At the University of �鶹��ý at Hilo, a once overgrown space has been transformed into something alive and welcoming. The Ululaumāhie Native Forest Restoration Project is more than a garden. It is a place where students learn by doing. They plant, care for, and connect with native plants. They share hula, oli (chant) and connections. What began in 2018 as a clearing project has grown into a vibrant learning space surrounding Haleʻōlelo, home of .

The work is led by Kumu Carmelito “Lito” Arkangel, a UH Hilo lecturer in and , who brings students into the space not just to learn about plants, but to understand culture and place.

“Ulu is growth. The lau is the flora. And māhie is charming, it’s delightful. And it is. I try to meet that, you know, and it’s not easy,” said Arkangel about the meaning of the garden’s name. “There’s different perspectives of it, but for me, māhie is going to be that kolohe (rascal) boy hiding from the grandma, from the aunty, because she’s going to kiss his face and they’re gonna be like, cute, or they smile, you know.”

Arkangel’s vision is simple. Let the garden tell its own story. Throughout time, students and the community have shaped it into a place of learning, rest and connection.

For more go to .

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

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

Kahuawaiola is a three-semester graduate certificate delivered in ʻōlelo �鶹��ý (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’s 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 Hāna. 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 �鶹��ý.

Full-circle journey

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

—By Susan Enright

Just in time for Mahina ‘Ō������� �鶹��ý (Hawaiian Language Month), PhD candidate Nicholas “Kealiʻi” Lum is turning social media into a classroom for cultural deepening.

Hiʻona Haku Mele, Lum’s new Instagram video series, invites learners to explore the poetic soul of Hawaiian music, going beyond conversational speech to uncover the unique lexical phrases that make mele (songs) distinct.

“There are specific pieces of language and ways of expression that make mele unique and separate it from common speech,” Lum explained, adding that he was inspired by Kahikina De Silva, an assistant professor at UH �Ѳ��ԴDz�’s , who recommended that Lum document these poetic devices in his dissertation.

Hiʻona Haku Mele launched on February 1 on and Instagram accounts, and new episodes will drop every Monday and Thursday throughout the month. Each minute-long video highlights a specific term, explains its function, and provides examples from recorded albums. “ʻAUHea”—listen, heed my words—is featured as the first episode’s offering.

Related UH News story: Mele �鶹��ý Reimagined: UH Hilo Makuakāne scholar bridges past and present, October 2025

Lum notes that while spoken Hawaiian and “mele language” share a foundation, Hawaiian haku mele (composers) use musical jargon to convey ideas more descriptively or poetically.

“Our kupuna had ways of expressing emotion in a far more beautiful way than saying something so literal,” explained Lum.

Makuakāne scholar

The initiative is just one part of Lum’s broader academic and creative journey. As a doctoral student at , Lum was recently named the first recipient of the . This award honors the Makuakāne family’s lifelong advocacy for ʻōlelo �鶹��ý and supports scholars dedicated to Indigenous language revitalization.

For more go to .

As Mahina ʻŌ������� �鶹��ý (Hawaiian Language Month) draws attention to the growing vitality of ʻō������� �鶹��ý (Hawaiian language), a recently released mele �鶹��ý (Hawaiian song) offers a compelling example of how the language is taking root far beyond the islands, this time through a rare partnership between a University of �鶹��ý at Hilo PhD student and a young recording artist from Japan.

Award-winning �鶹��ý musician and UH Hilo graduate student Nicholas Kealiʻi Lum composed Waikīkī, a mele recorded as a duet with Tom Noʻeau, a Japan-born musician and trained ʻōlapa hula (hula dancer). Collaborations like this remain uncommon in Hawaiian music, even as hula has flourished in Japan for decades, with an estimated two million dancers nationwide.

Modern mele �鶹��ý

Lum developed Waikīkī through the , which supports his ongoing creative research following his 2023 debut album Pewa. Praised by listeners for its modern vibe and R&B-influenced sound, Pewa reimagines traditional mele �鶹��ý in a contemporary context while centering cultural resilience and linguistic vitality, values that continue to shape Lum’s work.

