Mana Wahine - Niihau Language

The island of Niihau is the only place in the world where "Hawaiian" is the primary language. Their specific dialect dates back to how the native Hawaiians spoke before missionaries arrived. It's estimated that there are at least 500 native speakers left, and some worry that with each generation that passes… that dialect may be lost. Dr. Kuuipolani Kanahele Wong and Kahea Faria... who were raised on Niihau… are part of a movement to preserve and perpetuate "Olelo Kanaka Niihau."
"Ma ane'i nei ua olelo ia aneane mate ta olelo aka ma Niihau aole no pela ta mea ma Niihau mau no ta olelo mai ta wa, mai o to matou poe tupuna, to lakou poe tupuna, a to matou mau matua a laila hiti mai ia matou."
(Translation: Unlike our other Hawaiian islands, the language almost became extinct. But Niihau has continued the language from the time of our kupuna, their kupuna, our parents, now and to our generation.)
One thing that makes the Niihau dialect unique is the use of the letter "T." The original Hawaiian language used the letter until missionaries documenting the language replaced "T" with "K". The other islands adapted to that… not Niihau.
What are you doing today? (English) He aha kau hana o keia la? (Hawaiian)
He aha tau hana o teia la (Olelo Niihau)
"The Niihau language exists as a community. It's not just what we teach in school. It's actually a language that nurtures the speaker from the time they're born."
"They know things, they learn, they dream, they live in the language"
The women are working with multiple organizations to implement programs and language initiatives across the state. They teach for the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Dr. Wong at Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language... and Kahea Faria... for the college of education. They're also spearheading a movement called "Ka leo o na kupa". It's a partnership with the Malie Foundation and County of Kauai… to secure funding for school curriculum, workshops and educational tools.
"Mahalo pu i teia ohana Lopikana no to lakou malama ana i teia olelo ma ta aina"
( Translation: Mahalo to the Robinson family for their work in perpetuating the Hawaiian language on Niihau.)
He mahalo no hoi ketahi ia OHA no to latou tatoo ana i ta puta ana o tela mau tumu.
(Translation: Mahalo to OHA for supporting the teacher training program.)
"He hana pu ma waena o ta kula hoonaauo, kula Kawaihuelani, ma ta kula nui a me ta hana pu ana me na kanaka i hanai, hanau ia ma ta olelo kanaka."
(Translation: Collaborative work between the College of Education and Kawaihuelani at UH-Manoa, and partnering with a native speaking community.)
With each student... and each lesson... it's another step toward ensuring that olelo Kanaka Niihau will live on forever.
"Manaolana wau o ta manaolana no teia mua aku oia hoi ta hoomau ia o ta olelo Niihau i loko o ta ohana Niihau a me ta poe e hoihoi ana e a'o mai i ta olelo Niihau. He mea tela e hiti ai i ta olelo te hoomau ia no na hanauna e hiti mai ana. "
(Translation: Perpetuating the Niihau language within the families and those interested in learning, so that the language continues into future generations.)

[@brittslife1420]

This is the Hawaiian Dialect that should be on Duolingo

[@MrAlexanderrangel]

facts

[@jacobr4558]

I'm just glad Hawaiian is in there. Wish they had Pidgin.

[@jacobr4558]

@Hi That is fascinating!

[@clarissekanahele355]

Aloha Ohana Niihau!

[@Rolando_Cueva]

Jacob, Pidgin is easy if you know English.

[@SunnyIlha]

Niihau Hawaiian is Aboriginal Original Hawaiian (Spoken). It is Living, surviving, Ancient Hawaiian; that was spoken in pre-Contact Hawai'i, and is currently now still spoken in total fluent use on Niihau. It is alive, well, and flourishing.

[@MrAlexanderrangel]

'olelo niihau is closer to "original hawaiian" but its important to acknowledge / recognize that the dialects and accents of pre-contact hawaiian varied between islands, especially over the k/t , l/r , k/okina switches. In fact, people from the same communities were recorded as choosing different letters by explorers - Olelo Ni'ihau has also evolved organically since initial contact -- it would be silly to say the english of today is the same as that of 1778, even in the same exact area among the same family. "University Hawaiian / Neo Hawaiian" does lack the input of native speakers and has evolved in some ways , but if you consider the mele passed down over generations, and the grammar / nuance of hawaiian preserved in Pidgin, as well as the fact native speakers from o'ahu, maui, etc who were born in the 1880s lived into the 1970s and we have recordings of them which have been considered in the construction of hawaiian language education, I think it's fair to say it isn't completely devoid of true native input. my only personal criticism is the invasion of english syntax, words, and annunciation in hawaiian which are sometimes prioritized over native accents simply because people believe "standard hawaiian" means "proper hawaiian" So we should take Ni'ihau speak as a basis for 'olelo hawaii and as evolving naturally from pre-contact speech, but it's almost to exoticize and fetishize the dialect by saying it's "ancient hawaiian" or "real hawaiian" -- and likewise, because hawiian culture has never been erased (and therefore neither the language) we can somewhat safely assume the effect of standardization and second-language speakers on hawai'i isn't so bad to entirely obscure the language from it's "original form"

[@IslenoGutierrez]

