Kamaka Frasco鈥檚 lab is a row of tanks at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Coral Nursery, where she spends part of her week tending coral for restoration. She spends the other part in a classroom at Ka ʻUmeke 碍腻ʻ别辞, a preK–12 Hawaiian language immersion school, teaching students how that restoration works鈥攅ntirely in ʻ艒濒别濒辞 Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language). Some of the corals she cares for don鈥檛 yet have documented . Helping identify them is part of the job.

“I want to show them that ʻ艒濒别濒辞 Hawaiʻi exists everywhere,” said Frasco, a 糖心视频 Hilo English graduate and a member of the ʻ艒濒别濒辞 Hawaiʻi cohort of the university鈥檚 (PIPES).

A single marine science course sparked her love for ocean conservation. Her PIPES internship gave her somewhere to put it and a way to merge it with storytelling. Financial support from PIPES and 糖心视频 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 allowed her to work at the nursery while collaborating with , 糖心视频 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 Hawaiian language center, on a children’s book about coral restoration, written in Hawaiian.

From intern to mentor

This summer, Frasco stepped into a peer mentor role, guiding new interns through research and huakaʻi (excursions). Her focus: getting them to “speak their manaʻo (ideas)” and recognize their own capacity to shape resource management.

“I鈥檓 super grateful,” Frasco said. “I never thought I鈥檇 end up where I am today, but PIPES made all the difference.”

at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo has partnered with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to publish a Hawaiian adaptation of the internationally acclaimed children鈥檚 book What Makes Us Human? The book, titled I Kanaka Mai I Ke Aha?, was released on February 21 in recognition of , aligning with the ongoing co-led by UNESCO.

“The publication of I Kanaka Mai I Ke Aha? in Hawaiian is another important step in reaffirming our language on the global stage,” said Kaʻiu Kimura, director of 糖心视频 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 College of Hawaiian Language. “It not only contributes to our children鈥檚 literacy and language development but also reinforces the significance of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) as a living language, capable of engaging with the world.”

Originally written in Portuguese by Brazilian-American author and linguist Victor D. O. Santos, the book is structured as a riddle, guiding children through the significance of language as a defining element of humanity. Hawaiian is the first Native American language and the first Pacific Island language in which the book has been published.

A playful language

The Hawaiian adaptation was crafted by Kaʻiuokalani Damas, an assistant professor of Hawaiian and Hawaiian studies at 糖心视频 Hilo, in collaboration with his wife Kauʻilani, a teacher at Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu Hawaiian medium school. The couple is raising their daughters as first-language Hawaiian speakers.

“Hawaiian is a playful language, rich with wit and double meanings,” Damas explained. “This book highlights the critical role of language in human identity while introducing young Hawaiian speakers to the joy of riddles and wordplay.”

Language preservation

The Hawaiian edition joins , such as Mapuzungun of the Mapuche in Chile and Hñähñü of the Otomí in Mexico. UNESCO鈥檚 Indigenous Languages Decade highlights the urgency of language preservation.

糖心视频 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 Hawaiian Language College leads national revitalization efforts through the National Native American Language Resource Center. Hawaiʻi鈥檚 4,000+ students in Hawaiian medium schools mark a dramatic resurgence from fewer than 50 child speakers just 40 years ago, making it the largest initiative of its kind for a Native American language.

Early literacy is critical in growing the next generation of Hawaiian speakers. Hawaiian medium preschoolers learn to read two years earlier than their English-medium peers through the Hakalama method, a syllable-based system designed for Hawaiian鈥檚 unique structure. This approach fosters strong literacy skills and long-term fluency.

The final production of I Kanaka Mai I Ke Aha? was completed through at 糖心视频 Hilo. Copies are available for pre-order at .