Indigenous Language Revitalization: The Hawaiian Experience

Part of the "Americas Big Idea" series.
Dr. William H. "Pila" Wilson is professor and chair of the Hawaiian Studies Division at the University of Hawai'i at Hilo. Kauanoe Kamana is a founding member of 'Aha Punana Leo immersion school and has been very active in developing legislation both on the state and national levels in support of the use of Native American languages in education.
Pila Wilson and Kauanoe Kamana were the first of a number of couples in Hawai'i who revived Hawaiian as the first language of their home, and Dr. Wilson is founding chairperson of the program that developed into the Hawaiian Language College. They will speak about the immersion program's development and discuss the many challenges in navigating school systems and sometimes conflicting community interests, with suggestions for addressing them.