@@MrAlexanderrangel Actually I agree with the OP that the Ni’ihau dialect is indeed original aboriginal Hawaiian. I’ve listened to Niihau speakers for an extended amount of time and they use t’s but also k’s, r’s but also l’s and v’s but also w’s. Their language sounds closer to other Polynesian languages and other Polynesians from other island chains can understand them much easier than Ōlelo Hawai’i because Ōlelo Ni’ihau (or as they refer to their own dialect as Ōlelo Matuahine) is a natural Polynesian language unlike Ōlelo Hawai’i which has extensive dialect altering influences from missionaries. As you know, Christian missionaries in the 1820’s voted against recording the letters t, r and v for printed words and instead used k, l and w in words that had t, r and v sounds, but also k, l and w sounds. Remarkably, the v/w interchange was retained in Ōlelo Hawai’i in spoken form, but not in written form and the r/l and t/k interchanges were not retained. The missionaries were trying to record the Hawaiian language to write a Bible in the Hawaiian language and the Hawaiian language was a spoken language without an alphabet. All the islands except Ni’ihau slowly adopted this change and Ōlelo Hawai’i or standard Hawaiian was born. Ni’ihau was segregated from the time period when the change took place since the missionaries changed the language in print in bibles in the 1820’s and the Robinson family didn’t purchase Ni’ihau until 1864 so this is also another hint that shows although the change in language took place in print in bibles, it took many years for Hawaiians in the other islands to adopt this change and the adoption had to have taken place after the Robinson family purchased Ni’ihau and not immediately after the Bible’s were printed. And this was despite the high possibility that they probably had the same missionary bibles brought in from Kaua’i via the Robinson family at some point but they would have been segregated from the adopting culture of the other islands. I do want to stress that the changes took effect very slowly as it’s recorded that native speakers of early 19th century Hawaiian language in the rest of the islands spoke similarly to modern Ni’ihauans with t/k, r/l and v/w. King Kamehameha II signed his name Tamehameha and Hawaiians referred to him this way, see here: commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Signature_of_Kamehameha_II_(Tamehameha).svg And the first King Kamehameha, was called Tamehameha as well and since he died in 1819 and the missionaries didn’t completely change the language until 1824 he also used T in his name and would have spoken similarly to Ni’ihauns. Kamehameha II’s name was recorded in media print and official documents as Liholiho but it is noted in the records that he preferred to be called rihoriho instead. So these features of the Ni’ihau dialect were already present on Oahu and other islands. Records also show that residents of other islands spoke with t/k, r/l and v/w as well until the change was more adopted in later years. Interviews of people from Maui and the big island speak of how their great grandparents spoke using t’s, r’s and v’s as well as k’s, l’s and w’s. So this means that the Ni’ihau dialect is “real Hawaiian” or to be more polite, authentic Hawaiian in comparison to Ōlelo Hawai’i which is indeed the Hawaiian language but with drastic changes in letters of many words that make it seem like a vastly different language in both spoken form and in print and a much less authentic version of itself.

[@IslenoGutierrez]

@@MrAlexanderrangel Just to clarify, when I agreed with the OP that the Ni’ihau dialect is “real Hawaiian” I meant authentic Hawaiian and specifically, the pre-missionary Hawaiian language, which would have been a form of pre-contact Hawaiian. I didn’t mean that Ōlelo Hawai’i was some fake version, as it’s still the Hawaiian language but with some, in my opinion, drastic changes which lends an inauthenticity factor to an authentic language. Ancient Hawaiian would have been somewhat different since as with all languages, evolution takes place and it was probably closer to Marquesan and Tahitian dialects since these populations are the ancestors of Hawaiians and that time period being closer to the time period when Marquesans and Tahitians arrived in Hawaii. In fact, there is an ancient Hawaiian chant contributed by someone of Ni’ihauan descent to hulapreservation.org that was passed generation to generation in the Ni’ihau community, according to the contributor, and it shows a extreme lack of l’s and a strong r emphasis, but t’s are also present: “ `Ae, he motu Ta`ura Nihoa me Ni`ihau He motu Ta`ura Nihoa me Ni`ihau I ta uru ra`i a Tawaihoa a Täne `O taurana-a-ta-rä i Haräri`i Hara ta rä tau ma te tua o Rehua Tau ta mörehurehu o te ahiahi Moe e nö Taua`i i runa ta rä E ö ana `o Rehua i te tai” This makes me think the L was an evolutionary contribution…or at least was very sparingly used at that point and the chant contained no examples of it if it did exist.

[@Number1ReggaeHunter]

Now the old maps I've seen of O'ahu makes more sense now. They had "Honolulu" spelled "Honoruru" and "Kalihi" was spelled "Karihi" all this time I thought who ever made that map was deaf or something lol.

[@IslenoGutierrez]

@@Number1ReggaeHunter yep, you got it right. Pre-contact Hawaiians used R quite frequently. Missionaries that approached the islands documented to have been first greeted with “aroha”. The Kamehameha’s were called Tamehameha and even signed their names as Tamehameha and Liholiho told others his name was really rihoriho not Liholiho.

[@jayrulez7808]

Wow because they’re speaking with the “T” it sounds more like Samoan and Tongan in a way very unique and beautiful!!!! Keep the native language alive!!!!

