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STATE OR HAWAII n
OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS ~n ~ _
711 KAPI'OL4NI BOULEVARD, SUITE 500 ~ ~ n
HONOLULU, HAWArt 98813 ~ 7
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TESTIMONX SUPPORTING THE PASSAGE OF ~ -a' -
BII.L 162, AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 2 ~ w
OF THE HAWAII COUNTY CODE 1983 (1995 EDITION)
TO ENCOURAGE THE PROPER USE AND SPELLING
OF HAWAIIAN WORDS AND TERMS
December.3, 1997
Aloha mai kakou, Chairman Arakaki and members of the Hawaii County Council. I am Jamie
Moans Kawauchi, Hawaii Island Community Affairs Coordinator for the Office of Hawaiian
Affairs (OHA) and I speak in support of BILL 162, AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER
Z OF THE HAWAI `I COUNTY CODE 7983 (1985 EDITION TO ENCOURAGE THE
PROPER USE AND SPELLING OF HAWAIIAN WORDS AND TERMS
Section 4, Article XIV ofthe Constitution of the State ofHawai' mandates that "English and
Hawaiian shad! be the official languages of Hawaii, except that Hawaiian shall be required
for
public acts and transactions only as provided bylaw." OHA believes, further, that it is in the
best interest of the State and each of its Counties, to perpetuate, cultivate and convey the
indigenous language ofHawai`i.
Perpetuation of the Hawaiian language is the preservation of Hawaiian culture. Pre-contact
Hawaiians did not have a written language. All significant Hawaiian history, accounting of
significant events and recording of all genealogy was communicated verbally and passed down
orally from generation to generation. ARer 1778, as the Hawaiian language evolved from an
verbal to a written language, the proper usage of the diacritical marks, the kahako (macron)
and the `okina (glottal stops)--- is a crucial aspect of the written language, necessary to preserve
the verbal integrity of the language.
"I ka olelo ke ola. I ka odelo ka make." "In the word (the language) dhere is life. In the word
(she language) there is death."
E naue pololei kakou. Let's move ahead in the right direction.
Mahalo a nui ]os for the opportunity to share our mana`o with you. I will be happy to answer any
questions you have,
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