County makes push toward more Hawaiian-language resources

As Maui County voters prepare to decide in November whether the county should operate as a bilingual government, the council is making moves toward offering more Hawaiian language resources.

On Aug. 5, the Maui County Council approved the appointment of a Hawaiian language communications specialist, which had been an initiative of this spring’s annual budget session. Kamehameha Schools Maui alumna Riann “Nalani” Fujihara started as the council’s Hawaiian language communications specialist on Aug. 8.

Since then, Fujihara, who graduated from UH-Manoa with a bachelor’s degree in Hawaiian Language, has been leading the Office of Council Services’ efforts to share legislative information with the public and will translate selected documents upon council members’ requests.

“It is invaluable to have advocates for ‘olelo Hawai‘i and mo‘omeheu Hawai‘i in spaces where people are making important decisions for our community,” Fujihara said in a news release Friday. “I’m grateful because this position opens the door to produce more public documents written in Hawaiian and create more Hawai‘i-centered learning environments within Maui County and elsewhere.”

Council Vice Chairwoman and Budget Chairwoman Keani Rawlins-Fernandez said she initiated the position in the Office of Council Services and a similar position in the executive branch’s Department of Management to ensure ‘olelo Hawai‘i — one of the state’s official languages — has a regular presence in local government. She said Maui County is the first county in the state to appoint a communications specialist whose routine responsibilities include Hawaiian translation of some official documents.

“So much of our culture will not be able to be practiced if the resources are not there — if the streams do not run, there will be no ‘o‘opu or hihiwai,” said Rawlins-Fernandez, who holds the Moloka‘i residency seat. “The muliwai will not have limu to teach the next generation how to properly identify, harvest, prepare and enjoy the limu that was once everywhere.”

‘Olelo Hawai‘i has been an official language of Hawai‘i since 1978, when the updated state constitution validated all public records that were or will be written in Hawaiian, according to the news release.

The council collaborated with Kumu Hula Cody Pueo Pata to issue their first press release in ‘olelo Hawai‘i on Aug. 11. The release by Council Member Tamara Paltin, titled “He halawai punaewele no na aloha ‘aina,” is available on the council’s website at mauicounty.us.

Depending on how Maui County voters cast their ballots in November, more county resources could also go toward Hawaiian language, culture and resources.

One of the proposed Maui County Charter amendments on the ballot will ask voters if the county should operate as a bilingual government and establish a Department of ‘Oiwi Resources that would oversee management of ‘oiwi (native) cultural resources, including the Hawaiian language, place names, historical and archival materials, cultural sites, iwi and burials, and the variety of natural resources used in cultural practices. For more information on the charter amendments, visit elections.hawaii.gov/voting/ 2022-ballot-amendment-ques tions/ or mauicounty.gov/char tercommission.

Rawlins-Fernandez said that there will be additional collaborative efforts, among Maui County government officials and others across state, to create a Hawaiian vocabulary for technical English terms on governmental affairs.

For more information, contact Rawlins-Fernandez’s office at (808) 270-7678 or the Office of Council Services at (808) 270-8008.