Lum said the song the pair recorded in a Kalihi studio was shaped with intention toward visitors, particularly from Japan, �鶹��ý’s largest international tourism market. “What would be so cool is when tourists come here that they don’t just go surfing and go to a lūʻau, but they actually have an educational piece, as well,” he said.

• Related UH News: Mele �鶹��ý Reimagined: UH Hilo Makuakāne scholar bridges past and present, October 28, 2025

Learning deeply

For Noʻeau, the collaboration marked a meaningful step in a journey shaped by years of hula training. He grew up dancing in Japan under the guidance of Kahikina Ah Sing and his brother Kalani, who grew up in Kona and opened Ke Ala O Ke Ao Cultural Arts Studio, their hālau in Japan, more than 20 years ago. Through the hālau, Noʻeau has been learning ʻōlelo �鶹��ý, with a strong focus on accuracy and understanding.

“This song taught me a lot. I’m still learning Hawaiian language, and pronunciation is really hard, but it made me want to learn more,” Noʻeau said.

For Lum, that commitment to language was central to the collaboration. “If you pronounce everything wrong, there’s no meaning there anymore, especially in mele, where the poetry carries the story,” he said.

Ah Sing said watching his student step into Hawaiian music has gone far beyond what he once imagined. “I never thought that the younger generation in Japan would root themselves so deeply in our language and culture,” he said.

Noʻeau has also recorded with award-winning Hawaiian musicians Robert Uluwehi Cazimero and Kuana Torres Kahele, further grounding his work in Hawaiian musical tradition.

University of �鶹��ý researchers have published a new study that brings together ʻike �鶹��ý (Hawaiian knowledge), ʻō������� �鶹��ý (Hawaiian language) and western marine science to shed new light on one of the ocean’s most elusive predators, the cookiecutter shark.

Rarely seen but often noticed, the cookiecutter shark is named for the distinctive wounds it leaves behind. Instead of tearing flesh, the small shark removes neat, circular plugs of meat that resemble the cut of a cookie cutter. These unmistakable bite marks are commonly found on prized fish such as ʻahi (bigeye tuna) and aʻu kū (swordfish), providing scientists with rare clues about the shark’s behavior in the deep, open ocean.

“What makes this species so fascinating is that we almost never see the shark itself,” said Justin Suca, an assistant professor in at UH ����ԴDz�. “We’re learning about it by studying when and where those bite marks appear.”

The interdisciplinary study was led by Suca, J. Hauʻoli Lorenzo-Elarco, an assistant professor of at Honolulu Community College and PhD candidate at the UH Hilo , and Donald R. Kobayashi and economist Hing Ling Chan from NOAA’s Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC).

Kobayashi, a biologist at PIFSC and UH ����ԴDz� alumnus, has been a cookiecutter shark enthusiast for decades.

“I’ve been intrigued by these small sharks for over 40 years, when I first learned about them while a graduate student in oceanography at UH ����ԴDz� and we would encounter them in net tows,” Kobayashi said. “These enigmatic creatures have resisted formal study due to their habitat, behavior, and apparent rarity, so it is quite gratifying to personally contribute some solid scientific knowledge towards understanding them and their ways!”

Night patterns

Published in, the study analyzed a much larger dataset than previous research, examining bite patterns recorded across �鶹��ý’s longline fisheries over many years. The results reveal clear and persistent trends: cookiecutter shark bites occur most often at night and are closely tied to lunar cycles, with higher activity during darker, low-illumination periods.

Searching the past

Alongside the scientific analysis, the researchers reviewed Hawaiian-language sources, including historic nūpepa (Hawaiian-language newspapers), and considered knowledge shared across Polynesian cultures to better understand how the shark may have been recognized in �鶹��ý. While no direct references were found, the team believes Hawaiian ancestors were likely familiar with the shark’s distinctive bite marks.

“Our kūpuna (elders) may never have encountered the shark itself,” said Lorenzo-Elarco. “But they almost certainly encountered the evidence it left behind, the distinctive bite marks on fish they brought in from the open ocean.”

