HLC: Enhancing Visitor Industry Use of ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i

HAWAI‘I LANGUAGE CHAMPION : KELI’I WILSON

by Shiwani Johnson , Hawai‘i Language Roadmap Initiative Intern

Keli‘i Wilson, Director of Hawaiian Cultural Affairs, Hawai‘i Tourism Authority

When talking about language in Hawai‘i, most people are quick to mention the revitalization of the Hawaiian language. Depending on who you’re talking with, the topic of the resurgence of Hawaiian culture, as well as the politics that clings to its coattails, is often not far behind. It’s hard to talk about language as being mutually exclusive from culture, because it is not. Rather, by starting at language and moving to culture you walk the path of learning, eventually finding understanding. This is very much so the case for the Hawaiian language, where its loss led to loss of culture.

The Hawaiian language is special. But why? For starters, where else is this language found? Unlike, say, Japanese or Spanish, Hawaiian is not found all over the world, in communities large and small, supported by people that have established a home far away from the original source of the language. For the Hawaiian language, Hawai‘i is its home, its cultural base and the place where the language, the people and the ideas the language embodies, are one.

But, what does this mean? It simply means that the portrayal of Hawai‘i, its people and its language are paramount in the preservation of the culture. The portrayal or representation of Hawai‘i comes in different forms: It can be an advertisement in a magazine or the words of a song. It is the responsibility of the agencies that portray Hawai‘i, be it in advertising or through service, to understand how language and culture are presented to visitors to Hawai‘i and always to strive for authenticity.

Monitoring the presentation of Hawaiian language and culture by the visitor industry, and maintaining the authenticity of such uses, is more or less the job description of Keli‘ihoalani Wilson, the Director of Hawaiian Cultural Affairs at the Hawaiian Tourism Authority. Wilson tells me, during a phone interview, that she and her office work to make sure that the language and the people of Hawai‘i are being portrayed in a way that does the culture justice. Everything from the correct spelling of words to what visitors hear when they step off the plane has an effect on how people understand the Hawaiian culture.

Wilson is from the Hilo area, the rainy side of the Big Island, and Hawaiian is her first language. She spoke Hawaiian at home with her parents and brother, and spoke it at school from pre-school through high school, learning all of her subjects in Hawaiian. To this day, Hawaiian is the only language she speaks with her family. She began learning English in the 5th grade for an hour a day. Wilson attended Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and studied Philosophy and Pre-Law.

After she graduated, Wilson returned home to Hawai‘i and worked at the State Legislature for one session. The plan had been to return to the mainland and go to law school but, as fate would have it, the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority was looking to refocus the lens through which visitors were seeing Hawai‘i and asked to speak with her.

“This position opened up. It was a brand new position…HTA created [it] to ensure that there was a Hawaiian lens on tourism policy and the visitor industry here in Hawai‘i. I felt the position was great and I actually didn’t really apply for it. I came in to talk about what qualities I felt would be good for a person to have for the position. After talking to them for a while they ended up offering me the job.”

In her role as Director of Hawaiian Affairs, Wilson and her office have been able to shape and refine the lens through which visitors see Hawai‘i. The state is a well-known tourist destination, with the tourism industry responsible for a large impact on its economy. Making money is all well and good, but a visitor’s experience should not be superficial. Business profitability should not come at the price of authenticity.

A set of guidelines for authentic language use and cultural practices, with the goal of fostering an environment where Hawaiian can flourish, has been developed by Wilson and her office. They have worked with companies big and small, local and foreign.

[Bank of Hawai‘i ATM machines allow the user to conduct banking transactions in English, Japanese, Chinese, or Hawaiian (‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i).]

Bank of Hawai‘i ATM machines allow the user to conduct banking transactions in English, Japanese, Chinese, or Hawaiian (‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i).

Traces of their work can be seen everywhere. To list a few, the inclusion of Hawaiian as one the languages available at Bank of Hawai‘i ATMs and the greeting and farewell in Hawaiian at local airports; not to mention the sponsorship of events like POW! WOW!, the Pro Bowl, and the Merrie Monarch Festival. Although not all events or companies deal directly with Hawaiian culture as the Merrie Monarch Festival does, the actions and words associated with them affect the way Hawai‘i is perceived. Everything from a misspelled or mispronounced Hawaiian word to an advertisement including aspects of non-Hawaiian dress on a hula dancer will taint the perception of a visitor. It is by being vigilant and aware of what is said and done that HTA supports the community and leads by example. They also seek to normalize the Hawaiian language by using it in their day to day work, printing stationery and business cards, as well as board meeting agendas in both Hawaiian and English.

And what about the local community, how are Hawai‘i and its culture seen by those who grew up here? It is Wilson’s belief that it is more than just visitors that can embrace Hawaiian culture. Wilson believes that local people can treat the Hawaiian language as an integral part of living in Hawai‘i. She asks me to think about all the words I know in Hawaiian. After a minute I realize I know a lot. In elementary school we learned how to count in Hawaiian, we learned colors, animal names, and different plants. I know street names, island names, and people names. I even know how to sing a whole song in Hawaiian (Hawai‘i Pono‘ī). When I think about it, not a day goes by where I don’t say at least one thing in Hawaiian.

But, it should be more than that, says Wilson. She tells me that there was a time when everyone used Hawaiian and English every day, in business transactions, at school, and in the street, until it all kind of went away. Today, due to efforts statewide, the Hawaiian language is slowly making a comeback. Wilson says she thought she used to know everyone that spoke Hawaiian; recently, however, she has been meeting new people that not only understand Hawaiian but also speak it fluently. For Wilson, this is a happy and welcome surprise, as it is proof that revitalization efforts are working.

Still, it should be more. Wilson says that one day she wants to hear Hawaiian spoken at gas stations, banks and grocery stores. Language dictates the way we think because of all the experiences that we associate with words. By using Hawaiian, those who spoke it and came in contact with it would have a new frame of mind and a different perspective on things. Hopefully, the effect that this incorporation would bring would not only be a sign of progress, but of much more to come.

Before we end our interview, Wilson tells me Hawaiian should be a living language. I take her words to mean that the language itself should be nurtured, and achieve a lasting vitality. The work that she does is an effort to accomplish this. More than that, as within a simple conversation about language that evolves into one of culture, it is an effort to acknowledge a people and their culture, in the only place it all is found. I applaud this effort and the significance behind it. It is by acknowledging all aspects of what we are that we make progress. In Hawai‘i, this special place with its special history, we must acknowledge the roots to understand the process of growth that has brought us to today. Only then can true headway be made. So I agree, let’s make Hawaiian a living language; let it be the gateway to the path of learning, leading to understanding and acceptance of all languages, by everyone.

Author: Shiwani Blessing Mahealani Johnson lives on O‘ahu with her cat and her younger sister. She is currently attending the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, pursuing a major in Spanish. She works and spends her free time eating, studying, reading, writing, doodling, hiking, and doing yoga. She enjoys sci-fi and romance movies, her fixed-gear bicycle and skateboards, fantasy novels and poetry. Shiwani has been known to be emotionally confused about a number of things simultaneously. Her sister and mother often tell her to get over herself.

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