Aloha!

In honor of mahina ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i in February, Kimokeo Foundation is proud to present Hānai I Ka ‘Ao, a series of Hawaiian language books written and recited by the ‘ōpio of Nā Liko I Ka La‘i. 

Hānai I Ka ‘Ao literally means to nurture a bud or the new shoot of kalo. For participants of Nā Liko I Ka La‘i, there is a deeper meaning to this phrase. It is a metaphor of how we must nurture our next generation with knowledge so that they may grow and share this knowledge wherever they may go in life. 

Participants of Nā Liko I Ka La‘i were privileged to learn from Hawaiian cultural practitioners at Ke Ala Kūpuna and other locations on Maui. As they learned, the ‘ōpio were instructed in Hawaiian and made observations about the cultural practices. These books reflect what they learned and are told in their voices as audio books.

In celebration of mahina ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, we hope you enjoy what our next generation of Hawaiian speakers have created. E ola ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i.

Special mahalo goes out to all of the Hawaiian cultural practitioners who shared their wisdom, the No‘eau Program for guiding the way of how to create audio books, and the National Endowment for Humanities and Hawai‘i Tourism Authority for funding this project. 

Hawaiian Vocabulary

Mahina ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i: Hawaiian language month

‘Ōpio: youth                  Kalo: taro

E ola ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i: The Hawaiian language shall live