Hauʻoli lā hoʻihoʻi ea

Today is a celebratory day for many in our lāhui and I wanted to do my part of normalizing ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi in the best way I know how - lettering. Being that Iʻm not a native speaker (but am doing my best every day to become one) or a historian, I donʻt feel comfortable with talking too much about it in regards to history (for that, Iʻd suggest visiting websites like Kanaeokana). I do feel however, that as a Native Hawaiian it is important for me to share about it and take part in it despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pre-COVID, I was chatting with our friend Kehau of @kehaunoeau about it and I was so excited to take part in the festivities at Thomas Square this year. I wanted to perhaps be a vendor, or just go to be part of it and to educate myself. As an individual that is striving to be a native speaker, I find myself feeling at times that Iʻm not Hawaiian enough to go to these kine things. Over time, Iʻve reflected and been reminded by many that there truly is no such thing as being “Hawaiian Enough.” Everyone needs to start somewhere, and as long as we do our best to learn, go into things with an open mind and heart, and do our best to be pono, that is enough. I feel that we all need to find our way in this world, and as native people, no matter our blood quantum it is important for us to educate ourselves so that we can pass down knowledge to our keiki.

So! Here is me doing my part in Normalizing ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. I find that there are tons of downloadable lettering sheets in the world of hand lettering, so I figured why not? So Hawaiian or non-Hawaiian - if you call this place home, and you want to do your part, just find what works best for you. My goal is to put some real Hawaiʻi into the worlds that Iʻm part of: stationery, illustration, hand lettering, surface pattern design, momming. Honestly, thats why I share on Mondays and in my stories. History is written by the victor, so why not take the pen and write it ourselves?

By downloading this worksheet, you acknowledge that you understand that this is for personal use only, not to be altered or sold. Just be pono. Mahalo!