[Edling] Hawaiian Airlines Takes Hawaiian Language Beyond the Islands by Introducing Bilingual Flight Experiences and Employee Training at Mainland Airports

[Priscila Leal via Edling]

Aloha mai kākou,
Greetings from Hawaiʻi! Thanks for sharing this news and spreading the
visibility of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.
My name is Priscila Leal and I'm a lecturer at the College of Education at
the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and I wanted to share some perspective
on the word choice "mainland." (Yes, I do realize Francis did not write the
article :)
Referring to the "mainland" is often viewed as problematic from a Native
Hawaiian perspective due to cultural, political, and historical
implications. It suggests a hierarchical relationship between the islands
of Hawaiʻi and the continental United States. Hawaiʻi, for Native
Hawaiians, embodies their true mainland, and referring to the continental
U.S. as "mainland" diminishes this notion. The term "continent" has
gradually gained preference because it acknowledges Hawaiʻi's geographical
uniqueness without embedding implications of political dominance or
subordination. This linguistic shift plays a key role in preserving Native
Hawaiian identity and challenging narratives that obscure their ancestral
ties to Hawaiʻi, the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, and the
U.S. federal government's acknowledgment that the lands of Hawai‘i were
ceded “without the consent of or compensation to the Native Hawaiian
people” (Apology Resolution, Pub. L. No. 103-150, 107 Stat. 1510, 1512
(1993)).
Thank you for your time and for reading this.
Priscila


Priscila Leal, Ph.D. (she/her/hers
<https://lgbtqia.ucdavis.edu/educated/pronouns-inclusive-language>)

*‘A‘ohe pau ka ‘ike i ka hālau ho‘okāhi*—‘Ōlelo No‘eau


I acknowledge that I live, learn, and teach on the ancestral 'āina (lands)
of the Kānaka Maoli—the Native Hawaiian people both past, present, and
future. I affirm the U.S. federal government's acknowledgment that the
lands of Hawai‘i were ceded “without the consent of or compensation to the
Native Hawaiian people” (Apology Resolution, Pub. L. No. 103-150, 107 Stat.
1510, 1512 (1993)
<https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-107/pdf/STATUTE-107-Pg1510.pdf>
).


Lecturer

Curriculum and Instruction, Multicultural and Multilingual Education

College of Education, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

https://coe.hawaii.edu/directory/pbluth/ | www.prileal.com


On Mon, Mar 31, 2025 at 2:26 AM Francis M. Hult via Edling <
edling at lists.mail.umbc.edu> wrote:

> Travel and Tour World
>
> Hawaiian Airlines Takes Hawaiian Language Beyond the Islands by
> Introducing Bilingual Flight Experiences and Employee Training at Mainland
> Airports
>
> Hawaiian Airlines celebrates Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi with bilingual flights,
> language workshops, cultural exchanges, and aviation career programs across
> cities.
>
> Hawaiian Airlines embraced Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language Month)
> with a powerful commitment to preserving and promoting the Hawaiian
> language through community engagement, bilingual flights, and cultural
> education. In collaboration with Alaska Airlines, the initiative centered
> around the concept of “launa,” meaning to connect or socialize, fostering
> meaningful relationships among employees, travelers, and the broader
> community.
>
> Full story:
>
> https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/hawaiian-airlines-takes-hawaiian-language-beyond-the-islands-by-introducing-bilingual-flight-experiences-and-employee-training-at-mainland-airports/
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/hawaiian-airlines-takes-hawaiian-language-beyond-the-islands-by-introducing-bilingual-flight-experiences-and-employee-training-at-mainland-airports/__;!!PvDODwlR4mBZyAb0!VCu0fsBs4s9vX0_Kl8op3yBLc3G9H2Da-vDJKBgcOlhtjSeJX9a4i2DLSZVJMakLXUnuZwLy3eDxEUCO3bXRR6rQkQ$>
>
>
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> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://lists.mail.umbc.edu/mailman/listinfo/edling__;!!PvDODwlR4mBZyAb0!VCu0fsBs4s9vX0_Kl8op3yBLc3G9H2Da-vDJKBgcOlhtjSeJX9a4i2DLSZVJMakLXUnuZwLy3eDxEUCO3bUx-9SbiQ$
>
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