ʻŌ������� in science

From that understanding, the team developed a new Hawaiian name for the cookiecutter shark, nahunaiki, meaning “little bites,” and created an ʻō������� noʻeau (Hawaiian proverb) describing its bite patterns and connection to nighttime conditions. The study also includes an abstract written entirely in ʻō������� �鶹��ý, highlighting how Indigenous knowledge and modern science can work together to reveal patterns that might otherwise remain unseen. Developed by utilizing elements of traditional Hawaiian proverbs, the ʻō������� noʻeau says, Muku ka malama, nanahu ka nahunaikio o ka pō, When the new moon arises, the cookie cutter shark bites.This ʻō������� noʻeau is aimed at helping current and future generations of ocean stewards connect the lunar cycle to the bites of this shark.

These findings build on earlier UH ����ԴDz� research that linked moonless nights to rare cookiecutter shark bites on humans, particularly swimmers in �鶹��ý’s ocean channels, suggesting darkness plays a key role across very different types of encounters.

At the University of �鶹��ý at Hilo, the spirit of mele �鶹��ý (Hawaiian music) and language revitalization are finding new life through the work of Nicholas Kealiʻi Lum, a PhD candidate at .

Lum has been named the first doctoral recipient of the . Established by the daughters of Daniel and Lydia Makuakāne, the fellowship honors the Makuakānes’ lifelong advocacy of ʻō������� �鶹��ý and Native Hawaiian cultural education.

Lum is weaving tradition and innovation into his in-depth studies of mele (songs) of old and new. His dissertation, “Pewa: I Ola ke Mele �鶹��ý i kona Mele ʻia” (“Pewa: The Life of Hawaiian Music in Its Song”), braids traditional Hawaiian mele to modern soundscapes, creating bridges between younger audiences and ʻō������� �鶹��ý (Hawaiian language) through experimental musical expression.

“In my dissertation, I define mele as being ‘logogenic,’ which means that words in a genre of music are more important than the musical treatment,” Lum explained. “And I believe that represents mele �鶹��ý; it’s always the language within the text that is more important.”

With the fellowship, Lum will also have the opportunity to build on his 2023 debut album “Pewa,” using experimental approaches to mele �鶹��ý that promote both cultural resilience and linguistic vitality.

Uplifting future generations

“Our parents did not have formal educational opportunities beyond the ninth grade in Puna,” said Teresa Makuakāne-Drechsel, a kanaka ʻōiwi (Native Hawaiian) linguist and UH ����ԴDz� alumna. “Therefore, seeing this fellowship support Kealiʻi’s doctoral journey is a powerful reminder that their legacy continues to uplift future generations of ʻō������� �鶹��ý leaders.”

UH Hilo’s College of Hawaiian Language is uniquely positioned as the only institution worldwide offering a PhD in Indigenous Language and Culture Revitalization. In 2023, it was also designated as the first National Native American Language Resource Center, further expanding its role in advancing language revitalization across the U.S.

“The Makuakāne family has been longstanding supporters of our college, ever since their mother (Lydia) played a big role in the movement that started the Hawaiian language revitalization,” said Kaʻiu Kimura, director of Ka Haka ʻUla O ����ʻ�������ō�����Ծ�. “It’s such an honor that the family continues to work with us to forward our purpose.”

Keeping ʻō������� �鶹��ý alive

The Makuakāne Fellowship ensures that students, such as Lum, have the resources to complete their research, while also carrying forward the cultural knowledge and values that make the College of Hawaiian Language a global leader in Indigenous language revitalization.

“Keeping Hawaiian language alive for future generations has always been important to our family,” said Makuakāne-Drechsel. “This endowment is our way of honoring our parents’ values while giving others the opportunity to carry on this important work.”

For more information about the Daniel and Lydia Makuakāne Endowed Scholarship and Fellowship or to support Hawaiian language initiatives at UH Hilo, contact the .

This article by Native Hawaiian Engagement Director at the University of �鶹��ý at Hilo Pelehonuamea Harman was first published in .

