authentically capture stories depicting our airline's values.

I am just one part of the larger revitalization movement, so everything I do reflects the greater whole. When I graduated from Ke Kula ʻO Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu (a Hawaiian immersion school) and attended the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, I worked at ʻĀhaʻi ʻŌlelo Ola (our first broadcast news conducted entirely in the Hawaiian language), ʻŌiwi TV, and Palikū Documentary Films. Together, these entities were an extension of the language revitalization movement, as they were normalizing ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian culture, and community relations in media. After working there for nearly 10 years, I applied to work at the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority. This move outside of the language nest was difficult for me because I felt like I was leaving my family. However, I soon realized that other entities in our community also use ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi as a guide, like I do, in their work. I've since gained a new sense of pride in my language and the Hawaiian language community because of how it continues to impact others. In turn, I've gained a genuine desire to assist those who seek the same connection that I was privileged to have through the Hawaiian language in all areas of my life. As this connection continues to extend into our communities, only then will our Hawaiian language become normalized, and that is how I am contributing to my ʻohana and its Hawaiian language movement.

How do you integrate Hawaiian language into your work at Hawaiian Airlines, and how has your dedication to the language shaped how you approach your job?

ʻOiai au ma ke keʻena hoʻokaʻaʻike ma ka Hui Mokulele ʻo Hawaiian ʻo ka hoʻokaʻaʻike, hokona, mālama pilina kanaka a hoʻopuka pāpaho kaʻu hana. Ma o ia mau kiʻina hana e pā ai a ʻume ʻia ai nō paha ka lehulehu ākea i ka hāpai i ka ʻōlelo ma kekahi ʻano. Pono e ʻike ko ka lehulehu i ke ʻano e pili ai ka ʻōlelo iā lākou, ka waiwai o ka ʻōlelo i ka nohona kanaka o ko Hawaiʻi. Nui koʻu mahalo i ka Hui Mokulele ʻo Hawaiian no ke kākoʻo ʻana i ke ola o ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi a me ka moʻomeheu a nohona Hawaiʻi i loko o kā kākou hana a me ke ʻano a kākou e lawelawe ai i kēia kuleana o kākou – he ʻelele hoʻi o Hawaiʻi a puni.

Kahoʻohanohano interviewing Ryan Roback, a manager at Hawaiian's System Operations Control Center and fellow ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi speaker, during the production of a mahina ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi video series, which is available for viewing on our Instagram (@HawaiianAirlines).

My role at Hawaiian Airlines extends to communications, marketing, public relations, and media. Through these channels, we have the opportunity to have an impact on the broader community and potentially entice more Hawaiian language champions. For the Hawaiian language to grow, people need to see how the Hawaiian language applies to their lives and the life we live in Hawaiʻi. I appreciate the commitment that Hawaiian Airlines has in providing more opportunities for these connections to flourish onboard and among our ʻohana at Hawaiian Airlines as a company that represents Hawaiʻi.

What is your hope for the future of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi at Hawaiian Airlines?

Lana koʻu manaʻo e ʻike ka poʻe limahana a ʻōhua i ke ʻano e hoʻopili ai ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi iā lākou i ka ʻāina, ko kākou home hoʻi, a me kona poʻe i mea e hoʻolana (hou) ai ko kākou kuleana i ia mau mea. ʻO kekahi haʻawina nui aʻu i aʻo ai ma o ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, ʻo ia ka wā e alakaʻi ai a me ke ʻano e hahai ai kekahi. Ma nā ʻano pōʻaiapili like ʻole o ke ola, aia nō ka holomua i ke ʻano e komo ai kākou i ka hana. Hiki ke hoʻopuka wale i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi a ola ka ʻōlelo, eia naʻe, ola maoli ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi i ke ʻano o ka noʻonoʻo o ke kanaka a me kāna hana e hoʻōla ana i ia mau ʻōlelo, he Hawaiʻi.

Kahoʻohanohano pictured with Mālia Kruger, one of the Hawaiian language-certified flight attendants who crewed four surprise ʻōlelo Hawai‘i flights between Honolulu and Kona on Feb. 1.

One of the lessons the Hawaiian language has taught me is understanding when to lead and how to follow. Success is an outcome of how we put in the work. As an example, we can speak the Hawaiian language and it'll live on. However, I believe it’s when we have intention behind the words we speak and carry it out through our actions, that only then will the Hawaiian language truly thrive. My hope then is that we, those within our company and those we serve, find a deeper connection to our homeland and its people through the Hawaiian language and through this connection to place and community, that we continue to strive to fulfill our kuleana as stewards.

What would you recommend for anyone beginning to explore ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi?

