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Used to convey an underlying sense of independence, language in Hawai’i is essential to defending national pride. The issue of literacy becomes somewhat controversial with native tongues such as Pidgin being viewed as unintelligent and uneducated by visiting mainlanders. Originally created to unite all of the different peoples inhabiting the islands, Pidgin has ironically evolved to serve as a language barrier. With this, Hawai’i’s Nationalist Movement supports these efforts to deny English a position of sole importance in Hawai’ian speech by encouraging the use of language to distinguish native speakers from foreigners. Current legislation, such as the Akaka Bill, can also be seen as aiming to protect native language, but this notion is complicated by a variety of factors. Language issues are also evident in Hawai’ian children’s literature. Here, native authors use the traditional Hawai’ian language—‘olelo Hawai'i—alongside English to preserve this dying tongue. |
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*Hawaiian Dictionary: http://www.hisurf.com/hawaiian/dictionary.html*
Chronology:1778 Hawai’i discovered by British Navy Captain James Cook 1795 Hawai’i united by King Kamehameha I 1820 Christian missionaries come to Hawai’i from New England 1827 Catholic missionaries come to Hawai’i 1840 First Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawai’i implemented 1848 Sugarcane Plantation development begins 1852-1898 50,000 Chinese laborers come to Hawai’i 1868 First Japanese laborers arrive in Hawai’i 1878-1884 Portuguese workers come to Hawai’i 1887 United States gains sole rights to Pearl Harbor by King Kalakaua 1893 Queen Liliuokalani removed from throne 1894 Republic of Hawai’i created 1898 Hawai’i Annexed by United States 1900 Territory of Hawai’i is established by the United States 1903 Hawai’i first appeals Congress for statehood 1941 Pearl Harbor is attacked by Japanese; United States enters World War II 1959 Hawai’i is the 50th State to join the U.S. 1993 US apologizes for unjustly annexing Hawai’i |
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