This summer, University of �鶹��ý at Hilo served as a cultural and intellectual bridge between the New Directions in the Humanities international conference and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

These two global events—centered on Indigenous knowledge, language revitalization, and the role of youth in shaping culture—highlighted UH Hilo’s leadership at the intersection of scholarship, ʻike kupuna, and community.

Held at UH Hilo and chaired by Dr. Patsy Y. Iwasaki, the New Directions in the Humanities conference marked the first time this prestigious gathering was hosted in �鶹��ý. Previous locations included Paris and Rome, with Lisbon, Portugal, set to host next.

The conference opened with a kīpaepae welcome ceremony, grounding guests in the spirit of the land and people of �鶹��ý.

Under the theme “Oceanic Journeys,” scholars, students, and cultural practitioners explored the humanities through a Pacific lens. Presentations spanned topics from language reclamation and Indigenous storytelling to cultural continuity and place-based education. A field trip to the luapele—the volcanic landscape sacred to Pele—provided an experiential learning opportunity rooted in Hawaiian ways of knowing and deepened participants’ understanding of the connection between land, language, and identity.

UH Hilo faculty, staff, and students played central roles sharing research, performing mele and oli, and engaging in cross-cultural dialogue. The conference affirmed UH Hilo’s strength as an Indigenous-serving institution committed to community-centered and place-based education.

Weeks later, UH Hilo’s voice resonated from the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where university representatives participated in the 2025 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

Under the theme “Youth and the Future of Culture,” the �鶹��ý delegation led the Language Reclamation Program. Representatives from UH Hilo leadership, , , Ke Kula ʻo ����ɲ���ī�ǰ첹�����Ծ�ʻō���ʻ��, and the National Native American Language Resource Center shared mele, oli, hula, and strategies for revitalizing ʻōlelo �鶹��ý.

A key facilitator for the folklife festival was UH Hilo alumnus Hālena Kapuni-Reynolds who serves as a curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. His leadership helped ensure that Indigenous voices from �鶹��ý were highlighted with respect and authenticity on this national stage.

Visitors to the �鶹��ý tent participated in intergenerational dialogue and hands-on activities, learning how language restoration is deeply tied to land, education, and cultural identity. In a powerful gesture of continuity, several “Oceanic Journeys” attendees visited the �鶹��ý tent to thank the UH Hilo delegation for extending the spirit and ʻike of the conference to the nation’s capital.

Whether we are hosting a conference as �첹����ʻ�徱�Բ� at our own university or attending as malihini at a national gathering, our relationship to �鶹��ý remains central to who we are and how we engage. In every setting, we carry this ʻike (knowledge), aloha, and the values rooted in this ʻāina with us.

These gatherings affirmed a shared vision: that the humanities are most powerful when grounded in place, lived experience, and Indigenous knowledge systems. UH Hilo’s presence at both events underscored its commitment to cultivating future cultural leaders—those who carry tradition forward while envisioning and shaping a resilient future.

A new effort at the University of �鶹��ý at Hilo is using artificial intelligence to help secure the future of ʻōlelo �鶹��ý (Hawaiian language). The Lauleo project is gathering Hawaiian speech data to create AI tools that can convert voice to text.

The project is a collaboration between UH Hilo College of Hawaiian Language, , and , a Māori language group from New Zealand. Their goal is to speed up the painstaking process of transcribing Hawaiian audio recordings.

Right now, manually transcribing an hour of speech takes about 30 hours of work. AI could change that.

“Through this effort of Lauleo, the technology of speech to text will help to expedite the importance of audio information to promote the life of Hawaiian,” said Kumu Larry Kimura, a Hawaiian language and Hawaiian studies professor at UH Hilo and a foremost authority on the audio archives of ʻōlelo �鶹��ý.

Participation needed

The team emphasizes that community participation is crucial. Their motto, ““Bringing our voices together for the future of our language,” reflects the need for many voices—I lau nā leo—to make this project a success.

Anyone who speaks ʻōlelo �鶹��ý can help. The Lauleo app, available on Apple and Google Play, allows users to record themselves reading specific sentences in Hawaiian. This data will help train AI to recognize and convert Hawaiian speech into text.