[@REDEYEDFEELiN]

It is by way of east polynesian influence. Tahiti marquesas had relationships with west polynesian islands

[@CallemJay_McNeill]

I don't think it sounds like either of those languages. It's definitely Eastern Polynesian

[@bFORCe2003]

Samoan's sometimes use K instead of T.

[@greylynnV]

It sounds alot like Tongan with the T sounds

[@ahh-2-ahh]

I would say it sounds more Tongan (softer dialect of Tongan language), after all Tongan is the oldest Polynesian language that all Polynesian language stems from.

[@SunnyIlha]

The fluency spoken here. It shook me to the core of my being.

[@CallemJay_McNeill]

I can almost understand what they're saying, it's very similar to New Zealand Māori

[@SunnyIlha]

Yes, it becomes more intellible to speakers of Maori, Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, Society Islands and Marquesas (Ni'ihau spoken). This is due to it not being altered to such extent by european modifications, that it sounds recognizably Polynesian to Other Polynesians. It no longer sounds strange, odd and even weird.

[@nyquilsleepah]

I mean i can somewhat make out what Samoans are saying, only huge difference id say is they replaced the T with K...Ke Akua/ Te Atua You can still make it out. Just little different

[@PracticalPerry]

Māori and Hawaiin are indeed similar. However, Māori is closer to Tahitian language than Hawaiin.

[@gsf67]

Being from Aotearoa/New Zealand, and having a Niue father, the dialect sounds surprisingly familiar, a mix of the Samoa and Tonga languages. Long may it live.

[@semajalitam3702]

thats exactly what it is...samoan language when properly spoken is with T no K..on Manua'a Island that's how they been doing it since creation .

[@user-vn6qo8hi8l]

a lot of pacific islander language especially polynesia speaks very similar and some words are the same

[@gsf67]

@@user-vn6qo8hi8l I have.a theory, and that is the Polynesian/Pasifika diaspora occurred relatively late in terms of world history, and in relative isolation, and didn't have the same amount of time to diversify.

[@BadInfluence808]

Yes that is the truth!!! 💯💯💯

[@OtaraCowboy685]

As a speaker of Samoan and Te Reo Maori, I found the Niihau dialect strangely familiar to the ear. Surprisingly I could understand what the two ladies were saying without the subtitles. Will love to see more videos of the Niihau dialect. Very beautiful language.

[@dalastkanakamaoli9058]

That's nutz

[@river1961]

That’s bc they speak the original Olelo Hawai’i

[@hateswhitewhales]

i dont speak any of them but am around all of them and can hear that too!!! so cool!!!

[@OtaraCowboy685]

@@dalastkanakamaoli9058 yeah brother buzzed out at it aye lol

[@OtaraCowboy685]

@@river1961 it's amazing to still have it surviving today. Hopefully next time I'm in Hawaii I'll visit Kaua'i and hopefully engage with some of the Niihauan speakers there. Will love to visit Niihau, but since I'm not kanaka maoli it's probably not going to be something I can do.

[@SunnyIlha]

Keep in mind, that english is not used on Ni'ihau. On Ni'ihau, Hawaiian is not a secondary, reconstruction-effort Language. It never was; and never will be. Hawaiian is spoken. Hawaiian was, and is, always spoken there, in unbroken continuity.

[@SunnyIlha]

@antonio All Ni'ihau Islanders speak english. They are trilingual. They also speak Hawai'i Creole.

[@SunnyIlha]

@antonio It may be accidentally misconstrued that Ni'ihau Islanders speak only Hawaiian. It's ok, this is understandable since they are distinguished by unique isolation.

[@outsidechambaz]

@@SunnyIlha My uncle Asela is from Ni’ihau and he speaks the dialect. It is the most beautiful representation of what hawaiian language would sound like all over Hawai’i if it had not been exterminated by foreigners

[@SunnyIlha]

@@outsidechambaz Thank you unendingly, and your Uncle, revered Tupuna, as your testimony infuses great Mana to the Life of Native Hawai'i. Yours are words to be heard and cherished. Such is the continuity from ancestors to descendants. The Breath of Life continues.

[@jasononelove1]

My auntie! Proud of my Hawaiian roots. Fortunately I get to hear them speak this often.

[@SunnyIlha]

Please record as much Niihau speech as possible. Especially Elders. Tupuna.

[@pbandj37]

Jason....which lady is your auntie?

[@neiltf1173]

With the "T" its sounds like Samoan, Tongan and even Cook island! WOW!

[@tiotiwilliams8311]

It actually sounds more Cook Islander then the Samoan and Tongan language.

[@shenglongisback4688]

What's more buzzy that the w,k,l sounds were introduced in some parts by missionaries whowrote the language down as it was hard too sound out the o.g olelo. So something like kamakane,wahine or Kanaka Hawaii. Would be written Tamatane,vahine, tanata havaii Just examples..

[@mommysina]

This is my first time hearing the Niihau dialect. The accent is the soul of the language, and it is so beautiful!

