Did you know that in…
The first printing of the Hawaiian language occurs with eight
pages of a spelling book. The writing system is similar to that already
used by missionaries in Tahiti.
Get more interesting facts from our historical timeline.
History & Timeline
Incorporated in January 1983, the ‘Aha Pūnana Leo (‘APL) was born out of a dream that the Hawaiian language, then on the brink of extinction, might survive for future generations. At that time, the community of fluent speakers had dwindled to a few elders and a tiny geographically isolated population on the island of Ni‘ihau. Hawaiian language speaking children under the age of 18 numbered less than fifty. The demise of Hawaiian language was imminent.
A group of teachers of Hawaiian met to discuss the Hawaiian language and strategies for perpetuating the language. Isolated foreign language-style high school and university classes were proving ineffective in producing a new generation of fluent speakers. Hopes of having elders teach short weekly classes in elementary schools never came to reality. The founders of the ‘Aha Pūnana Leo knew from speaking with elders that raising children in an environment where Hawaiian was the ordinary language of interaction was central to survival of the language. The key would be to establish schools for Hawaiian speaking children, and base them on the Hawaiian Medium Education schools that existed during the Monarchical Period. They would focus their efforts and nurture a generation of new young speakers that would once again be able to describe the world through the lens of their language and culture. These children would also master English and study other languages as well using methods that had proven effective in Europe.
The Pūnana Leo preschools, which is the foundation of the ‘APL, resulted from this gathering. The first of these preschools was established in Kekaha, Kaua‘i in August 1983. The following year, schools were established in Hilo, Hawai‘i and Honolulu, O‘ahu and continued to spread to other islands thereafter. Pūnana Leo means “nest of voices” and depicts the dominant learning method in these centers. These Pūnana Leo bring three- and four-year olds together in an environment where the students are “fed” solely their native language and culture much like the way young birds are cared for in their own nests. Although not articulated at the time, the group laid the foundation for the reemergence of a Hawaiian philosophy of education. This philosophy — to be called Ke Kumu Honua Mauli Ola — was later written and shared throughout Hawai‘i through educational guidelines produced by partners of the ‘Aha Pūnana Leo, namely the Native Hawaiian Education Council and Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikōlani College of Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo.
The ‘Aha Pūnana Leo has close ties to the New Zealand Māori Kōhanga Reo movement that began shortly before the ‘Aha Pūnana Leo inception. Among the founders of the Māori movement are colleagues of the teachers who established the ‘Aha Pūnana Leo. Indeed, the name Pūnana Leo, which is equivalent to the Māori term Kōhanga Reo, honors those connections and the inspiration provided by the Kōhanga Reo. The early Pūnana Leo preschools are the foundation of the ‘Aha Pūnana Leo language revitalization efforts. Driven by the needs of lead classes of the program, year by year, ‘APL has shaped the reestablishment of a complete preschool through doctoral-level system of education in the state of Hawai‘i taught entirely through Hawaiian.
Click here to view the historical timeline of ‘Aha Pūnana Leo.