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Ka Hale Hoaka is Bringing Indigenous Language Back to Hawaiian Society

Sep 1, 2022

Maile Naehu, and Kalani Ho-Nikaido embark on the journey to assist in bringing Hawaii's dialect , Olelo Hawai'i - to the contemporary world.

They're doing it through their venture, Ka Hale Hoaka. By bringing the ancient Hawaiian tradition and wisdom for children, parents business owners, and educators through on-line courses, they're aiding in removing the obstacles to 'Olelo Hawaii's usage in daily life.

As per Naehu the integration of native languages into the present is crucial if we want to be more effective stewards of our communities, and people in general. "I believe that connecting with the roots of your family and the tradition of your country regardless of where you reside or where your roots originate - is something that needs to be achieved," she says. "I often say that you have to be creative and remain grounded in the past. We need the ability to realize that the future's solutions have already been presented to our attention. ."

The goal is to get 'Olelo Hawai'i sung in all Hawaiian home. "When we've reached the stage where we be able to play it in the banks, in the grocery store, as well as on the beach, we'll be able to say we've done something," says Ho-Nikaido.

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     The need to restore Hawaiian language    

In order to understand the reason why it's necessary to reintegrate "Olelo Hawai'i" back in the contemporary Hawaiian life, it's helpful to study the area's history.

In the event that the Hawaiian kingdom was overthrown in 1893, a law was passed in 1896 to declare that English as the primary native language of Hawaii. It was not until the Hawaiian Renaissance in the latter portion of 1960 and the beginning of the 1970s when Hawaii's community saw an influx of Hawaiian traditional culture, first driven by artists eager to bring back the ancient Hawaiian arts, music and dance.

It was thought that there was only as few as two thousand Hawaiians who could speak the language fluently. "For 80 years individuals were completely stripped of the person they really were, their history and identity" Naehu explains .

Today, the quantity of native Hawaiian natives is approximately 9,000, and 24 of the schools publicly accessible in Hawaii teach exclusively in Hawaiian. Additionally, there's an plan to bring in Hawaiian languages and culture into every class.

But Naehu would like to see the number increase by even more. She believes that language can help bring Hawaiian individuals with their ancestral roots, and a sense of identity and belonging. In addition, since it is an oral tradition there is a wealth of wisdom that has been passed on through stories told in Hawaiian.

"These stories lose their meaning after they've been translated to English. If you're familiar with "Olelo" Hawai'i stories, it is possible to understand the profound metaphorical layers that are present in our language. It's mind-blowing. It's amazing to be able to view things in a completely different way because I think, dream and speak within my own spoken language, as well as in the world that the language originated from ."

     The call that changed everything    

Ho-Nikaido felt a strong desire to incorporate Olelo Hawaii within her family home. Her husband and she who passed away four years ago wanted to connect their children with the Hawaiian culture and language Hawaii to allow them to have a strong feeling of belonging.

As the schools were closed due to the 2020 covid-19 lockdown, she decided it was the perfect opportunity to gain knowledge. She managed to connect with Naehu the person she'd met during her senior year at high school on the island of Maui. Ho-Nikaido and her buddy had collaborated in a Hawaiian Luau prior to the start of their careers. Naehu was performing as an entertainer while Honikaido was manager.

Over the course of the past 20 years they split up, as their lives led them down different paths; Naehu was an actor and educator, whereas Ho-Nikaido focused on building a successful business using her administrative and finance skills. "The first person I spoke to was Maile," shares Ho-Nikaido in her description of her response to the lockdown. "I declared, 'you're awe-inspiring! and I'm in need of somebody to teach our native languages to my kids as well as me. Would you be able to do this?"

The phone call however resulted in more instruction of 'Olelo Hawai'i's Ho-N family members. While she was hanging up her phone, she thought about the many parents that required help in integrating the language within their own families too.

They decided to mix their diverse - and complementary - skill sets to launch the course for free on Facebook. Naehu is the instructor and Ho-Nikaido is expected to help set up the classes behind the scenes using Zoom. "Marrying the talents of both of us has led us to be capable of breaking out the door, as I know how to create businesses, and Maile can instruct and create programs," Ho-Nikaido adds.

     How a free class resulted in a launch of a new business    

They all posted information about the course for free on their own Facebook pages. They also announced the class would take place over the next 2 weeks.

They explained that they would throw out the course without having to be perfect or glamorous. While they didn't know who was keen, they did have hundreds of sign-ups for the class. Incredulous at the number of sign-ups, the organizers realized they were offering something that was wanted by the public and was needed.

"The greatest entrepreneur stories involve being in and helping in a time when everyone else is running out of the way," adds Ho-Nikaido. "That is the idea behind our business; we thought, let's go in and serve the community, and become shining beacons of connection and hope since parents are flinching out right now ."

