Hawai‘i lawmakers in Washington introduce measure celebrating Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i

Hawai‘i’s congressional delegation in Washington wants a month designated in celebration of the Hawaiian language.

U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono, both Hawai‘i Democrats, introduced a resolution designating February 2025 as Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i, or Hawaiian Language Month. The measure is backed by U.S. Reps. Ed Case and Jill Tokuda, also Hawai‘i Democrats, in the House of Representatives.

“This February, we celebrate Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i and the people, schools and programs that work every day to preserve the Hawaiian language and culture,” said Schatz, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. “The resurgence of the Hawaiian language not only serves as a model for Indigenous communities around the world, but also as an example of the strength and resilience of the Hawaiian community.”

Hirono said various laws, practices and prejudices led to many indigenous languages dying or nearly dying out despite them being an important part of the nation’s history and cultural fabric. The Hawaiian language, or ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i, was similarly almost made extinct.

Misguided policies banned it from being taught in schools and used in official governing documents.

Through perseverance, however, the Native Hawaiian community protected and revitalized the use of their indigenous language.

“But the language is still endangered and we must continue working to protect it,” said Hirono. “I am proud to join my colleagues in reintroducing this resolution to celebrate Mahina ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i, and I will keep advocating for the preservation of Native Hawaiian language and culture. E ola ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i.”

Schatz has authored several laws promoting Native languages, including the Native American Language Resource Center Act, which awarded a consortium led by the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo with $6.6 million to establish the first National Native American Language Resource Center.

The federal funding provides resources to foster collaboration and promote the use of Native American languages throughout the United States.

The Hawaiian Language Month resolution — Senate Resolution 83 — states that Hawaiian was once widely spoken by Native Hawaiians and non-Native Hawaiians throughout the Kingdom of Hawai‘i, which had one of the highest literacy rates in the world prior to the illegal overthrow in 1893 of the kingdom and establishment of the Republic of Hawai‘i.

The republic enacted a law in 1896 effectively banning school instruction in Hawaiian, leading to the near disappearance of the language by the 1980s, when fewer than 50 fluent speakers younger than 18 years old remained.

Native Hawaiians have led a grassroots revitalization of their indigenous language since the 1960s, launching several historic initiatives, including language immersion programs at all levels of edcuation throughout the state, the state of Hawai’i recognizing Hawaiian as an official language and the lifting of the 90-year ban on teaching Hawaiian in public and private schools.

“I am proud to join my colleagues from the Aloha State in introducing this resolution, which recognizes, promotes and celebrates ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi,” said Tokuda. “The Hawaiian language was once banned to near extinction, but after years of revitalization efforts, is now heard all over Hawaiʻi and reminds us daily about the culture in which we live. This resolution highlights the significance of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi to our state, and the need to fight for its continued respect so future generations can proudly learn and use their ancestral language.”

Case added that Hawaiian Language Month is not only a commemoration of the success story of the Hawaiian language, it is a recommitment to the continued effort that will always be required.

“Ōlelo Hawaiʻi is not just the language of the Kānaka Maoli, but an inseparable part of the living, breathing soul of our Hawai‘i,” he said. “We know from our own two-and-a-half century post-contact experience that the languages and cultures of our indigenous peoples around the world can and do disappear, that the fates of our indigenous peoples and of all of us who inhabit their ancestral homes are tied to the survival and prosperity of this heritage, and that it takes conscious, ongoing effort to ensure that survival.”

Resolution 83 says, if passed, the U.S. Senate “commits to preserving, protecting and promoting the use, practice and development of ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i in alignment with the Native American Languages Act and urges the people of the United States and interested groups to celebrate ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i Month with appropriate activities and programs to demonstrate support for ‘Olelo Hawai‘i.”

The measure was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee as of Feb. 19 and had not advanced.