[@jungsuk888]

This whole time, I thought Sāmoan language was the only Polynesian language that uses t’s and k’s interchangeably. K’s for colloquial speech and T’s for formal speech-same with N’s with nG’s and R’s with L’s making it formal or informal! Example: “the girl ate the frog” ‘ai le teine i le rane” FORMAL ‘ai le keinge i le lange” INFORMAL But it’s interesting to see that Niihau dialect has the same thing! Because they preserved that part of the language, we can see the close connection between the two. As a Sāmoan speaker, sometimes I can understand what Hawaiians are saying clearly. For ex: O ai lou ingoa? O wai kou inoa? Fo’i mai. Ho’i mai. Alofa oe. Aloha oe. Very interesting, same with Tokelauan and Tahitian. But from what I understand, you can understand Hawaiian, Tahitian and Tokelauan the clearest from a Sāmoan perspective because of the grammar structure. They may not be mutually intelligible at first-when comparing Sāmoan to the others-but with some decoding you could definitely understand what people are saying. I think this has to do with how versatile Sāmoan language is such as being able to change letters in everyday speech as well the grammar structure being a bit versatile as well which makes it possible to decode the other Polynesian languages..? Idk then again I’m not a linguist, I just have a good ear lol

[@lauiloa]

Interesting.....the original native Samoan is also with the T. Currently people from Manu'a and savai'i still speak the ancient dialect...we need to preserve our language and continue to teach our young ones so when all else is lost.....our language lives on....Tagaloa e Tagalo e fesosoani Mai......

[@ChrisEAdlay]

Do you worship Tagaloa?

[@JT-ok6re]

This language should be brought back to every island in Hawaii! Language is culture, culture is language. When it's removed then the Culture doesn't exist. It's just the memory of History.

[@tunuitahitianfire9875]

fascinating, with the use of the T instead of K it sounds more like Tahitian especially when she said "Tupuna"

[@mercedesmartinez2211]

I would love to learn!! Keeping something like this alive is crucial in today’s society! This is amazing to hear.

[@gregcarter8656]

KITV used an incorrect English translation --- "Unlike our other Hawaiian islands, the language almost became extinct." The correct translation is --- "Here, it was said that the language is almost dead." The interview took place in Honolulu, so the word "Here" did NOT mean on Niihau, it meant outside of Niihau. KITV's incorrect translation created the false appearance that Dr. Kanahele was saying Hawaiian almost died on Niihau. Her next sentence says "But on Niihau, it was not like that."

[@davidecarretta4958]

Is anyone a native Hawaiian speaker here. I’ve been learning the language as a self-taught for the last 11 years from Italy. Much love to Hawai’i!

[@Anelaokalani1]

They should allow our Kanaka keiki to Niihau to learn their native tongue and immerse completely in the Hawaiian Culture.

[@Tommy89gunz]

Cannot because of the sicknesses we have would be detrimental to their well being

[@sandramorey2529]

We were at a small hotel on Kauai'i in 1980 and a couple of Niihau fishermen were staying next door. We were so interested in their conversation as it was Hawaiian as we had never heard it. We were trying to figure out if maybe it was Tahitian. It was the T instead of the usual K. It was like music. Thank goodness it is being studied and perpetuated. Along with the treasured Niihau shell lei, this beautiful language is a treasure. Also, their style of hula is quite different. 2020 Oakland Ca

[@SunnyIlha]

Due to its ancestral root-inheritance, Hawaiian is an exquisitely beautiful fusion of Tahitian, Samoan, Marquesan and Cook Island (Society Islands) and Maori Speech.

[@DIJITALSON]

Sunny Island yeah its crazy...ive never heard hawaiian spoken like that and as a maori speaker i finally understand what it is about 70 percent what those wahine mā say. Aloha to you and your people nō aotearoa!

[@joycewond3534]

My mom's sisters and brothers spoke this Ni'ihau language when they have a O'hana gathering of singing and laughter. It was so interesting of how they spoke their language. Miss them ALL...

[@MrSicc274]

Sounds CookIsland,Tahitian,NZ-Maori with a Tongan accent.

[@SunnyIlha]

True, true!

[@Ursaminor31]

I love this, Hawaii has always had a special place in my soul.

[@KoloaKane]

the REAL Hawaiian

[@SunnyIlha]

1:39 See the very clear, strong root inheritance from contributing ancestral Tahitian.

[@KayKanahele]

Aloha aunty Ipo and aunty Kahea!!! Mahalo Iesu!!!

[@downundabrotha]

As a Cook Islander thousands of Kilometres away I could understand broadly what they were saying ❤

[@DG-nn9uh]

Had a cuzn would dated a girl from Ni'ihau. I didnt know her too much but from what I heard of her and saw for myself she was a really nice girl, a girl who knew alot of the old Native Hawaiian ways and the kind of girl that seem like what you should want to marry especially as a Hawaiian. Sadly, things didn't work out between her and my cuzn. The best to them both tho! 🤙

[@howardlkkekahuna]

Right On Lacy !!💯🌺

[@seleleota]

Whoa... I used to kind of hate on anyone who sang or spoke "Hawaiian" because it always sounded like a butchered Polynesian language learned by someone with a bad accent but a fluent Samoan speaker born and raised this is the first time I feel like I'm actually hearing Hawaiian for real for real I'm pretty blown away. You can hear how it relates to Samoan, Tongan and other Polynesian languages

