Memo supporting Niihau language signed

LIHUE — Kauai County Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday with the Malie Foundation — a local organization that works to educate, promote, preserve and perpetuate Hawaiian culture — to support the preservation of the Niihau language.

“I am very excited about this agreement because with each generation, the Niihau language is becoming more and more at risk of extinction,” Carvalho said in a press release. “The only native speakers of Hawaiian remaining are living on Niihau and on the Westside towns of Kauai, with a few families in Anahola.”

The mayor’s statement says that in the memorandum, the county agrees to provide support to the Malie Foundation and their experts to locate and secure funding for projects aimed at preserving the Niihau language.

In exchange, the Malie Foundation will formulate programs and initiatives such as a school curriculum, workshops and educational tools, while providing support for Niihau people as manaleo and community members.

The Malie Foundation will also advise the county regarding innovative ideas to preserve the Niihau language, according to the release.

“With approximately 300 native speakers of Hawaiian left in the world, it is in the best interest of all to support the revitalization and normalization of olelo Kanaka,” Carvalho said. “I’m proud to support this initiative which could set a global precedence in language revitalization all around the world.”