After a couple of weeks the launch of their first course- and upon realizing the market's demand for the products they could offer They officially started Ka Hale Hoaka. Ka Hale Hoaka business. Naehu was the visionary, and design of the curriculum, while Ho-Nikaido became the chief financial officer and systems integrator. "Most people think there's an enormous amount of capital needed in order to start a business" Ho-Nikaido says. "For our company, there were just two moms who picked up the telephone, used computers and became working. We're bootstrapping this ."

     The lessons: leaning on ancestral wisdom    

Hoaka is a Hawaiian word that is a term that can refer to the waxing crescent moon's ability to cast shadows throughout the second moon's phase which is an integral part of the Hawaiian lunar calendar. The word could also refer to'spirit' or 'to shine brilliantly or to shine brilliantly. The Ka Hale Hoaka teachings are based on the idea that the the wisdom that our forefathers could have had is the solution to our modern problems.

The search for connection to the wisdom and ancient knowledge that arose from the past began early for Naehu even when she was just a kid attending the school of native Hawaiian students from Oahu, the Island of Oahu however, the school that she went to was not west-oriented. "I was aware of the fact that I was Hawaiian but I could not know the significance of being able living in a way that was Hawaiian," she says. "I was always looking to know more about the tradition. ."

The devastation of Hawaiian traditional culture in the last quarter of the nineteenth century left a lasting impact.

"If you go to Hawaii and you'll see that the island is actually just very small parts of the actual island of Hawaii actually is." Naehu adds. "A major portion of Hawaii is established and colonized. Our family is a descendant of that ."

As a child during the period of the Hawaiian Renaissance, she says she was lucky enough to have the ability to seek answers and discover the truth of who she was. The journey led to her receiving the honorary degree of the traditional Hawaiian Society at the University of Hawaii in Manoa, majoring in Hawaiian studies and language.

For Naehu what she shares with her knowledge lies in her everyday life. Living on an off-grid land on the island of Molokai alongside her husband, and her three kids, she's discovered solutions that her forefathers did not leave to their descendants by becoming farmers and giving lectures on the traditional Hawaiian philosophical concepts. "We continually seek innovative solutions through the application of science and technology," she declares. "But the answer is now. When we put aside our fumbling with nature and begin listening to the wisdom that is left behind to us as a blessing, the old wisdom may guide us into the future ."

     Generations to come    

When they launched their first no-cost course, they constructed their database and made the decision to launch paid courses. The first course successful course was sold out, which made eight seats. Since then, they have increased their number of students to around 800 paying students. "Ka Hale Hoaka is one of those overnight success stories that was a long time of development," Ho-Nikaido says. "Both of us set off on our own ways, working and developing their own skills and professional lives."

While Ka Hale Hoaka has courses for educators, parents as well as adult learners as well as businesses, their main focus is on children. "The foundation of our business is focused on helping the next generation grow up," says Ho-Nikaido.

Although the classes are geared towards children in the early years, Naehu and Ho-Nikaido started to observe that the entire family was learning in a group. There are now products available to help different types of people all the way from newborns to those who are 90 years old.

"Our students love the interactive method we use to conduct classes. They also are delighted with how straightforward, simple and easy our approach. There are more elders joining our adult classes, or attending our children's classes due to the fact that it is easier for them to understand the language. This was for me an exciting surprise. Now they have the opportunity to study the language that was taken from them."

     Sales are scaling up    

When they discovered that selling their curriculum to the public was a lengthy process, they opted to add their corporate model to boost return. They began to gain the interest of schools and then began to offer the curriculum. "Now we can allow schools to pick an account for schools and give an apex of 270 seats to one customer," Ho-Nikaido explains.

They also focus on tourism companies. "The tourism industry has to be a part of the engine that makes 'Olelo Hawaii's voice heard across the globe," Ho-Nikaido continues. "As stewards and people that enjoy a significant financial advantage it is their responsibility to honor the Hawaiian cultural traditions in a genuine way. ."

They advertise across multiple platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube They have just announced their LinkedIn initiative, as well as Google advertisements for several items.

     Technology is evolving as well.    

When they launched Ka Hale Hoaka, they used ClickFunnels to start their first mode of operations. However, as they began to grow the company, they realized they would require a new backend system. In October 2021, the college made a change to their user-friendly backend system and the possibility of reporting.

Instead of becoming afraid of technological advancements the technology has brought, they'd take a "accepting that doing is better than being the perfect' mindset. It helped them not to overwhelm themselves with the task of doing everything right the first attempt. When they look back at the initial videos they will refer to them as comical.' "In the beginning of these the videos I had been recording myself in my room, with no lighting" states Naehu. "Now it's much more professional, and we've the proper studio equipment ."

"Just start and get started making things the way that you are able to," Naehu advises. "It can grow when you've established a strong help system ."