Hawaiian language Siri

Once developed, the technology could power text messaging in ʻōlelo �鶹��ý, an ʻōlelo �鶹��ý Siri, or even an app to help learners with pronunciation.

Speakers of all levels, from beginners to native speakers, are encouraged to participate. Organizers say all voices are valuable, emphasizing that computers need to recognize a diverse range of speech to effectively serve the broader community of speakers and learners.

Competition prize giveaways

For those looking for a challenge, teams can compete for cash prizes by submitting recordings through March 2.

—By Susan Enright

For more go to .

In honor of Mahina ʻŌ������� �鶹��ý (Hawaiian Language Month), University of �鶹��ý at Hilo’s Native Hawaiian engagement director, Pelehonuamea Harman, highlights key Hawaiian language milestones in her latest ʻŌ������� Resource of the Month column, exploring Native Hawaiian protocols, traditions and Indigenous learning practices.

Aloha Mahina ʻŌ������� �鶹��ý! (Happy Hawaiian Language Month!)

Pepeluali (February) in �鶹��ý has become synonymous with the Hawaiian language. You may have attended a festival or a concert this month where you heard people speaking in Hawaiian. The State of �鶹��ý is one of three states that have officially recognized languages besides English. (The other two being South Dakota and Alaska.)

Here is a timeline of significant milestones in Hawaiian language in �鶹��ý, with key events related to the UH System.

1820: Introduction of Written Hawaiian

• Protestant missionaries introduced the Latin alphabet to �鶹��ý, creating the foundation for written Hawaiian. This marks the beginning of Hawaiian language preservation in a written form. Citation: .

1834: First Hawaiian-Language Newspaper Published

• The first Hawaiian-language newspaper, , was published. It helped promote literacy in Hawaiian.

1896: Language Ban in Schools

• The Republic of �鶹��ý passed Act 57, an as a medium of instruction in public schools. This marked the beginning of a significant decline in the use of Hawaiian.�鶹��ý

1919: The Hawaiian Dictionary Published

• In 1919, Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel Elbert published in the first comprehensive dictionary of the Hawaiian language. It was republished several times with a revised and enlarged edition published in 1991.
• Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel Elbert published Hawaiian Dictionary: Hawaiian-English English-Hawaiian (), the first comprehensive dictionary of the Hawaiian language. It was crucial in preserving the language in its written form.

1921: Hawaiian Language Courses at UH ����ԴDz�

• UH ����ԴDz� began offering Hawaiian language courses, signaling the start of formal efforts to teach Hawaiian at the university level.

1985: Establishment of Hawaiian Studies Department at UH ����ԴDz�

• The was established at UH ����ԴDz�, offering a Bachelor of Arts in Hawaiian.

1997: Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani at UH Hilo

• , the College of Hawaiian Language, was established at UH Hilo, making it the first college in the world to offer higher education in an Indigenous language.

2006: Hawaiian Language Dissertation

• The was completed at the UH ����ԴDz�, highlighting the language’s academic capability.

2007: Doctoral Program in Hawaiian Language at UH Hilo

• UH Hilo began offering a , advancing the language’s use in academia and scholarly research.

Harman joined UH Hilo’s Office of the Chancellor in June 2024 as part of the growing �鶹��ý Papa o Ke Ao team established throughout the 10-campus UH System to develop, implement and assess strategic actions to enhance the higher education needs of Native Hawaiians.

For more ʻŌ������� �鶹��ý milestones, go to .

at the University of �鶹��ý at Hilo has partnered with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to publish a Hawaiian adaptation of the internationally acclaimed children’s 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 UH Hilo’s College of Hawaiian Language. “It not only contributes to our children’s literacy and language development but also reinforces the significance of ʻōlelo �鶹��ý (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 UH 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’s Indigenous Languages Decade highlights the urgency of language preservation.

UH Hilo’s Hawaiian Language College leads national revitalization efforts through the National Native American Language Resource Center. �鶹��ý’s 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’s 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 UH Hilo. Copies are available for pre-order at .