A new fellowship is giving more opportunities for graduate students at the University of Hawaii at Hilo’s Ka Haka ‘Ula o Ke‘elikolani, College of Hawaiian Language, as they pursue education in ‘olelo Hawaii.
Bruce Torres Fischer, a master’s candidate at Ka Haka ‘Ula o Ke‘elikolani, recently was chosen as the inaugural awardee for the first Daniel and Lydia Makuakane Endowed Fellowship. The endowment supports graduate students as they near the completion of the research and writing phase of their master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation.
The endowment was established by the Makuakane ‘ohana in honor of Daniel and Lydia Makuakane and their contributions to the preservation and perpetuation of the Hawaiian language and cultural practices.
After her husband’s death in 1997, Lydia Makuakane served as a manaleo, or native speaker of Hawaiian, and a resource for students and adults learning Hawaiian at Ka Haka ‘Ula o Ke‘elikolani as well as at Kipuka Native Hawaiian Student Services. She died at 98 in 2022.
Torres Fischer, 28, has been studying the Hawaiian language since 2015 and is now working to complete his master’s in indigenous language and culture education.
While he started community college as biology major, one Hawaiian language class in his first year of school changed his life course.
“I entered a Hawaiian language class, because Hawaii is my home, and I knew I should learn the language of the land,” Torres Fischer said recently. “I enjoyed it, and my interest continued growing until it eclipsed that of biology. I felt so strongly about pursuing the language further, and luckily, I had a lot of support around me when I decided to major in Hawaiian studies.”
Torres Fischer was accepted into Ka Haka ‘Ula o Ke‘elikolani in 2017 and received his bachelor’s degree in Hawaiian studies and linguistics, as well as a biology minor in 2020.
Due to the desire to achieve the highest level of fluency in the Hawaiian language possible, he decided to pursue a master’s degree with an emphasis in Hawaiian language and literature.
The courses and coursework are conducted primarily in Hawaiian and focus on the revitalization of the language through historical and contemporary Hawaiian literary resources.
For his master’s thesis, Torres Fischer currently is researching the phonological variations in the speech of manaleo, or native speakers of the Hawaiian language, by analyzing archival audio recordings
“There are many students like myself that have completed coursework and are now on the task of researching and writing. Many of us are spread thin working on multiple projects and spending time in the field of language revitalization,” Torres Fischer said. “This fellowship is great, because it allows us to take a breath and not worry as much about income while we focus on furthering our education.”
After he completes his master’s, Torres Fischer said he will continue his education and pursue a doctorate degree.
“There is always so much more to learn in the Hawaiian language and linguistics, and I want to know as much as I can,” Torres Fischer said. “I have so many more questions that I think I can answer through the Ph.D program, which is another reason why I’m so grateful for the fellowship. It has given me a boost and helped me move along in my education.”
He added, “I am deeply honored to be selected as the first Daniel and Lydia Makuakane Endowed Fellowship recipient. Mahalo to the Makuakane family for establishing this fellowship and investing in the upcoming researchers and leaders in Hawaiian language revitalization … .”
Ka‘iu Kimura, director of Ka Haka ‘Ula o Ke‘elikolani, also expressed a deep gratitude to the Makuakane ‘ohana for giving more students the support to further their education.
“We are so grateful to the entire Makuakane ‘ohana for providing this incredible opportunity to support the next generation of Hawaiian language scholars,” Kimura said. “Their vision in establishing this fellowship will have an enormous impact by helping our students finish their degrees and go on to be leaders in language revitalization and education in Hawaii.”
For more information about the Daniel and Lydia Makuakane Endowed Fellowship, contact Kimura at lesliek@hawaii.edu or (808) 932-7414.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com.