[@SunnyIlha]

Yes, the root languages ancestral to Aboriginal Original Hawaiian are from Samoa, Tahiti, Marquesan and Society Island Worlds. Yes, it (Ni'ihau Hawaiian) becomes more intellible to speakers of Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, Society Islands and Marquesas (Ni'ihau spoken), and Maori. This is due to it not being altered to such extent by european modifications, that it sounds recognizably Polynesian to other Polynesians. It no longer sounds strange, odd and even weird. Then, therefore, the similarity (Cousin-Language) to Tongan is evident (thus therefore, Fijian included). There is also a Maori element, which is less understood and needs more study. This is due to, of course, that the original pre-contact Hawaiian's ancestors themselves were actually Samoan, Tahitian, Marquesan and Society Islanders initially settling the previously uninhabited Islands; subsequently intermarrying in the Hawaiian Islands (there is indication of a small number of oceanic seafaring trips between Maori and Hawai'i as well), creating the Hawaiian People and their distinct Polynesian high Culture and Society, and, melding these root ancestral languages into the Hawaiian Language into its own Polynesian variant.

[@qpishjunior4772]

You're right uso, I'm a Māori speaker and the "hawaiian" language is very difficult to understand but this ni'ihau sounds much more understandable.

[@lolita239]

I agree with you and felt the same, as a native Tongan speaker I understand the Niihau dialect much more than standard olelo Hawaii. I also heard there is another old dialect called Tatana Hawaii which originated on the Big island?

[@nyquilsleepah]

@@SunnyIlha that is one theory, yes. Others of us believe our people came from the American Continent. Kon-Tiki is one testimony of that theory.... The Book of Mormon is another testimony of that theory. So while people MAY have come from the West, there were ancient ancestors from the East who settled on Hawaiian soil and continued West.

[@SunnyIlha]

@@nyquilsleepah I don't mean to disappoint you. However "Kon Tiki" was disproven. Recent new Genetic Science, and, long studied and revealed Linguistic, Ethnobiological, Cultural, Ethnobotanical, Archeological and Seafaring Traditions (and it's associated ancient and historic technology) has proven Oceanic Seafaring beginning out the ancient prehistoric Sunda Landmass that was connected to the ancient prehistoric Sahul Landmass. The springboard is not Taiwan as was formerly suggested; it was from the Eastern Filipino Archipelago Seaboard. Incidentally, there is extremely strong evidence that Hawaiian Seafaring briefly, perhaps even only on one single Journey only, made landfall in the Pacific Northwest (Washington and Oregon State) It is evidenced by certain particular artifacts owned by Pacific Northwestern Native American Coastal Tribes. It is also certain now, that Tahitian Seafaring reached, at least once, South America. Such interaction likely brought Native South Americans on the roundtrip Journey back to the Society Islands and quite possibly Pitcairn (Rapa Nui).

[@user96790]

Normalize Olelo Matuahine. My tutu always told me there was people who spoke Hawaiian in T's but I never understood how much of a difference it made until now. Sounds like a complete different language

[@Iz0pen]

Don’t be surprised when the language of a place termed “the forbidden island” goes extinct.

[@mallorykane2843]

lasting a lot longer than if it wasn't isolated

[@yasmin4281]

how interesting! it kind of sounds like a mixture of samoan, tongan and cook island maori!

[@johnnyblaze6945]

everyone whom are descendants of the pacific triangle (hawaii, rapanui and aotearoa),will understand their dialect .. being of tokelauan descent i understood a bit of what was spoken ..

[@joelhkjr]

I'm trying to learn 'Ōlelo Hawai'i. Being going for a year now. This is very helpful. I'm looking for material to study. If anyone can, please advise. Mahalo

[@SunnyIlha]

Study some Samoan, and Maori. Learn some Tongan. And try Tahitian. This will help; it will be revealing, when you study the Hawaiian that is standardized and taught in Hawai'i. If you decide this is your calling, to become expert and fluent, you might request an opportunity to learn (be taught) Ni'ihau Hawaiian. So much will be revealed and acknowledged.

[@tiotiwilliams8311]

This is very similar to the Cook Islands language, I could almost understand most of it when it’s spoken with a T.

[@808souljahxl5]

So why is this not the official language taught in Hawaiian language classes and schools?

[@oceanzennfamxo833]

I love this

[@temanaperformingarts9848]

Strikingly similar to Reo Maori Kuki Airani...particularly the Pukapukan dialect👌🌺❤

[@Justbefree636]

pacific islands people exactly looks the same and shared almost similar culture 🥰

[@3-DtimeCosmology]

Thank the gods it still survives!

[@yugandali]

Good news from Ni'ihau, long may they prosper. Something that interests me is the T sound, because a lot of Taiwan languages don't have it at all. There's d, but not t.

[@antinonsense1657]

Sounds like a mixture of Cook Island & Tongan put together

[@SunnyIlha]

Very much. The prevalence and frequency of 'T' The consonant-vowel-vowel, and, consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel words. Then, there are many instances of Cook Island 'rythym flow' and certain structure.

