The Hawaiian Language Competition, themed \u201cMa Hope M\u0101kou o Lili\u02bbulani\u201d, will feature students and residents of Hawai\u02bbi Island giving speeches in Hawaiian language based in the time of Queen Lili\u02bbuokalani.\u00a0 Students will be \u201ctasked\u201d with taking the 38,000 signatures gathered in 1897 by Hawaiian patriots, such as James Kaulia, David Kalauokalani, Abigail Campbell and Emma N\u0101wah\u012b, and deliver them to the United States Government and present their own testimony as to why Queen Lili\u02bbuokalani should be restored to the throne.\u00a0 Students will also present memorized speeches of Kamehameha as well as the aforementioned Kaulia and Queen Lili\u02bbuokalani.\u00a0 The competition will also feature a singing portion where students will sing songs either composed by or for Queen Lili\u02bbuokalani or a song that honors her, as well as a chant and dance portion where they will present an oli and hula of their land.<\/p>\n
Prior to 1822, Hawaiian language was only an oral language, having no form or system of writing and reading.\u00a0 Traditions and information was stored in memory and passed down from generation to generation, through stories, songs and chants.\u00a0 In 1822, however, a system of writing for Hawaiian language was created and by 1840, Hawai\u02bbi was nearly universally literate, with a literacy rate of 97%, making Hawai\u02bbi the most literate country in the world when it was recognized as a sovereign and independent country by France and Great Britain through the signing of the Anglo-Franco Proclamation on November 28, 1843 at the Court of London.\u00a0 Hawai\u02bbi had maintained this amazing and incredible literacy rate until not too long after the illegal overthrow of Queen Lili\u02bbuokalani in 1893.\u00a0 After the illegal and provisional government took over, they began to institute many forms of denationalization and Americanization of Hawaiians.\u00a0 One of the many settings that this took place in was the educational system.\u00a0 In 1896, the provisional government banned the use of Hawaiian language in all public schools and many, many students were punished, physically, for speaking Hawaiian in schools.\u00a0 This began the decline in literacy among Hawaiians as well as caused the Hawaiian language to nearly go extinct.<\/p>\n
In 1897, the provisional government attempted, again, to annex the Kingdom of Hawai\u02bbi to America, but President McKinley was unable to garner enough votes from the Senate to pass a Treaty of Annexation.\u00a0 This was in large part due to the 38,000 signatures gathered by the Hawaiian patriots listed above.\u00a0 It is important to note, too, though, that Queen Lili\u02bbuokalani wrote her own letter of protest to President McKinley in 1897 that has come to be termed the \u201cRed Ribbon Letter\u201d.\u00a0 Due to their inability to get enough votes for a treaty, in 1898 Congress passed a Joint Resolution, claiming to annex Hawai\u02bbi to America.\u00a0 A Joint Resolution, though, is merely a domestic law that holds no authority outside the boundaries of its governing territory and therefore has no ability to annex an independent and foreign country, meaning that to this day, Hawai\u02bbi remains an independent country under a prolonged and illegal military occupation by the United States of America.\u00a0 This year\u02bbs \u02bbAha Aloha \u02bb\u014clelo aims to bring awareness to this point in Hawaiian history and its ramifications that continue to be felt today.<\/p>\n
P\u016bnana Leo o Kona is the only Hawaiian Medium Education pre-school in Kona, Hawai\u02bbi.\u00a0 Established in 1994, P\u016bnana Leo o Kona just celebrated it\u02bbs 20th<\/sup> anniversary last year.\u00a0 P\u016bnana Leo o Kona is one of 11 preschools operated throughout five islands by \u02bbAha P\u016bnana Leo, a non-profit 501\u00a93 organization founded in 1982 to revitalize what was then a dying and nearly extinct language.\u00a0 In 1982, it was estimated that less than 50 people under the age of 18 were able to fluently speak Hawaiian.\u00a0 Today, the Hawaiian language continues to grow and expand as \u02bbAPL has graduated 4,255 families since 1984 including 237 in Kona since 1994.\u00a0 Today there is an estimated 8,000 fluent Hawaiian language speakers.<\/p>\n E OLA KA \u02bb\u014cLELO HAWAI\u02bbI!<\/p>\n ###<\/p>\n For more information, contact: Keauhou, Kona Kai \u02bb\u014cpua, Hawai\u02bbi For Immediate Release March 11, 2014 P\u016aNANA LEO O KONA HOSTS IT\u02bbS SECOND ANNUAL HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE COMPETITION AND CONCERT Free Event celebrates and honors Hawaiian language and Queen Lili\u02bbuokalani P\u016bnana Leo o Kona, a Hawaiian … Continue reading
\nP\u016bnana Leo o Kona
\ntel:1-808-936-4249
\nmailto:kahookahi@ahapunanaleo.org
\nFacebook: \u02bbAha Aloha \u02bb\u014clelo
\nTwitter: @alohaolelo<\/p>\n![\"Aha-Aloha-Olelo-11x17\"](\"https:\/\/hawaiiankingdom.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Aha-Aloha-Olelo-11x17-453x700.jpg\")
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