—West; Western Maui.

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“Kaulana nui loa ʻo Mokuʻula i Maui Komohana i kona kapu loa. (Mokuʻula Western Maui is very famous due to its sacredness.)”

—Melelani Seiki, he haumāna ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language student), Ke Kulanui Kaiāulu o Honolulu a me Ke Kulanui Kaiāulu o Maui (Honolulu Community College and 糖心视频 Maui College)

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the 糖心视频 Hilo .

Windward Community College Professor of Art and Gallery ʻIolani Director Kapulani Landgraf has been named a 2026 Guggenheim Fellow. Landgraf is one of just 223 distinguished individuals selected from a highly competitive pool of nearly 5,000 applicants for this honor.

The fellowship will support Landgraf鈥檚 project, What Was Taken, What Remains, a body of work confronting colonial histories and reasserting Hawaiian visual sovereignty. Through archival research, photographic interventions, collage and the integration of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) and moʻolelo (stories), the project reframes dominant narratives to restore voices to histories long obscured.

‘On our own terms’

“My work has always been about accountability—of images, of histories, and of the ways they are constructed and carried forward,” Landgraf said. “This fellowship supports the continuation of that work, but it also underscores its urgency. What has been taken cannot remain unexamined, and what remains must be made visible on our own terms.”

Widely recognized for her multimedia installations and photography exploring ʻāina (land) and the impacts of colonialism, Landgraf positions the camera as both a witness and an intervention. At Windward CC, she has transformed Gallery ʻIolani into a space centered on Hawaiʻi-based artists and cultural continuity. She is also the author of multiple monographs, including Nā Wahi Pana O Koʻolau Poko and Nā Wahi Kapu O Maui, which extend her explorations of ʻāina, moʻokūʻauhau (genealogy), and resistance.

Established in 1925, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation provides monetary stipends allowing scholars and artists to pursue independent work under “the freest possible conditions.” The Foundation has granted nearly $450 million to more than 19,000 Fellows, an elite group that includes Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners and cultural icons.

—Fun; to have a good time.

More ʻ艑濒别濒辞 of the Week

“E leʻaleʻa kēlā lā me kēia lā. (Everyday should be fun.)”

—Maluhia Nahuina, he haum膩na ʻ艑濒别濒辞 Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language student), Kulanui Kai膩ulu o Honolulu (Honolulu Community College)

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the 糖心视频 Hilo .

—Flying fish.

More ʻ艑濒别濒辞 of the Week

“Ka iʻa lele me he manu (The fish that flies like a bird).”
ʻ艑濒别濒辞 Noʻeau (Hawaiian proverb) 1364

—Sean Mills, he haum膩na ʻ艑濒别濒辞 Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language student), Kulanui Kai膩ulu o Honolulu (Honolulu Community College)

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the 糖心视频 Hilo .

—Clever, Wise.

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“Makemake au e akamai k膩kou a pau (I wish that we may all become wise).”

—Karuna Wiese, ʻ艑濒别濒辞 Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) Student, Honolulu Community College

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the 糖心视频 Hilo .

—To leave or place something.

All ʻ艑濒别濒辞 of the Week

“E waiho mai i ka mea ʻai ma laila (Leave the food there).”

—Kilia Hare, Hawaiian language student, Honolulu Community College

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the 糖心视频 Hilo .

Check back for more ʻ艒lelo Hawaiʻi.

This article by Assistant Specialist in the College of Education at the University of Hawaiʻi at M膩noa Kahea Faria was first published in .

The growth of the Hawaiian Language Immersion Program from its inception to now is a sign that more of our people in Hawaiʻi are turning to the language, culture, and history of our land and the education that is meant to embody it and facilitate the transmission of this knowledge to our children. For most families, this is the primary means of accessing this knowledge, and as such, it represents a public necessity, not a discretionary option.

While this growth has been encouraging, it has also revealed gaps in the structural foundation of the program. Most Hawaiian language immersion programs remain housed within predominantly English-medium schools, with a few stand-alone K–12 programs statewide and even fewer P–12 programs.