Certain of their courses are currently in the third editions as they're committed to continuous improvement. "Because it's a soft format, you can always revisit and make new videos," continues Naehu. "Students will accept your progress because they're eager to gain all the knowledge they have get from you. Do not be stifled by the technical skills you possess. Outsource your work and utilize the available resources. If you have an idea to share or have some data you'd like to share you, begin with the basics today, and leave technology later ."

     Bundling evergreen courses    

The first year of business the team was mostly focused on course development. However, this continual production was causing Naehu to stretch herself thin. Eventually, they realized that they'd created enough content they could make evergreen bundles in order to prevent burnout and creative stress or repurpose existing content and also continuously increase money.

Now, Ka Hale Hoaka has fifteen classes. These include the primary course, as well as other courses and workshops that they design and store in their library. "Maile sings, creates artwork and sings during the class, so we've spliced those and made an educational library that includes other courses along with the primary classes," says Ho-Nikaido.

Bundling their classes is one of the things they are most excited about . "Bundles allow me to be a bit more creative in the way I present and package items," says Ho-Nikaido "For instance, I've made a bundle of the live courses as well as our self-paced ones, and named it. In the future I'll make it another funnel with a perpetual ."

     The structure of their Course content    

When it comes to structuring each course, students are able be able to access every course's content after purchasing rather than having a drip schedule. "We discovered with our courses especially with our course curriculum that teachers really like the flexibility in observing the entire course," says Ho-Nikaido.

Ho-Nikaido states that there are still features that are not yet being utilized. But they have the essential technology. "I'm constantly thinking about our workflow, and ways to streamline our backend system to ensure that we don't have as much to do," she adds.

     Engaging students throughout the course    

The interaction with students is an essential part that is a major part of Ka Hale Hoaka online course instruction; students are required to provide their email addresses after every video, so that they have the ability to contact the students. Furthermore, personal responses to each question are provided by Naehu.

"I say to students: If you're in this particular group, you're part within our extended family. We're here to help students who need help with navigating through the text ."

They also offer live tutoring, and Naehu organizes a monthly 30 minute Q&A time to remain in contact with students. Once students are through the class they receive an email that contain discount coupons that could be used to avail new courses in order for keeping them involved.

It is also the case that the Ka Hale Hoaka team also regularly sends out regular newsletters to the entire student database that include details about significant events, offers that are time-sensitive in the pipeline and women's kops as well as opportunities. "We're constantly updating our database of email addresses," says Ho-Nikaido.

Find out more about HTML0: Watch the discussion with Kumu maile Naehu on Radio Kingston!

     A team is hired    

Based on the conviction that hiring teams with a variety of skill sets is the key to growth

Naehu and Ho-Nikaido started with hiring two free interns that helped them with their first paid course launch. After that, they recruited part-time college students who eventually become full-time employees by the month of January, 2022. "We were extremely excited to know by the fact that we'd come up with an idea that was unique enough to get them to choose us for their first out-of-college job," says Ho-Nikaido.

Together with their two full-time employees Additionally, they employ three employees that assist in the creation of the curriculum. "I am a seasoned group of curriculum specialists and this is because I developed everything on my own since the very beginning" states Naehu. "There's an enormous improvement in regards to the worksheet, film as well as slide design after hiring a team that was created entirely on my own, with no need for any additional eyes ."

Hiring a team has allowed Naehu to have more confidence when creating curriculum materials. She as well as her three Curriculum assistants meet regularly that allow them to collaborate and come up with ideas, and they rely on their Hawaiian college majors in the area of language to assist.

For creators who don't have enough resources to create their own team Ho-Nikaido offers some tips.

"If you're a solopreneur join an online mastermind to have accountability to others that create classes. Each week's routine of accountability will aid you as you progress through an ."

     A guide to creators of online courses    

As well as educating over 800 students, the Ka Hale Hoaka team is making a considerable impression in Hawaiian the public. " Students from the professional and political circles that did not have a discussion on this subject in the last two years have been contacting me asking for more details," says Naehu. "I am now able to see the impact we're making as these are the people who take big decisions on behalf of large students and institutions. ."

Based on Naehu and Ho-Nikaido as long as you -- the person who created the course online- have skills and experience behind you, you have all the ingredients needed to create online courses that are most effective. In the event that you're considering to make your online course more accessible, Ho-Nikaido recommends you start by setting the goal with in your mind. "We made the decision in the initial couple of weeks we would be looking to make a big change," she says. "From the start, we were looking into software which would let us increase our ."

"If you have a vision of where you want to get to, start with the most effective method. Even if you are apprehensive about cost, this will enable you to reach your objectives faster ."

Naehu and Ho-Nikaido are excellent examples of people who used their skills and knowledge to create an impact . If you're seeking to accomplish the same, don't wait. Get started today.

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