Yesterday I, along with my brother, went to a funeral/remembrance for our friend's mother with our Kumu. While there, we heard a lot of beautiful music played by Pa'ahana, saw some hula & tahitian dancing, but I would say the best thing I heard the entire time was ʻōlelo tuahine. It was the old ʻōlelo of our people. It was what it was prior to the landing of the missionary. I almost started to tear when I heard it. It was beautiful!It brought up a question my grandmother has asked me a bunch of times before. She's asked me why she can't understand a lot of the kids speaking ʻōlelo nowdays. She's had conversations with college kids who've come up to her, wanting to converse with a kupuna about the olden days. But she tells me (and them) that she cannot understand what they're saying. She can understand a few words here and there, but a lot of it doesn't make sense. To which I have to explain to her what it's like learning in college (she only went up to the 8th grade) and how things have changed, including how ʻōlelo is being spoken. She looks perplexed a lot of times. She asks me if I understand what they're saying. I, myself, have a hard time as well. I'm used to hearing the same ʻōlelo she heard from her kupuna. Short, simple, and to the point. I'm not knocking the kids who do go to school and learn ʻōlelo, that's maika'i.. Kūlia e loaʻa kā naʻauao! This is just a struggle I and my Kupuna face when it comes to the ʻōlelo we know and the ʻōlelo of now.Is there a difference? Yes & No. Yes in the sense that the language has changed. & No in the sense that it is still ʻōlelo.'Ae?
Yesterday I, along with my brother, went to a funeral/remembrance for our friend's mother with our Kumu. While there, we heard a lot of beautiful music played by Pa'ahana, saw some hula & tahitian dancing, but I would say the best thing I heard the entire time was ʻōlelo tuahine. It was the old ʻōlelo of our people. It was what it was prior to the landing of the missionary. I almost started to tear when I heard it. It was beautiful!It brought up a question my grandmother has asked me a bunch of times before. She's asked me why she can't understand a lot of the kids speaking ʻōlelo nowdays. She's had conversations with college kids who've come up to her, wanting to converse with a kupuna about the olden days. But she tells me (and them) that she cannot understand what they're saying. She can understand a few words here and there, but a lot of it doesn't make sense. To which I have to explain to her what it's like learning in college (she only went up to the 8th grade) and how things have changed, including how ʻōlelo is being spoken. She looks perplexed a lot of times. She asks me if I understand what they're saying. I, myself, have a hard time as well. I'm used to hearing the same ʻōlelo she heard from her kupuna. Short, simple, and to the point. I'm not knocking the kids who do go to school and learn ʻōlelo, that's maika'i.. Kūlia e loaʻa kā naʻauao! This is just a struggle I and my Kupuna face when it comes to the ʻōlelo we know and the ʻōlelo of now.Is there a difference? Yes & No. Yes in the sense that the language has changed. & No in the sense that it is still ʻōlelo.'Ae?
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