NAVIGATING HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE & CULTURE DECAL

E Komo Mai (Welcome)!

Hawaiʻi is the 8-island chain in the Pacific, home to some of the greatest voyagers in the world and to a reviving culture and language today. This student-facilitated, 2-unit course at UC Berkeley is an introduction to the culture, history, and language of Hawaiʻi.  

This class is designed to bring insight to the Hawaiian perspective and spark critical thinking for conversation about current issues. There will be an emphasis on unlearning the colonizer’s history and relearning Hawaiʻi’s complex history through the works, experiences, and expertise of Kānaka Maoli scholars and activists. This will include discussions of Aloha ʻĀina and the intersubjective relationship between kānaka and our land. Additionally, we will discuss the history of the language from its outlaw to its revitalization and perpetuation today. We are our ancestor's greatest dreams. We speak their languages so we will be able to converse when we join them. 

The ultimate goal of this course is to gain a basic understanding of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language), perpetuate Hawaiian culture, and discuss how Hawaiʻi is still undergoing colonization. Feel free to explore this site to learn more about this course!