These environments are essential, as they create at least one sustained domain in which Hawaiian can function as the sole language of instruction. This model is not intended to produce monolingual speakers, but rather to strengthen pathways toward genuine bilingualism. Consequently, parents within Hawaiian Language Immersion Programs are increasingly advocating for the establishment of P–12 programs in each school district.

Recent efforts to expand access to advanced Hawaiian language instruction—such as online coursework offered through 糖心视频 Maui College 鈥� along with financial support for teacher candidates from sources such as Kamehameha Schools鈥� Hookawowo Scholarship, the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, and the State of Hawaiʻi鈥檚 Grow Our Own (GOO) Teachers, have helped to address these challenges.

Despite these efforts, the sustained growth of the program depends on continued investment in teacher preparation. For those who are interested, as well as those who are seeking a meaningful way to support our community through Hawaiian language, history, and culture, please contact either of the Hawaiian Language Immersion teacher preparation programs at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo or at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa.

Finally, the rapid growth of the Hawaiian language immersion program should be addressed in the same manner as those of any thriving public school setting—by being adequately resourced and supported in its expansion, rather than constrained by regulatory frameworks that inhibit development.

The state should take a proactive role in planning for a future that includes P–12 Hawaiian Language Immersion Program schools in every district statewide. Anything less constitutes a disservice to the community and stands in opposition to the program鈥檚 purpose and intent to revitalize Hawaiian language, culture and history in Hawaiʻi.

Ke ao ia nei ka naauao, auhea mai nei la hoi ke kahua o ka pono?

—To be curious.

All ʻ艑濒别濒辞 of the Week

“Ua nīele nā keiki ma loko o ka ʻeke. (The children were curious to look inside of the bag).”

—Kiniki Carlson, Hawaiian language student, Honolulu Community College

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the 糖心视频 Hilo .

Check back for more ʻ艒lelo Hawaiʻi.

Nahunaiki

—Little bites (a new word developed for the cookie cutter shark)

All ʻ艑濒别濒辞 of the Week

—Hauʻoli Lorenzo-Elarco, Assistant Professor of Hawaiian Language, Honolulu Community College

This newly introduced Hawaiian name for the cookie cutter shark is part of recently published research on one of the ocean鈥檚 most elusive predators, which Lorenzo-Elarco co-authored.

Check back for more ʻ艒lelo Hawaiʻi.

For more ʻ艒lelo Hawaiʻi definitions and usage, go to the 糖心视频 Hilo .

Hawaiian language immersion programs across the state are growing fast, however schools need more qualified teachers to meet that demand. At the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, Kananinohea “Kanani” Mākaʻimoku is working to help fill that gap.

As director of the within the 糖心视频 Hilo, Mākaʻimoku prepares educators to teach in Hawaiian medium and immersion schools. Throughout the past decade, the state鈥檚 Hawaiian immersion program has grown by 67 percent.

Kahuawaiola is a three-semester graduate certificate delivered in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian). During the pandemic, Mākaʻimoku helped shift the program online, reshaping and expanding access.

“Since 2020, the average number of students enrolling from the outer islands has increased by approximately 56 percent compared to the program鈥檚 pre-2020 history,” said Mākaʻimoku.

She has seen firsthand how hybrid learning has opened doors for students in rural communities, including areas such as Lānaʻi and H膩na. That access drives her to reach even more future educators as the need continues to grow. Since its inception, Kahuawaiola has prepared 164 certified teachers.

“By preparing teachers who are fluent in Hawaiian and grounded in culturally responsive pedagogy, we ensure that Hawaiian language medium and immersion schools can continue to serve families across the state,” Mākaʻimoku said, noting that education has long been one of the most effective ways to reverse language loss in Hawaiʻi.

Full-circle journey

Mākaʻimoku鈥檚 own path reflects that mission. Educated in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi from preschool through high school, she later spent 16 years teaching in immersion classrooms. She earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in at 糖心视频 Hilo, along with a through the Kahuawaiola program and a master鈥檚 degree in . She is now pursuing her doctorate in within 糖心视频 Hilo鈥檚 College of Hawaiian Language.

—By Susan Enright