‘Oiai he haumana puka au mai ke kula kaiapuni ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi a he hua au o ke aukahi hoʻōla ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, ua pōmaikaʻi au i ka ʻike a lohe pinepine i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. Ua pōmaikaʻi pū au i ke kākoʻo o koʻu ʻohana a me koʻu kaiāulu. ʻOiai ua nui hou aku nā ʻohana ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi i kēia lā, ua ulu ka nui o ke kākoʻo i waena o ke kaiāulu kekahi, keu hoʻi nā kumuwaiwai. Paipai au i ka poʻe e makemake ana e aʻo a me nā kānaka ʻakahi nō a hoʻomaka i ke aʻo e hoʻomau. E hoʻohana i nā huaʻōlelo a māmalaʻōlelo i paʻa mua iā ʻoe a laila e hoʻopili i kou ola. Mau nō koʻu ʻano he haumana ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi a nui koʻu mahalo i ke ola maoli o ka ʻōlelo, keu hoʻi ma o nā waha o ka lehulehu ākea. Eia kekahi mau kumuwaiwai aʻu e hoʻohana ana a i kēia lā: ʻŌiwi TV (He hāmeʻe au ma kēia pūkaʻina ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi a he lauoho ʻōmilomilo koʻu) a me Niuolahiki na ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo. E ʻimi i ke kumu o kou aʻo ʻana a pēlā nō e kūpaʻa ai ma kou aʻo ʻana. Noʻu, he kuleana ia a he mea ia e kūpaʻa ai au ma koʻu kahua he Hawaiʻi ma Hawaiʻi a puni ka honua.

Kahoʻohanohano returns to Hilo to visit her ʻohana, including her Papa, as often as she can. To her, ʻohana, work and community are the biggest support systems that fuel her passion for the language and culture.

As a graduate of the Hawaiian language immersion program and larger Hawaiian language revitalization movement, I was fortunate to have been surrounded with ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. I also know first-hand how important it is to have a support system. For me that was my community and my mom and brother at home. The number of Hawaiian language-speaking families has since grown and therefore, so has this community support. Resources are more accessible, and I encourage all who want to learn or are learning, to move forward. Start with using what you know and apply what you learn to your life. I’m still learning myself and love watching the Hawaiian language and people speaking it grow. Here are some of the resources I still use today: ʻŌiwi TV (yes, that is me in a Hawaiian language learning series with curly hair) and Niuolahiki via ʻAha Pūnana Leo. Just remember your 'why' and it’ll keep you on track. The Hawaiian language for me offers a worldview unique to my Hawaiʻi that keeps me grounded anywhere in the world and reminds me of my kuleana as a change agent.

Employees across our airline are joining hands this February to perpetuate mahina ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language month). This year, through their collective actions, from organizing surprise ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi flights to partnering with native Hawaiian designer Keola Nakaʻahiki Rapozo, we are proud to share Hawaiian language and culture with our guests and the communities we serve.

Mathew 'Manakō' Tanaka, senior specialist of community and cultural relations at Hawaiian Airlines, shared his pride for his colleagues: "Pōmaikaʻi ka Hui Mokulele ʻo Hawaiian i ke koho ʻana o nā kānaka makeʻe ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi iā kākou ʻo ia ko lākou wahi e lawelawe ai i ka hana. Lei pāpahi kākou i ko lākou kuanaʻike Hawaiʻi. He kōkua pū ia i ke kākoʻo ʻana i nā limahana ʻē aʻe i hoihoi e hoʻomau i ko lākou ʻonipaʻa ʻana i ka ʻimi naʻauao ma nā mea Hawaiʻi." (“We are fortunate at Hawaiian Airlines that those with a passion for Hawaiian language have chosen us as their place of work. Their world view contributes to a diverse lei with which our company adorns itself. They are also an invaluable resource for those employees who are steadfast in their quest for knowledge about Hawaiian things.")

Tanaka pictured holding the ʻōlelo Hawai‘i interaction card that was passed out to guests on four surprise ʻōlelo Hawai‘i flights between Honolulu and Kona on Feb. 1. Guests were encouraged to use the card to request beverages in ʻōlelo Hawai’i from the Hawaiian language-certified flight attendants who crewed the flights.

This month on Manaʻo, we’re featuring moʻōlelo (stories) of employees who dedicate themselves to sharing ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi with others. Manaʻo readers can also join us in our celebration by visiting our Instagram channels and participating in our weekly social media sweepstakes, which encourage followers to learn ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi from employee-created videos and share a clip of themselves speaking the phrases for a chance to win a prize.

To read more stories about past ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi initiatives at Hawaiian Airlines featured on our blog, click here.

Boeing 717 Captain Marc Kealiʻiokalani Naval discovered his love for learning ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi at a young age, thanks to his tutu (grandmother).

“When I was younger, in the mid-to-late 80s, the state had this program where they hired kūpuna [elders] throughout the community to go to into schools and teach Hawaiian songs, dance and the language to elementary students. They [the state] didn’t have dedicated ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi speakers back then, so they hired them to go out and share their mana’o [knowledge] with the children,” Naval said. “They hired my tutu, and she had this little filing box at home where she kept her handouts for her students. One of them was a map of each island divided into ahupuaʻa [traditional subdivisions] that the keiki had to color. My school had a different kūpuna assigned to work with us, but when I would come home, we would go through those handouts together, and she would teach me.”

