Hawaiian Language Resources

In my search to find Hawaiian speakers and audio files of people speaking Hawaiian, I found these great resources.  I thought I would share them with you, in case you are looking to learn Hawaiian, or you are just interested in hearing it and learning more about the culture.
(pictured below, my honu ukelele)

1.  Clinton Kanahele Collection

This is a collection of interviews with Hawaiian speakers that Clinton Kanahele recorded in 1970. He includes transcripts in both English and Hawaiian so you can follow along.  Aside from this being a fantastic collection of Hawaiian audio files for linguistic study, the content is also fascinating. The interviewees share what life was like in Hawaii when the missionaries started arriving, what they did for a living, what the land was like, fish they caught, plants they used for medicines and traditions they practiced.

2.  Kulaiwi Online Language Lessons through Kamehameha Schools

If you want to learn Hawaiian for free, this site is a lot of fun- and the teacher is wonderful.  I've been listening to these lessons for a while now and always have a smile on my face while doing so.  There are 30 lessons in all and each one comes with transcripts so you can follow along and see the written Hawaiian as well.  These fun video lessons also have vignettes within the lesson to show people having conversations and doing things like shopping and ordering food at a restaurant.



3.  Niuolahiki Distance Learning (NDL) 

This is a self directed online Hawaiian language platform that offers modules for $30.00 (per module).  There are 25 total modules available.  The lessons are great and you get a year to access them after you sign up (I think this is still the case).  I have enjoyed these lessons, but if you don't want to spend the money on language lessons, there are other options.

4. Hoʻolele Hualono from Kualono (the University of Hawaiʻi, Hilo)

Free and easy to follow.  This site streams the Hawaiian Language (HAW101) Hoʻolele Hualono podcasts that you can also download from iTunes.  The speaker is very easy to follow and understand and the introduction is informative about Hawaiian language history. There are 21 podcasts in all.

5. Hawaiʻi Alive
Bringing Hawaiian Culture to Life

This site is an interactive portal to Hawaiian cultural history.  Fun and comprehensive, the site is a virtual Hawaiian history museum.

6.  Living the Aloha Spirit 

This is a blog created by Ahonui Mims and she spreads aloha spirit through teaching Hawaiian (through Youtube video lessons) and teaching Hula on the Big Island (Hawaii) where she lives.  She also will provide you with worksheets to go with the lessons for free.