My relationship with languages has changed exceedingly through the years. I remember walking my dog with a childhood friend during middle school and sharing that I wish everyone could speak the same language. That there was just one language so we could all communicate. I thought this would bring peace and understanding. I had recently learned about United Nations interpreters and figured that we all couldn’t have those specialized headpieces in to communicate. My friend disagreed. She said there is so much culture and beauty in different languages. We need to work to keep all languages alive and spoken. At the time, that sounded daunting. About 15 years later, I am now really grasping the depth and importance of languages. So much so that during my Ph.D. program, I am learning a new language. Something I did not foresee happening, let alone during a Ph.D. program. Pictures of my childhood dog named Homer. He brought many smiles and laughs. Walks with dogs have led to many great conversations in my life. And dogs are great communicators themselves, able to break through different language barriers. So, why learn ‘ōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language)? I am going for a Ph.D. in Natural Resources and Environmental Management. Not a Ph.D. in ‘ōlelo Hawaiʻi. A language primarily spoken on only a few islands in the whole world and even on these islands, ‘ōlelo Hawaiʻi is not widely spoken. I am learning ‘ōlelo Hawaiʻi because I am trying to speak the language indigenous to this ‘āina. I call home. Learning the language of the land that is taking care of me. Backyard view. Languages and words have exceptional mana. As discussed in the All My Relations podcast episode titled Can Our Ancestors Hear Us?, languages are a tool for communication AND a dwelling place for ideas, identity, culture, tradition, memory. I want to help normalize a language that was very close to going dormant. To me, learning ‘ōlelo Hawaiʻi, in addition to my work with plants, are ways I can contribute and give back to the local community. I contribute to outreach work with the local Hawaiian language immersion school, and I want to show the students that I care about their work. Imagine being a Hawaiian immersion school student and not being able to regularly use the indigenous language you practice every day because most people you interact with outside of school do not speak or understand the language of the ‘āina. How can I share with students the importance of learning and trying and growing without showing them I learn, try, and grow too? Views from Kaloko-Honokōhau, a national historic park on Hawaiʻi Island. ‘Ōlelo Hawaiʻi, the Hawaiian language, is kaona, meaning one word has layered meanings. For example, in addition to mālama meaning to care for, it also means to protect, maintain, support, and many more concepts. Another word I have learned is kuleana, meaning responsibility, privilege, etc. I have a strong kuleana to mālama our shared forests. And as a forest ecologist and forest restoration practitioner on Hawaiian lands, I believe it is highly important to perpetuate the indigenous language. This benefits the community, and it enriches my life and understanding of the plants and forests. Pictures of the Hawaiian forests I work in. Kolo pup featured on the left in a tropical dry forest. A hāpuʻu (Cibotium spp.; tree fern), featured on the right in a tropical wet forest. In addition to knowing and learning human languages, I am learning the language of plants and the language of the land too. Contrary to most people's view of plants, I do not view plants as beings without language. I think they communicate and are in relationship with one another and their environment. Their language is just different than ours. Part of my job is to try and listen to the plants and trees. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer shares that “Experiments are not about discovery but about listening and translating the knowledge of other beings.” I use my physical senses, cultural knowledge, intuition, tools, and technology to bridge the communication gap between humans and plants. Every day I kilo, some days I also use a caliper and meter stick. On other workdays, I use stable isotopes and technologies like a LI-6800 (LI-COR). In my first blog post (October - Stories From a Fieldwork Weekend.) I wrote about using a LI-6800 to instantaneously “hear” how a plant is photosynthesizing and respiring.
I am also learning the language of hula in the hālau I participate in. Our Kumu shared with us that hula brings our collective human experience and relationships with the environment and ‘āina to life. Imagine how much more effective our caring of plants can be with this perspective. Again, in the book Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer wrote, “We Americans are reluctant to learn a foreign language of our own species, let alone another species.” This quote resonated with my reluctance to learn a foreign language all my life. I am intimated by human languages, and often times I can get by with English. Growing up, I took 7 years of Latin. I’ve dabbled in Italian, Spanish, and German. I did not stick with any of them and never was confident in my abilities. I have even struggled with English and took years of speech therapy at school. Yet here I am, viewing the ability to learn Ph.D. level plant language and an indigenous language as gifts, a privilege, and an honor. There is so much depth to languages and I look forward to continuing to learn. p.s. shout out to Pepeluali (February) being ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi month! It feels even more appropriate that language is the theme of this February blog post. Did you know you can learn ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi on Duolingo? Here are some additional ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi resources.
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AuthorI started this blog as part of my Botany In Action Fellowship through Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens Archives
June 2023
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