Naval pictured at his home in Windward Oʻahu.

Naval, now 42 years old, was born and raised on Oʻahu and is part Hawaiian. Throughout elementary and middle school, Naval spoke ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi casually, using commonly used words and phrases that he learned from his ʻohana (family). His formal education on ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi began at the age of fourteen when he started attending Kamehameha Schools, a private, statewide school system established by the will of the late Hawaiian princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop to improve the well-being of Hawaiians.

“When I was in ninth grade at Kamehameha, I had to fulfill language requirements. I wanted to take Japanese because tourism from Asia was growing so fast, and I thought it would be cool to speak with Japanese tourists. But my mother said, ‘No, you need to learn your language and culture.’ I was only required to take two years of language courses, but I ended up taking three years and spent another year learning hula,” Naval recalled.

At the same time, Naval, a first-generation pilot, was fostering a passion for flight, which started in the passenger seat of glider flights over Oʻahu’s North Shore. After graduating from Kamehameha, he attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona, where he and his wife, an aerospace engineer and part Hawaiian as well, met in the school’s Hawaiʻi club. Naval went on to become a pilot at a regional carrier in Texas, but when a family emergency called he and his wife back to Hawaiʻi, they’d make their long-awaited return to the Islands for good. Soon after, they were both hired at Hawaiian Airlines.

Naval pictured in a cockpit with his wife, Maria, a senior engineer at Hawaiian Airlines. (Editor's note: This photo was taken prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.)

“There was a good amount of people at Embry-Riddle who were from Hawaiʻi, and almost everyone from Hawaiʻi who attended Embry-Riddle wanted to work for Hawaiian Airlines,” he said. “Working at Hawaiian Airlines is like hitting the jackpot, because Hawaiʻi was our home and home is where we all wanted to be. When I moved back to Oʻahu with my wife in 2012, we both ended up getting jobs at Hawaiian. I joined as a first officer on the Boeing 767, which I flew for about six years.”

After flying transpacific routes on the Boeing 767, a fleet our airline retired in January 2019, Naval’s interest in Japanese language was renewed. “Japan was my favorite route to fly, so I wanted to learn Japanese again. I enrolled at Windward Community College and applied for Japanese classes. About a week before my lessons started, I got an email saying that the class had gotten canceled,” he said. “I had already gone through all of the paperwork and the long process of signing up. So, instead of wasting that time, I asked what other language classes were available. There ended up being an ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi class and so I enrolled. They were night classes, twice a week, and taught by kumu [teachers] who were native speakers. I took classes there for two years.”

Naval continued his education with a year of advanced courses at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge. Though, upon receiving a captain’s promotion on the Boeing 717, the aircraft that serves our Neighbor Island network, he hung his student hat to focus on his career.

Reflecting on his experience, Naval is grateful for having learned from several prominent ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi speakers, including Kumu Fred “Kalani” Meinecke, Kumu Kahikina de Silva, Dr. R. Keawe Lopes, and Kumu Tuti Kanahele Sanborn of Niʻihau, an island southwest of Kaua‘i where a dialect of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi is the primary language spoken by residents.

He brings his passion for the language and culture to the flight deck each day. For example, if you hear your cabin announcements made in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, it just may be Naval in the captain’s seat.

Naval pictured with his daughter Miabella on the tarmac at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (Editor's note: This photo was taken prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.)

“In my Hawaiian 301 class, I wrote my captain’s announcement in English and worked with one of my kumu to translate it,” Naval said. “I say it occasionally after people have boarded the aircraft. I do the same when asking the flight attendants to be seated. I am not fluent, but I try to speak in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi when I can. I believe that being able to speak the language is what sets me apart from other captains.”

Also, if Naval finds out that there is a ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi speaker onboard or a child learning to speak it, he’ll go the extra mile to make sure he greets them. “When I meet little kids (in the cabin or the airport) who are learning to speak the language, I hope that they get excited and think, ‘Hey, this guy is a captain, and he can speak ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi?!’” he said. “And I also hope other speakers can see that I am trying.”

Naval’s next goal is to take more classes and help his daughter learn the language. “I want ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi to become more normal and for people to want to learn,” he said. "It’s our culture, our people, and something we are proud of.”

Naval and his ʻohana. (Editor's note: The photo was taken prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.)

Want to start your journey with ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi? Naval recommends Manaʻo readers begin with this challenge: “Try to say the names of Hawaiʻi destinations correctly. I used to say them wrong often, but after taking my classes, I am more vigilant about saying Honolulu, Kahului, Līhuʻe, etc. correctly.”

[Editor’s note: We recommend using this helpful pronunciation guide.]