Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi- Pāʻani Kelson

Pāʻani Kelson

Kumu ʻUo Mamo Papa 9

Ke Kula ʻO Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu

Keaʻau, Puna, Hawaiʻi

I ka makahiki 2005, ma koʻu wā puka kula kiʻekiʻe, ua hoʻoholo au e komo i ke kulanui e ʻimi i ka ʻike ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. Haʻi ʻia mai au, "Don't waste your intelligence studying Hawaiian language." "Boy, you supposed to go college to earn money. How you gonna make a living with Hawaiian language?" "I better not catch you dancing hula." No laila, ma loko o koʻu ʻano hoʻokano a poʻo lāʻau hoʻi, ua kūlia nui au e hoʻonaʻauao aku i ia poʻe i aloha nui ʻia. Eia ke lawelawe nei i kēia kuleana aʻo kumu kula, i mea e kinai loa ʻia ai kēlā ʻano kuhihewa ʻana o ko kākou lāhui. I mea hoʻi e haʻaheo ai nā pua ʻōpio i ko lākou mauli ola ponoʻī iho.

When I graduated from high school in 2005, I decided to enroll at university to learn Hawaiian language. I was told, "Don't waste your intelligence studying Hawaiian languge." "Boy, you supposed to go to college to earn money. How you gonna make a living with Hawaiian language?" "I better not catch you dancing hula." And so because of my perverse and hard headed nature, I strove to prove otherwise to my loved ones. Here I am serving in this position as a school teacher, so that I can put a stop to those kinds of erroneous opinions toward our people and so that our young people can have pride in who they truly live to be.