[@johnnyharperscoutstable5386]

Amazing to hear such fluent use of the language 🐸🍺🔪🔥

[@Number1ReggaeHunter]

Now the old maps I've seen of O'ahu makes more sense now. They had "Honolulu" spelled "Honoruru" and "Kalihi" was spelled "Karihi" all this time I thought who ever made that map was deaf or something lol.

[@sultankorean651]

the beautiful Polynesian people of the North Pacific, beautiful language

[@chrisharohau3031]

This is the language all hawaiians should should speak,colonisation does sucks.

[@samuelwtuiolemotu2826]

I would love to learn the original Hawaiian language,,.❤👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 It’s sounds Beautiful… A mix of Samoan and Togan,,.

[@samuelwtuiolemotu2826]

I remember my good friend Albert Kahele back in 1994 who told that the Original Hawaiian language was a T not K

[@Anelaokalani1]

I wish they would let Hawaii Olelo students to immerse in the language in Niihau. Mahalo to the Robinson family for perpetuating Hawaiian culture. Mahalo, Mahalo!

[@SunnyIlha]

I do agree very much; This, the Ni'ihau Spoken Hawaiian, should be preserved in a written structure, and taught as rapidly as possible to Hawai'i Islanders to truly recover Original Hawaiian. The language of blue collar trades, including skilled, licensed trades should be a particular special area of teaching fluency (included).

[@sw5198]

Sounds very much like Cook Islands language

[@tevitabeaman8208]

It sounds very similar to Maori and Tahitian. You guys pronounce your 'au' sound like Maoris.I can understand some of it cause I speak Tongan. THis is so interesting.

[@mereanaholmes8477]

Maori*

[@ChrisEAdlay]

That Maori au sound is just wrong

[@ChrisEAdlay]

I listened to it again and their "au" was normal. Maori say like far-no whereas every other islanders says fa-na-uh whanau

[@tevitabeaman8208]

@@ChrisEAdlay really my papa speaks Māori and he says they sound similar as well as the fact lots of other comments say that as well. But no worries

[@ChrisEAdlay]

@@tevitabeaman8208 yeah the niihau speak normal Polynesian no K no weird accent like new age Hawaiians. But I listened to the video again and their pronunciation of the AU dipthong sounded the same as any other Polynesian language except Maori. A lot of Maori sound like they're saying OU instead of AU if that makes sense - "tow ranga" instead of "t-ah-uh ranga"

[@teokotaiandrew3472]

Niihau speaks like my people from molokai in tongareva. Maitai niihau kua kite koutou i te hanahana i te korero o na tupuna no niihau mai. Maharo nunui kia koutou.

[@pollymars3776]

Where exactly is tongareva?

[@SunnyIlha]

Tongareva's location just north of Tahiti and just south of Hawai'i understandably shows your People are very closely related to original Aboriginal Pre-Contact Hawaiian People (Hawaiian People partly descendant of your People).

[@SunnyIlha]

Language is very informative as to who and how closely related Polynesians are to one another.

[@808wtf808]

Hoihoi kela. Kua kite? Does that mean see or seen?

[@tatiyanai8546]

@@pollymars3776 an island of the cook islands.

[@Kamaalohalani]

Kind of sounds like a the cook island tongareva dialect

[@bigislander72]

When the Hawaiian language was first written down a lot of subtle pronounciation characteristics must have been lost. For example Queen Liliha's name was sometimes written as Ririha...which has me thinking the actual consonant sound was maybe in between an l and a r sound with that subtlety lost. Listen to the Niihau shell lady talk...sounds a lot different than standard Hawaiian even from an old friend of the family who can speak fluently.

[@Number1ReggaeHunter]

Yea the same goes with the old map of O'ahu, I seen "Honolulu" written as "Honoruru" and 'Kalihi was spelled "Karihi" So interesting!

[@SunnyIlha]

@@Number1ReggaeHunter Wow!

[@kumuschannel7136]

I hear the voice of my Tūtū-man in their accent.

[@bradmossman7201]

I am from Kauai, and spent time with Niihau Hawaiians. I always thought there was Tahitian influence.

[@Rolando_Cueva]

The forbidden island =D

[@jimgreen5788]

I've always been curious as to how someone qualifies to live there. Do they have to be born there, be 100% Hawaiian, or something else?

[@gregcarter8656]

If you mean Niihau, it's simply private property. The land owners control access to the property, just like any other. When they bought the island from King Kamehameha the 5th in 1864 for $10,000 they allowed all of the residents to remain living there. They also supported, encouraged, and protected the continuing use of Hawaiian language. Soon after the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941, they hid some local Japanese folks on Niihau, to protect them from internment camps. Some of those Japanese made babies with Niihauans, so the Hawaiian population of Niihau is no longer 100% pure Hawaiian by DNA. In more recent times, the owners allowed the US Navy to build and man a missile tracking station on the island, so a few Navy guys more or less "live" (work) there. In even more recent times, the owners created a low profile, very small scale, private tourist business offering helicopter trips to Niihau for beach parties or hunting excursions. Basically, Niihau residents remain living on the island unless (A) they choose to leave, or (B) the owner tells them to leave. They have one town, one church, and one school. No plumbing, no sewage system, no power grid.

