An article published in TGI Sunday (Oct 28) says “[Hawaiian] language had been suppressed for decades, with an 1896 law that banned education through Hawaiian widely seen as a pivotal part of the language’s decline.”
That’s a frequently heard but badly misleading explanation of what happened. It perpetuates nasty implications of racial oppression, serving only to elicit resentment or even hatred. Let’s correct the record. A webpage at
https://tinyurl.com/4gspl provides extensive citations from two books by UH scholars John Reinecke (Ph.D. dissertation 1935) and Albert J. Schutz (1994), confirming the following points:
In 1862 Kamehameha IV addressed the Kingdom legislature “… it is important to change all Hawaii’s schools to English speaking schools, and I once again put this forth to all.”
In 1882 the Kingdom’s Board of Education adopted the policy that in the growing number of schools where English was the language for teaching all the subjects, the students should be forbidden to speak any other language even among themselves because total immersion is best for language learning.
By 1892 (when Lili’uokalani was still reigning monarch) 95 percent of all the government schools were already using English as the classroom language for teaching all the subjects (thus the 1896 law had almost no effect on stifling Hawaiian).
By 1896 the majority of kids in Hawaii were children of Japanese, Chinese, or Portuguese plantation workers. The 1896 law was aimed at ensuring that Hawaii’s kids would master one language they all could speak. English was chosen rather than Hawaiian because it was already the dominant language in commerce and government.
It was expected that Hawaii would soon become part of the U.S., and all kids born in Hawaii (including Chinese and Japanese) would thereby become U.S. citizens who would need to speak English to be successful.
The 1896 law affected only government or private “schools” which wanted to be certified as meeting the law requiring that all kids must attend “school.”
But parents and community groups were free to establish after-school or weekend academies where other languages could be used — Hundreds of such academies were established where Japanese history and culture were taught using Japanese language. Hawaiians could have done that but chose not to because they wanted their kids to become fluent in English. Most Hawaiian parents insisted their kids speak only English even in the home.
Thus we see that the 1896 law was the natural outgrowth of English-only school policies adopted by sovereign Hawaiian monarchs; English was already the language of instruction in 95 percent of government schools while Lili’uokalani was still in power; the 1895 law was not adopted to suppress Hawaiian language but to require Asian, European and Hawaiian kids to learn English as the one universal language everyone could speak; and the law allowed private after-school academies which could use whatever language they wished to perpetuate whatever culture they preferred.
•••
Kenneth R. Conklin, Ph.D. resident of Kane’ohe.
Thank you Dr. Conklin! The unaware among us is an epidemic proportions, and your facts are welcomed and important. Those who went before us in Hawaii, whether Caucasian, Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, etc. made decisions they felt at the time was in the best interest of their families and neighbors. They made great decisions as is evident by the Country we live in and the freedoms we enjoy that tower over the rest of the world. There are always those losers who will rewrite History to tear us down. I’m sorry for them, but happy for input like yours that sets the record straight!
Sounds like white supremacy jibber to make them feel better of mentally suppressing a thriving nation whose language thrived orally and thru literacy. Having Hawaiian children write 500 times “I will not speak Hawaiian” as a disciplining tactic because they write it in English does not make a policy which under funds Hawaiian medium school is inequitable and a psychological shame tactic to tell an indigenous people their language is not good enough in your home lands , economic trade, and political arena… like none of us have learned Japanese, or French to expand our global view. The 1896 DOE policy just gave a more sway in the illegal acts which continue today.
Ridiculous is the mildest term that comes to mind while reading this. Splitting hairs regarding the 1896 law does not mean the language wasn’t suppressed.
This law established English as the medium of instruction for the government-recognized schools both “public and private”. While it did not ban or make illegal the Hawaiian language in other contexts, its implementation in the schools had far-reaching effects. Those who had been pushing for English-only schools took this law as licence to extinguish the native language at the early education level. While the law stopped short of making Hawaiian illegal (it was still the dominant language spoken at the time), many children who spoke Hawaiian at school, including on the playground, were disciplined. This included corporal punishment and going to the home of the offending child to strongly advise them to stop speaking it in their home. Moreover, the law specifically provided for teaching languages “in addition to the English language,” reducing Hawaiian to the status of a foreign language, subject to approval by the Department. Hawaiian was not taught initially in any school, including the all-Hawaiian Kamehameha Schools. This is largely because when these schools were founded, like Kamehameha Schools founded in 1887 (nine years before this law), Hawaiian was being spoken in the home. Once this law was enacted, individuals at these institutions took it upon themselves to enforce a ban on Hawaiian. Beginning in 1900, Mary Kawena Pukui, who was later the co-author of the Hawaiian–English Dictionary, was punished for speaking Hawaiian by being rapped on the forehead, allowed to eat only bread and water for lunch, and denied home visits on holidays. Winona Beamer was expelled from Kamehameha Schools in 1937 for chanting Hawaiian.
I don’t believe it’s an ad hominum argument to note that the author of this piece has written hundreds of pages essentially decrying Hawaiian pride as racism and even though he is from Chicago and somehow feels oppressed. His statement “I have no need to wander anymore, because now I know — I am Hawaiian” shows his lack of understanding of the islands regardless of his claim to be an expert.
Key words “racial oppression, Expected U.S. Citizens, Law, Natural outgrowth”. Some phd people are nothing more than fake newsman that continue to spew inappropriate comments in this day and age, where it is obvious what corporate U.S. Militaropolitico oppression continues to exist 125-year warring america with Hawaii nei. Specifically PMRF shut down and Mauna Kea rambo. Maybe Conklin showed revisit his U.S. UH schooling and learn what cannot be taken away from Hawaii-nei. Truth and Integrity is all ours.
