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Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi 2025

by Lara Gamboa on 2025-02-21T08:30:00-10:00 | 0 Comments

Since 2013, Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language Month) has been celebrated every Pepeluali (February). Established through Act 23 and signed by Governor Neil Abercrombie, this month highlights the importance of revitalizing and preserving Hawai‘i’s native language.

Honoring Hawaiian Language in Health & Medicine

At JABSOM Library, we are celebrating by sharing health-related Hawaiian words and Hawaiian language resources:

ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi English
hūpē Mucus from nose (1)
maʻi lele Contagious disease. Literally "jumping disease." (1)
pailua Seasickness, nausea (1)
Ua ola loko i ke aloha.

Love gives life within. (2)

(Numbers indicate sources referenced below.)

Featured Hawaiian Language & Medical Books

Cover ArtAnatomia, 1838 (Hawaiian Text with English Translation) by Gerrit P. Judd; Esther T. Mookini (Translator)
Call Number: Reference - Library Use Only WZ 290 J92a 2003a
ISBN: 9780824825850
Publication Date: 2003-04-30
Western concepts but in Hawaiian langugage; Anatomia is the only medical textbook written in the Hawaiian language. Gerrit P. Judd, for a time the only medical missionary in the Islands, wrote the text in 1838 to teach basic anatomy to Hawaiians enrolled at the Missionary Seminary (Lahainaluna School). Armed with the fundamentals of Western medicine, Judd's students were sent out to minister to a native population that had been at the mercy of lethal infectious diseases since James Cook's arrival in 1778." "Judd's use of Hawaiian terms and descriptions provides us with insights into native cultural and healing practices in the early decades of the nineteenth century. Anatomia is a valuable addition to the growing collection of translations on native health and will be greatly appreciated by linguists, historians, and students of Hawaiian language and culture.
Cover ArtKahuna La'au Lapa'au by June Gutmanis; Theodore Kelsey (Translator); Susan G. Monden (Illustrator)
Call Number: Reference - Library Use Only WB 50 AH3 G984ka 2004
ISBN: 9780896100787
Publication Date: 1976-01-01
Book about classes of Hawaiian medical Kahuna the la'au lapa'au who were herbal practitioners.
 
Cover ArtLa'au Hawaii by Isabella A. Abbott
Call Number: Reference - Library Use Only GN 476.73 A131L 1992
ISBN: 9780930897628
Publication Date: 1992-04-01
A unified account of the traditional Hawaiian cultural uses of plants based on scholarly literature and instruction from kupuna. The book is structured to demonstrate the link between the Hawaiian flora and Hawaiian culture.
Cover ArtOlelo No'eau by Mary Kawena Pukui
Call Number: Main PN 6519.H4 P979o 1983
ISBN: 9780910240932
Publication Date: 1983-01-01
"This extraordinary collection of Hawaiian sayings--collected, translated, and annotated by Mary Kawena Pukui--offers a unique opportunity to savor the wisdom, poetic beauty, and earthy humor of these finely crafted expressions. The sayings may be appreciated individually and collectively for their aesthetic, historic, and educational values. They reveal even deeper layers of meaning, giving an understanding not only of Hawaii and its people but all of humanity. Since the sayings carry the immediacy of the spoken word, considered to be the highest form of cultural expression in old Hawaii, they bring us closer to the everyday thoughts and lives of the Hawaiians who created them. Taken together, the sayings offer a basis for an understanding of the essence and origins of traditional Hawaiian values." -- Amazon.com viewed August 3, 2020.

Learn On Your Phone

Interested in learning the Hawaiian language? Incorporating ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi into your daily routine is easier with these digital resources. Whether you prefer podcasts, games, or structured lessons, here are some great options:
  • Podcasts: For auditory learners, podcasts are a great way to immerse yourself in Hawaiian pronunciation and flow. Check out Mai Ka Pūnana Mai or Ka ‘Alalā -- both available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other streaming platforms.
  • Niuolahiki Online Learning Apps: Niuolahiki offers two free apps:
    • Ka Hakalama – A game to help learners master 90 hakalama syllables, the building blocks of the language. Available for Android and Apple devices.
    • Kīpaepae – An app for Apple devices that provides practice phrases, sentences, and listening comprehension exercises.
  • Lehulehu Game App: Looking for a fun way to practice Hawaiian vocabulary? Lehulehu is a Hawaiian-language version of Scrabble, where you can play against friends or strangers. Developed by Kail Loa Inc. with funding from the U.S. Department of Education Native Hawaiian Education Programs Grant, it is available on both Google Play and iTunes.

(This information can be found in Hawaiʻi Magazine. Visit their article for more ways to celebrate Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi this month.)

Sources:

(1) Hawaiian Herbal Medicine - Kāhuna Lā'au Lapa'au
(2) ʻOlelo No'eau - Hawaiian Proverbs & Poetical Sayings

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