[@jimgreen5788]

@@gregcarter8656 , thanks for the explanation.

[@boltup5566]

What do they think of the Robinson family? Colonizers or benefactors?

[@gregcarter8656]

Niihau was SOLD by King Kamehameha the 5th in 1864 to the Sinclairs/Robinsons. Mrs. Sinclair paid $10,000 for it. They are the OWNERS, not "colonizers". They allowed all of the residents to continue living there. They help the residents. The King obviously wanted the GOLD more than the land. What do you think of that?

[@aaroncelathian6777]

Long Live Niihau

[@andrewb.9815]

The Hawaiian sounds so much more similar to other Polynesian languages. Consonant present rather that all vowels, very interesting.

[@timmillan6701]

The beauty of all things Hawai’ian

[@Jchan700]

The T and K thing in Austronesian languages seems to be a thing, like with P and F, maybe they were interchangeable once.

[@gregcarter8656]

It's just historical sound changes. P weakened to F in some Indo-European languages too. Cognate pairs show this, e.g., PATER and FATHER, PYRO and FIRE, PED and FEET.

[@jordancalimlim3020]

Kalakaua now Talataua. Seems amaing!!!!!!

[@SunnyIlha]

It is certain that Kauai (Post-contact "Kah-wai", "Kaw-wuh-ee") was originally •Ta'uae• , or, •Ta'ua'e• Or possibly •Tau'va'i• or, •Tau'vae•

[@jordancalimlim3020]

@@SunnyIlha COOL!

[@punohuaweoweoulaokalani4854]

This is the ORIGINAL language of Hawaiʻi nei

[@leont5096]

Beautiful keep your language don't corrupt it like the other Hawaiians ofa lahi atu from your Tonga ohana

[@dalastkanakamaoli9058]

Other Hawaiians? Smfh it isn't our fault brah

[@leont5096]

@@dalastkanakamaoli9058 sorry my bradda

[@Hokua888]

YEA. 🦉

[@SunnyIlha]

Ni'ihau Spoken Hawaiian is not a dialect. It is *Original* Hawaiian language.

[@naeadae6405]

I want to learn.

[@SunnyIlha]

Someday You'll be PhD.☺️ Ask the Elders and Leaders on Ni'ihau that you want to. Write to them☺️.

[@Rolando_Cueva]

You can’t, they live in a forbidden island. Foreigners (non-Native-Hawaiians) can’t go there.

[@clap5]

The language sounds Malayan in origin. South east asian sounding. Which makes sense. Much slower and more "h's".

[@zalaegerszeg9527]

It’s related to Malay and Filipino languages. So that’s why.

[@dalastkanakamaoli9058]

@@zalaegerszeg9527 barely

[@joeblow1942]

But why did the missionaries replace T with K?

[@kzm-cb5mr]

They didn't really replace it, T and K were allophones in Hawaiian. To standardize a language, they have to choose one and they ended up using K.

[@AMM0beatz]

Sounds like maori, but unique at the same time.

[@kalikiexp618]

ohhh..so just replace the k with the t again 🤔❤ mahalo..i didn't know..

[@SunnyIlha]

There's more involved, yet this is much noticeable.

[@hokimoki3677]

Churr ma gussies Leshhhgo

[@dalastkanakamaoli9058]

Cheee

[@SunnyIlha]

It is certain that the Hawaiian word Aloha is derived from the combining, or the fusion of Samoan •Talofa• and Tahitian •Te•Aroha• Note that the phoneme •Aroha• is actually the same as Aloha.

[@AE-ix2iz]

Sunny Island wow I’m surprised someone actual knows the origins of the Samoan greeting “Talofa.” Most Samoans don’t bother with the etymology of our words. But yes “talofa” is a contraction of “ta” and “alofa.” “Ta” meaning us, which is another contraction of “ta’ua” (us two) or “tatou” (more than two), and “alofa” meaning love. So when the early Samoans greeted each other they were saying literally saying “love to us”

[@SunnyIlha]

@@AE-ix2iz yes, the foreigners did not find many Original Hawaiian sounds palatable to their english pronunciation voicing. They altered a number of original (Aboriginal) sounds to suit their liking so that they themselves could pronounce the sounds of the Hawaiian Language. The mechanism to standardize their alterations, omissions and deletions of Original Hawaiian sounds by including all the changes was romanized script, to which Original Polynesian Hawaiian was adapted (written form). They also deleted a large number of instances when glottal stop existed. Thank you much in explaining Samoan root phonemes; it is important and significant knowledge for Hawai'i Pacific Islanders to become educated in such linguistic matters. We look to Samoa. As the vanguard and keeper of Polynesian Tradition. Samoa is immeasurably important to Hawai'i. Alas, these are matters of the Soul, the keen mind, and the Heart.

[@hanokohatsu2853]

Crazy this is the true native language

[@miss4330]

Where are all the full blooded Hawaiians at. It’s like trying to find a pure blood Native Turtle Islander (mainland American native).

[@user-zu3md5qz8y]

well , what if i born into another language God, do you have to insert that language in the afterlife

[@zion-jabezrobello7853]

Anybody wanna teach me this language

[@senantiasa]

Their language means 'how are you?' in _____.