BUT u dismissed it Key words “racial oppression, Expected U.S. Citizens, Law, Natural outgrowth”. Some phd people are nothing more than fake newsman that continue to spew inappropriate comments in this day and age, where it is obvious what corporate U.S. Militaropolitico oppression continues to exist 125-year warring america with Hawaii nei. Specifically PMRF shut down and Mauna Kea rambo. Maybe Conklin showed revisit his U.S. UH schooling and learn what cannot be taken away from Hawaii-nei. Truth and Integrity is all ours.
OH, THIS IS SO WRONG, NOONE ELSE IS EVEN COMMENTING, IT WOULD TAKE A LIFETIME TO CHANGE YOUR CONCEPTS, SO ME EITHER.
Thanks for providing facts. Crickets from those n’eer-do-wells with their never-ending hand-wringing grievances about how they’ve been oppressed by the Haole. Always easy to blame others than admit your own failings…
Once again another haole taking it upon himself to try to “educate” us about a culture that is now his own. At least this American is still upholding his American “culture” though. The American culture is very simple and very traditional, is it to Rape, Pillage, and Colonize the Indigenous! That is all they will ever traditionally look forward to unless they humble themselves. I pray that the haole will ask God for guidance to stop their racial opression.
“Hand wringing” is what all these fools are doing, especially those that Think they “own”. Weve been working hard to find a developer to begin REstoration of alcatraz, so as to prepare necessary penthouses for those like MM who will grieve deeply for their lost investments. You who have behaved like the regime that has lieed more furoiusly than any other and at the same time, have betrayed their current setting. You have no other recourse but to follow the orders that are imminently being cast. Gutted B52 free airfare allowing one carry on. No worries we will tend to your house and everything you left behind, giving back what was stolen. Here enclosed is one you mortgagee peoples need to read and inquire about. Hilarious how the “haole” card gets used, when they have nothing to add in their publishing. We did not do this america lied and lied so long that people believed it. Now, Truth and Integrity is the highlight. Suffa the pooh tings that so wanted to stay and smell the kauai coffee. https://www.facebook.com/photo.phpfbid=10205076671553425&set=a.1592444668003&type=3
I notice whenever I read a post accusing the U.S. of having targeted Hawaiian language and culture by forbidding its use and punishing those who did, its never accompanied by any link, law, article, or video proving it was so. I would put money that there is not a shred of evidence anywhere backing up such a claim. Having grown up in the 40s and 50s in Kalihi, and attending public schools with all races, and my parents too since before 1920s, I have never heard or read any such thing. This is just another false “grievance”allegation by “native Hawaiians” to incite undeserved pity for their race to appear oppressed and deserving of continued free benefits and handouts, especially believable by newcomers or people not in touch with the previous generations in Hawaii. Its just common sense….the fact is that foreign language studies were never part of curriculum in public schools even in the 60s; it was all english, so of course, no student spoke hawaiian, japanese, or any foreign languages in public school classrooms, pidgin included. In Kalihi where I grew up, we ALL spoke pidgin fluently, and yes, we were little rascals and teachers would not like it at all when some of us intentionally blurted it in class making everyone laugh! I even got punished myself doing it. But it was only natural. The schools taught English!! Simple! Another point is that if Hawaiian language and culture were outlawed and forbidden, when did all that change to once again allow it? There was no such a ban to abolish. Think about it. The most I get from these grievance seekers is that their kupunas, etc. “told them stories” that it happened, that’s all they can say….but no one has perhaps a newpaper article, or an arrest report, school rule or statute, etc. nothing of any kind for any proof. Thats because there were none. One thing I do know to disprove these false grievances, is the fact that private language schools or lessons did exist after 1898 which many of my personal friends attended and any and all foreign language study was always allowed and never outlawed in Hawaii till today.
It’s disgusting that someone not from the islands wants to protest the racism that the islanders were subjected to, just like most states in the mainland still celebrate Columbus Day, when Columbus and his crew did nothing but rape and pillage. Columbus even supplied young teenage girls to his sailors. He also took the natives back to Europe. For someone who thinks his PhD Will make people believe him is ludicrous. Look up the trail of tears, the natives of what is now called the US were subjected to locusts who brought their assimilation (as well as filthy diseases and convicts) from Europe, conquerors who had white-washed history that they discovered America, when the land was already occupied. I was glad to see that several cities had renamed Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s day.
Wiping out cultures of native inhabitants is an effective tool for all super-powers (China, Russia, Nazis, colonial UK, etc). The backbone of any culture is language, thus banning languages or at least establishing schools in the language of an oppressor is a common practice. The US did just that. Shocker!!! – yep, disgusting stuff like most of US policies from Native Americans to Maya genocide to mass incarceration.
You should write satire. Oh!! You already do. “It’s true because I am White and I said so *talks in tongues*.”
My Grandmother was hit at school for speaking ʻOlelo Hawaiʻi – as were many. Keep feeding your White Male transplants so they can troll. Everyone needs something to believe in.
You want to know why there are no Kānaka Maoli rebuttals? They screen for “appropriate language”. My first post isn’t going to make it through. You’re not worth it anyway. We all know that.
This is all bs. I’m from a small new England town. As a child 90%of the population was French, most residents being there for generations. No schools taught French until the 70s…English was taught in schools, French was taught at home. Hawaiians had the same choice, even today most Hawaiians don’t speak the language those that do should enjoy it and life life.. Those that don’t are living their life.
Colonizers always have a funny definition for the word “choice,”
All this article establishes is that the suppression came earlier than that one law.