Ne‘epapa I Ke Ō Mau Event
The ‘Aha Pūnana Leo established Ne‘epapa I Ke Ō Mau in 2003 on the anniversary of the 20th birthday of Hawaiian language revitalization through the ‘Aha Pūnana Leo. The money raised each year during the annual event is used for tuition subsidies for ‘Aha Pūnana Leo students and their families. It is a goal of ‘Aha Pūnana Leo that no student be denied an education in his or her mother tongue due to lack of income. It is also policy that Hawaiian immersion education is open to all keiki of Hawai‘i, regardless of ethnicity.
Ne‘epapa is an opportunity to recognize and thank individuals, entities, and organizations that have significantly contributed to the perpetuation of the Hawaiian language. Each year honorees are presented with the Kamākia Award. This award goes to a deserving individual who has significantly assisted in the usefulness and viability of Hawaiian as a living, spoken language; one who has helped insure that it can and will be used in daily life. This award, courtesy of the Robert Dye ‘ohana in memory of Tessa Gay Kamākia Magoon Dye, comes with an annual $1000 cash donation to the ‘Aha Pūnana Leo in honor of the awardee.
The ‘Aha Pūnana Leo is most grateful to Bob Dye and his family in instituting this award in honor or their beloved wife and mother. It bears her Hawaiian name, “Kamākia,” which translates as “tough as nails”. As our ‘Aha Pūnana Leo ‘ohana grows, we look forward to adding more names to this special list.