[@sonicmagnus5312]

what do Hawaiians mean by Niihau, is forbidden 🚫?

[@SunnyIlha]

Research study the Robinson Family and their views on the Life of Hawai'i. This is essential to the understanding of "forbidden".

[@yungxsteel8593]

It’s a mix of Tongan and Samoan…

[@ahh-2-ahh]

Sounds like a softer dialect of Tongan, with Easter Polynesian Tahitian mixed in. And it sounds better than the regular Hawaiian language everyone is use to hearing. It doesn’t sound forced. Also, most Polynesian dialects pronounce the letter “t” as a “d” (similar to the Spanish “t”), except in Samoa, where “t” is pronounced as “t” or “k”. Example: the Samoan word for “us” can be pronounced “matou” or “makou” (tatou/kakou). Also, the Hawaiian “L” was originally a rolled “R”. If Niihau’s dialect had the rolling “r”, it would sound almost exactly like Tahitian. Their language is so close they could communicate effectively between both languages.

[@SunnyIlha]

Yes, the ancestral Tahitian influences within the original Hawaiian language is substantial. Should the "r" sound return to normal current-day standard pronunciation enunciation (standardized Hawaiian), Tahitian and Hawaiian would suddenly become mutually intelligible. Interestingly, today in Hawai'i, when Hawai'i Islanders speak more "Roots", we say •Va•hine•; we clearly enunciate the 'V' sound (we tend not to say it "wahine", an altered "wah-heenay" speech sound). This word, Vahine, is Tahitian influence. It remained entirely intact. We also say •Ha•va'i•. We say our Home World word with a clear 'V' sound (we don't say "Ha-wah-ee"), and we explosively enunciate the glottal stop.

[@AE-ix2iz]

I agree with both of you with how close Tahitian and Hawaiian are. I get mad when Samoans say “wow hale sounds like fale so Hawaiians must be from Samoa.” 🤦🏽‍♂️ I have to tell my family that yes there are some similarities between Samoan and Hawaiian but that’s usual for all Polynesians. The similarities between Hawaiian and Tahitian are a whole lot more where both could easily communicate with each other. I say “could” because the olelo Hawaii taught now is too heavily influenced by non Hawaiian accents. I say Niihau natives should be hired to teach across the state. I know even in ancient days Hawaiians from different islands had slightly different accents and dialects but in today’s world the Niihauan accent/dialect is the closest to how most Hawaiians sounded pre-colonial influence.

[@SunnyIlha]

@@AE-ix2iz I very much agree. All what You have said.

[@phairiuhau4629]

53A17 E if you know anything about Hawaiian history told by the my kupuna, instead of the white mans version, you would know that we Hawaiians are from more than one island source. We come from Samoa, Tahiti and Marquesas islands ( even Tonga). Our Hawaiian King David confirms this, as well as the Tahitian navigator Tupaia. So in fact, whoever says Hawaiians came from Tahiti, Marquesas, Tonga or even from Samoa... is actually stating facts. So getting mad at Samoans ( or any other people)for something so petty as stating Polynesian historical facts is some kind of hatred you have for people who actually birthed all Polynesia. Aloha nui loa

[@AE-ix2iz]

@@phairiuhau4629 lol relax tough guy 1) I never claimed Hawaii wasn't peopled from multiple islands 2) I never claimed to have hatred for Samoans lol You make way too many assumptions that are way off the mark. Learn how to read and learn how to be objective

[@sebastianedgar-jb7vt]

Inhabitants of Niihau look full blooded Hawaiians. Just like those of the other Pacific Island countries.

[@hectorquinones5579]

你好 language

[@David53D]

US government benefits keeping Hawaiians Hawaiians.

[@Popo-br8xq]

1:00

[@SunnyIlha]

Totally!

[@learnmore7857]

Haha

[@bigkanak797]

Time to give Hawaii back. Hawaiians matter too.

[@tinavino1575]

But their faces show genes from Asia or Europe. Most of them have ancestors from other regions. All different mix.

[@enesfaima]

Real kanaka shit

[@jonjon1842]

They need to protect their bloodlines as well and try keep it as pure as possible

[@SunnyIlha]

*2:36* .........

[@PA96704]

Why not change it back to "T" simple fix.

[@BossinAZ_EnT]

Facts Verse brought me here

[@JA-ct7fd]

I thought Hawaiian launguage didnt have T

[@grimfryggdrasil6098]

Before western contact K used to be T in Hawaiian language

[@gregcarter8656]

In Hawaiian, [ t ] and [ k ] are allophones of a single phoneme. To monolingual native speakers of Hawaiian, there is NO DIFFERENCE between T and K. To speakers of English, T and K are two different sounds. But not to ("ancient") Hawaiians. It has nothing whatsoever to do with "western contact". It was already like that BEFORE, and still is NOW.

[@sks96816]

Wasnt Niihau given to the chief of Aotearoa than sold off to the Robinsons..... thats where the T comes in......try telling that story to King Tamehameha.

[@deannasilva893]

They need to be teaching the original way of speaking. Punana Leo etc.

[@lymanesene4626]

I going there with my soon to be wife.

[@trashypine6198]

Woman power