HI HR114

Requests the University of Hawaii to establish an Olelo Hawaii (Hawaiian language) educational pathway specifically focused on the Niihau dialect.

Niihau community members are native speakers who have maintained Hawaiian as their primary language through continuous generational use, unlike other islands where pronunciation conformed to English influences.

State agencies already recognize Olelo Niihau as a distinct dialect by providing live interpreters for healthcare, schools, and other institutions serving Niihau speakers.

Expresses concern that pressure to adopt newly invented vocabulary and concepts from Hawaiian language revitalization efforts risks eroding the authentic Niihau dialect through interpolation.

Requires a certified copy of the resolution to be transmitted to the President of the University of Hawaii System.