U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono spoke on the Senate floor to recognize Mahina Olelo Hawaii, or Hawaiian Language Month, emphasizing the importance of Native language revitalization and the role of Native communities in shaping American history.
“Celebrating the survival and revitalization of these indigenous languages helps to preserve and strengthen the cultural diversity of our communities,” said Senator Hirono.
Mahina Olelo Hawaii is observed in February and highlights efforts to revive the Hawaiian language both in Hawaii and on the mainland. As America approaches its 250th anniversary, Hirono pointed out that diverse communities, including Native Hawaiians, have been central to building the nation. She described how after English-speaking westerners colonized Hawaii, a law passed following the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom effectively banned teaching Olelo Hawaii. This led to a sharp decline in use and nearly caused its extinction.
“After the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893, a law was enacted effectively banning the teaching of Olelo Hawaii across the islands. As a result, the use of Olelo Hawaii sharply declined, and the language came close to extinction. Thankfully, cultural practitioners, educators, and community members like Mary Kawena Pukui, author of the Hawaiian dictionary, kept the language alive until interest in learning Hawaiian increased during the Hawaiian cultural renaissance in the 1970s.”
Olelo Hawaii became an official state language in 1978. Since then it has been reintroduced into public education with immersion schools established statewide. In 2023, February was officially designated as Mahina Olelo Hawaii by state authorities.
“The designation of February as Mahina Olelo Hawaii serves as a testament to the resilience of the Native Hawaiian community and the importance of Hawaiian history and culture,” said Senator Hirono.
Hirono stressed that protecting Olelo Hawaii preserves not only Native Hawaiian culture but also part of U.S. history. She encouraged Americans to consider all aspects when recounting national history:
“As we celebrate our country’s 250th anniversary, we reaffirm our commitment to upholding and fostering that diversity, to protecting the culture of communities that were here before us, and to ensuring the stories of our country, and the Americans who make it so great, are told in full.”
During her remarks on America’s founding anniversary year, Hirono said: “The story of our nation is a story of diversity… That story should be told in its totality.” She criticized actions aimed at removing elements such as slavery from historical exhibits or targeting immigrant groups.
“But we have a regime that fears diversity and is trying to erase it from our history,” she stated.
She continued: “Trump’s regime is attempting to rewrite history and create a white America that never existed in the first place. The native peoples were here first.”
Hirono highlighted contributions from historically marginalized groups: “This country would not be what it is today without social, economic, and cultural contributions…of historically marginalized but important communities.”
She cited how other Indigenous groups have used similar curriculum models as those developed for Hawaiian immersion schools; for example, educators from Aha Punana Leo mentored Ojibwe tribe members seeking to preserve their own language.
“Indigenous languages are an important part of our country’s history and fabric,” she said.
Senator Hirono represents Hawaii as its first female senator and first Asian American woman elected to this office according to her official website. She immigrated from Japan with her family as a child and holds degrees from University of Hawaii at Manoa (Phi Beta Kappa) and Georgetown University Law Center. Her work includes supporting veterans, immigrants, minorities—and assisting constituents with federal agency matters such as Social Security claims or immigration petitions as noted by her office.
The full transcript and video recording of Senator Hirono’s speech are available online.
