Hawaiian language is a language that has one form associated with it and all communities found within Hawaii have spoken this same language since the land was first discovered by Polynesians in the island of Ni‘ihau (the forbidden island). The Ni’ihau community is what I will be focusing on in this paper, since it is known to be the first island in Hawaii that was Goddess Pele’s first home (Ni`ihau Cultural Heritage Foundation). After the islands were inhabited by the early Polynesians, Kahelelani was known to become the first great “ali‘i” (chief) of the island of Ni‘ihau. This is why today, you will often hear the island being called Ni‘ihau a Kahelelani (Ni`ihau Cultural Heritage Foundation). The people of the Ni’ihau community are independent
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The giving of the flower lei shows compassion, love and affection, and mercy; all cultural values the community practices (Ni`ihau Cultural Heritage Foundation). Furthermore, areas of particular cultural value that is expressed in this language is hula dancing. Although, hula is dancing, there are certain chants and prayers that follow along with it to tell a story; “Kuhi no ka lima, hele no ka maka” (Where the hands move, let the eyes follow). These dances connected man to God and to nature, the dances filled both dancers and audience with “Aloha” (Lakainapali 2004). The hula dance is performed at ceremonies, gatherings, celebrations, etc. to offer prayer and good luck for protection of bad spirits. It is a way to express and preserve hawaiian cultural values, traditions, stories, and Hawaiian history. Similarly, cultural values are expressed in this language by storytelling, prayers, songs, and chants. Prayers are most significant in the Hawaiian language because through prayer Hawaiian values can be easily identified. To elaborate, the prayer for unity and family is one that I feel is very important in order to have a better understanding of who Hawaiians are and what they live by. In the Ni’ihau community and all other …show more content…
People tend to mix up these languages because the grammar concepts are alike. Also, over the years the “okina”(‘) has almost diminished from the language, changing the language almost entirely if not a native speaker. A myriad of pronunciation errors will be found within Hawaiian language textbooks, teaching people that are obtaining knowledge from these books the wrong way to speak proper Hawaiian. Interestingly enough, the Hawaiian language has also changed by evolving the Ni’ihau community. The Ni’ihau island was isolated from the other islands of Hawaii and did not have much of a toll taken on it after the annexation of the United States, the Ni’ihau started to develop their own dialect in Hawaiian language, changing how the language is spoken by some. In the language people do use slang words as well. All in all, the Hawaiian language is the ties between culture and identity. The Hawaiian people are made up of their language and express themselves through their individual unique language. A key phrase in the language that I will provide is pertaining to love of the land, nurturing and taking care of the land, “Aloha
The giving of the flower lei shows compassion, love and affection, and mercy; all cultural values the community practices (Ni`ihau Cultural Heritage Foundation). Furthermore, areas of particular cultural value that is expressed in this language is hula dancing. Although, hula is dancing, there are certain chants and prayers that follow along with it to tell a story; “Kuhi no ka lima, hele no ka maka” (Where the hands move, let the eyes follow). These dances connected man to God and to nature, the dances filled both dancers and audience with “Aloha” (Lakainapali 2004). The hula dance is performed at ceremonies, gatherings, celebrations, etc. to offer prayer and good luck for protection of bad spirits. It is a way to express and preserve hawaiian cultural values, traditions, stories, and Hawaiian history. Similarly, cultural values are expressed in this language by storytelling, prayers, songs, and chants. Prayers are most significant in the Hawaiian language because through prayer Hawaiian values can be easily identified. To elaborate, the prayer for unity and family is one that I feel is very important in order to have a better understanding of who Hawaiians are and what they live by. In the Ni’ihau community and all other …show more content…
People tend to mix up these languages because the grammar concepts are alike. Also, over the years the “okina”(‘) has almost diminished from the language, changing the language almost entirely if not a native speaker. A myriad of pronunciation errors will be found within Hawaiian language textbooks, teaching people that are obtaining knowledge from these books the wrong way to speak proper Hawaiian. Interestingly enough, the Hawaiian language has also changed by evolving the Ni’ihau community. The Ni’ihau island was isolated from the other islands of Hawaii and did not have much of a toll taken on it after the annexation of the United States, the Ni’ihau started to develop their own dialect in Hawaiian language, changing how the language is spoken by some. In the language people do use slang words as well. All in all, the Hawaiian language is the ties between culture and identity. The Hawaiian people are made up of their language and express themselves through their individual unique language. A key phrase in the language that I will provide is pertaining to love of the land, nurturing and taking care of the land, “Aloha