Mary Hermes In Hawaii Culture

According to Mary Hermes and Keiki Kawai’ae’a (2012), “Speaking through an indigenous language is one of the deepest forms of identity reclamation and validation for people of indigenous heritage” (p. 307). Mary Hermes is helping to revitalize the Ojibwe language in the Great Lakes region. Hermes changed her major to curriculum studies and where she worked in a tribal school for five years, finishing her dissertation on culture-based schooling in 1995. Keiki help with the development of the Na Honua Mauli Ola Hawaiian cultural pathways, the Moenaha culture-based curriculum, and designed the instructional method that helps native learners in culturally healthy and responsive ways. The loss of our indigenous language is contributed to the assimilation
of the dominant society English language through the boarding school education. The colonial school structure continues to exist and fails our children by low test scores. Two goals needed for revitalization are intergenerational transmission and community building. These immersion programs are faced with challenges of having certified indigenous language speakers, indigenous and western epistemologies, and indigenous assessment aligned with culture and language. The three immersion programs recognized are the Ojibwe, Maori, and Hawaiian. The Ojibwe immersion program is a survival language school founded by families and students who taken Ojibwe language classes. Now they have the help of fluent speaking elders in the classroom. Maori have many different levels of immersion programs starting with 81-100% instruction in Maori to 0% language instruction. One requirement of the immersion schools at least one parent must speak only Maori to the child at all times. The Maori immersion program has the partnership with the parents, elders, students, and teachers to make it a success. The Hawaiian immersion program is known as the Hawaiian-medium school which offers an education from infant/toddler to high school through Hawaiian language. Now they’ve created a college program with the same intent which has resulted in 100% graduation rate and 80% college attendance. Culturally based education goes beyond using the language and culture it fully integrates the thinking, learning, and problem-solving in curriculum. Studies show that if teachers were to teach in a CBE environment the students would score high on the test and have a 100% graduation rate. First, I agree with that the community helps build on language revitalization through the first speakers of our languages the elders work with second language learners to ensure that they have the proficiency needed to teach in immersion settings (Keiki, Hermes, 2014, p.
307). The first speakers or fluent speakers are the ones we should turn to in order for change to happen in the immersion schools. They are the ones that will give you the correct terminology and also give you the history related as why we say or do certain activities. Shelia Nicholas states, “I can see that any Native speaker has a responsibility for keeping the language alive” (2005, p. 44). I agree with that because they are the ones who should educate the non-native speaking teachers and determine if they are qualified to teach in the Natives
schools. Second, I agree with Hermes and Kawai’ae’a stated (2014), students report feelings of pride in their Native identities, although some may find the burden of cultural and linguistic responsibility to be a lot to bear (p.
307). I’m in the process of trying to learn my language and it’s a lot of work and it just feels like it’s a lot of weight to carry knowing the Dine and English language. According to Diversity, 2008, as we internalize culture throughout our lives, it influences who we are, what we think, how we behave, and how we evaluate our surroundings (p. 2). Having our language and culture really changes you as a person instead of speaking and knowing the culture. I know I would be happy to be able to speak my language but than if you really want to be fluent you need to know the cultural side which in my opinion you pick and choose what you want to learn or
practice. Third, according to Culturally Based Education (2007), Native languages and cultures are being used less and less in teaching Native students math, science, or reading because of a focus on meeting AYP on standardized tests were repeatedly voiced (p. 3). I agree with that because I see that at my apprenticeships where my mentor only using the Navajo language for scolding instead of using it for teaching math, reading, and science. The goal my mentor teaching is aiming for is the students passing the standardized test this spring. It’s hard for me to try and teach using the language and culture when the students never had been taught with the language or culture.