I had so many language breakthroughs using this…

Aloha e na haumana heluhelu nupepa,

What if you could get a glimpse into Hawaii in the 1800s? Would you take it? 

If only there was a way we could find out what was going on and how people spoke in Hawaii before we started losing the language… 

Oh wait, there is.

The Papakilo database has a large collection of Hawaiian newspapers. I suggest focusing on material from 1834 - 1948, because this was when the majority of the people still spoke Hawaiian. You’ll find advertisements, genealogy, history, Hawaiian myths, and other interesting topics all in Hawaiian, and you can really connect with this time period. 

I have had many breakthroughs in my understanding and use of the Hawaiian language as I poured through this large collection of Hawaiian literature. Most recently, I referred to it a lot while I created both of my online courses. I double-checked and verified sentence structures and if I wasn’t sure how to make it all come together, I would reference Papakilo which would help clear up my confusion or doubts. 

When using Papakilo, you can absorb information at your own pace, search for a sentence structure you are trying to understand, and you can research whatever topic you’re interested in (which makes learning the language a little more enjoyable if you ask me). You can really immerse yourself in the language.

Papakilo can be kind of tricky to figure out at first, so here are a few tips to make it easier to navigate. 

• When searching a single word, make sure it is in quotations (e.g., “kalo”).
• The same goes for a whole sentence (e.g., “ua hele aku oia”).
• You can search for 2 words by using the word AND capitalized in the middle (e.g.,kalo AND loi).  

If you don’t have any idea of what you might search for you can try searching for words you’ve recently looked up in the dictionary, names of places in Hawaii that you or your family are from or interested in, or Hawaiian legends. It’s an amazing resource. 

If you can’t figure out how to find something you’re looking for, go ahead and email me - I’d be happy to help. 

What are you going to search for first? 

Hit reply and tell me what first comes to your mind. 

Aloha no,

Malu

Ka-alala.mykajabi.com