Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 11, 1 November 1997 — Molokaʻi student shines at Hawaiian spelling bee [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Molokaʻi student shines at Hawaiian spelling bee

By Manu Boyd AH, LA, oh, he, ah - ke, ah kō, ke, oh, oo. Aloha kākou!" That's how Hawaiian language students spell out loud these days, using Hawaiian vowels and consonants rather than the standard English letter names. But not to worry, written Hawaiian remains the

same, including the 'okina (glottal) and kahakō (macron), diacritical marks that aid in pronunciation. For the past three years, Aloha Festivals' Ho'okūkiā Hua'ōlelo, a spelling bee in the Hawaiian language, has brought the best and

brightest haumāna (students) ffom among 1,332 Hawaiian language immersion participants statewide. In September, Kula Kaiapuani o Kualapu'u student, Nākoa Ka'ahanui, did Moloka'i proud, clenching the title after several stand-off rounds with runner-up, Pōhaikealoha Weller from Nāwahīokalani'ōpu'u on Hawai'i. A total of 19 students participated, eaeh recommended by his or her kumu (teachers) for language and spelling skills. "Ho'okūkū Hua'ōlelo differs from 'conventional' spelling bees in that students not only spell the words, but define them as well," said event chair Liana Honda of the 'Ahahui 'Olelo

Hawai'i. "Many of the students were eliminated in round one because ahhoueh thev spelled the j|*f*

words correctly, they were unsure of 4\ the meaning. % Some of the | * j words would H ^ likely stump F ^ many adults," she said. A eomprehensive list with definitions is

circulated to schools in the spring, but some of the words

are rare, archaic or just plain challenging. ĪHE SPELLING bee is an official Aloha Festivals event, co-sponsored by Victoria Ward Ltd„ Hawaiian Airlines and Bank of Hawai'i. Look forward to more Hawaiian language spelling fun next September at the 4th annual Ho'okūkū Hua'ōlelo. E ho'omākaukau e nā haumāna i loa'a iā 'oe ka lei o ka lanakila! ■ (Below) Nākoa is surrounded by fellow immersion students and in the back row (L-R), Janet Hyrne, Aloha Festivals; Puanani Wilhelm, Judge; Hau'oli Akaka, pronouncer and Manu Boyd, eo-emeee. PHOTOS COURTESY OF VICTORIA WARD LTD.

Nākoa Ka'ahanui of Kula Kaiapuni o Kualapu'u on Moloka'i recieves a plaque from eo-emeee Paula Ka'iulani Akana of KITV 4.