Home » Articles on Demand » A Program Showcase: Punana Leo o Kawaiaha‘o, Hawai‘i, United States




A Program Showcase: Punana Leo o Kawaiaha‘o, Hawai‘i, United States

by Michael Kalinowski and Noelani Iokepa-Guerrero
November/December 2011
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Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/a-program-showcase-punana-leo-o-kawaiahao-hawaii-united-states/5020290/

“When our young children master their language, they master themselves. When they master themselves, they can achieve anything.”
Hawai‘i State of the State, 2011

Pūnana Leo o Kawaiaha‘o is the ninth of 11 Pūnana Leo preschools in Hawai‘i. Established in 1995, Pūnana Leo o Kawaiaha‘o is currently located on the Kawaiaha‘o Church grounds occupying the historic adobe schoolhouse building of Kawaiaha‘o. This historical site was home to one of the first schools west of the Rocky Mountains established in 1835 to teach English to Native Hawaiian children. Today at the Pūnana Leo o Kawaiaha‘o the building is once again used to educate Hawai‘i’s children, but now through Hawaiian language and culture. According to the ‘Aha Pūnana Leo website (www.ahapunanaleo.org/index.php?/resources/):

The indigenous people of Hawai‘i are commonly known as Hawaiians and the indigenous language of Hawai‘i is commonly known as Hawaiian. The other peoples of Hawai‘i are referred to as the people of Hawai‘i or Hawai‘i people. Those who are longtime residents, including Hawaiians, are also known as local people. Many Hawaiians and other local people are of mixed racial ancestry. There is a single Hawaiian language spoken throughout Hawai‘i. For centuries an oral tradition, Hawaiian has been a written language since the 1820s.

The Pūnana ...

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