A flag billows in the wind in an open field framed by trees.

Hawaii’s Native language nearly vanished—this is the fight to bring it back

For a language to be considered safe from extinction, 100,000 people need to speak it. A small fraction of people speak ‘ōlelo today, but young Hawaiians using TikTok and Instagram may help change that.

An inverted Hawaiian state flag, a symbol of the islands’ sovereignty movement, flies at Mauna Kea, a volcano on the island of Hawaii. Fifty years into the islands’ cultural renaissance, language plays a central role.
Photograph By Daniella Zalcman
Read this story in Hawaiian (‘ōlelo Hawai‘i) at the bottom.
E neʻeneʻe iki iho no ka heluhelu ʻana ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.

On a crisp morning on the island of Oʻahu, fidgeting students at Pū‘ōhala Elementary gather on a field as lush mountains behind them peek out from the mist. Their day starts with chants in ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, the islands’ Native language, reiterating values of respect and justice that their teachers hope will guide them through their education, and throughout their lives.

Like most kids their age, they’re not concerned with their grand legacy or the significance of the language they’re learning. Still, they have a weighty charge: to receive the torch and ensure the security of ‘ōlelo for future generations.

It was only 50 years ago that the language peered over the edge of extinction. Though the situation is much improved, in many

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