Tips for sharing Hawaiian on social media…

Aloha mai kakou,

Over the years I’ve built a large following on Instagram. That’s probably where many of you found me, and I’m grateful you did. Social media is a great tool for correcting misconceptions about Hawaii, our culture and the language. When I started sharing on social media, I only shared things I knew. I didn’t reshare abstract ideas or repeat information I hadn’t studied myself. 

Why do I mention this? 

I’m seeing a lot of well-intended people on social platforms coming off as teachers of the language, but are actually passing on misinformation -  incorrect language structures and ideology. It’s a problem, and is detrimental to the Hawaiian language. 

I know some of you are excited and can’t wait to share what you’re learning, but my advice to you is: Just wait.

I don’t know how else to say it, but unless you’re an expert, please don’t try to teach people yet. You’re still very much a learner. Please don’t take up a teaching role on social media. 

Sharing is different than teaching. Go ahead and share stuff on social media, but be careful that you’re not stepping into a teaching role. Do your due diligence to make sure anything you are resharing is coming from a trusted source (like me. And next week I’ll talk more about this). Just because you heard something that sounds cool or interesting from a teacher or social media influencer does not mean it’s correct.

As a learner, try to enjoy the learning process. Get involved with Hawaiian-speaking communities, encourage others to study with you, practice speaking whenever you can, and take pride in perpetuating the language. 

Owau no,

Malu

If you want to learn to speak Hawaiian, but don’t want to sit in a classroom, you’ll definitely want to check out my Hawaiian Language Courses. It’s more affordable than going to college, plus you can study at your own pace. Let me know if you have any questions.