Note: Maluhia honors the oral tradition of Olelo Hawaii by omitting the use of okina and kahako in his writing. Out of respect for his method, we will follow the same practice in this blog.
Growing up between Kauai, Oahu, and Utah, Maluhia States knows firsthand what it’s like to live away from Hawaii and feel the weight of cultural disconnection. Born in Henderson, Nevada, and later moving to Utah, Malu navigated a world where his Hawaiian identity was often misunderstood.
“In Utah, my name (Maluhia) was butchered daily—one of the first signs that people around me didn’t really understand where I came from,” he recalls. “I remember a classmate trying to relate by saying they loved ‘Hawaiian haystacks.’ I had no idea what that was until lunch. If you don’t know what Hawaiian haystacks are, Google it. You’ll get a laugh. And no, Hawaiians don’t eat that.”
Moments like these highlighted a deeper truth—living in the diaspora can mean constantly feeling “othered,” even within Polynesian spaces. “Among Caucasians, I was 'the other.' I felt disconnected. I craved my Hawaiian heritage but had no access outside of Hawaii.”
Malu’s journey back to his roots wasn’t sparked by a class or a cultural program—it began at home.
“One night, my wife said, ‘I want our kids to speak Hawaiian.’ That was it—we committed to becoming fluent before having children.”
What started as a simple goal soon became a transformative mission. Today, Maluhia and his wife are raising their three children in a home where Olelo Hawaii is the primary language. “Now, we only speak Hawaiian to our three kids. Olelo Hawaii is the heart of our home—I couldn’t be more proud.”
Through his platform Ka Alala, Malu now teaches Olelo Hawaii, focusing on accessibility and context—something he believes is crucial for learners living away from Hawaii.
“Distance is one thing, but the real challenge is context,” he explains. “If I’m telling a fishing story in Hawaiian and all you see is my face, it’s hard to follow. But if I show the fishing gear, the ocean, the fish—suddenly, the language comes to life. Visuals and context make it real and help learners truly connect.”
Malu’s online courses are designed for Hawaiians like himself—people juggling work, school, and family, often without fluent speakers around them. “I built online courses for Hawaiians like us—away from home, juggling life, with no fluent speakers around. But we need more programs to truly support the diaspora.”
In addition to his courses, Malu and his wife Emily co-host the podcast Hawaiian at Home, where they share their family’s Olelo Hawaii journey, tips for language learners, and reflections on raising children in the language. The podcast has become a powerful resource for diaspora Hawaiians—not just as a tool for learning Olelo, but as a source of inspiration for those navigating their own identity journeys.
Listeners often say that Hawaiian at Home makes them feel less alone in their struggles and reminds them that reconnection to language and culture is possible, no matter where they are.
When asked what advice he gives most often, Malu’s response is simple but profound: “Listen to native speakers.”
“You’ll sound like whoever you learn from. Living away from Hawaii, it’s easy to feel distant from our kupuna (ancestors), but their voices are still there. If you want to speak like them, to feel that connection no matter where you are, you have to listen to them. That’s how the language—and our ties to home—stay alive.”
Malu recommends resources like the Clinton Kanahele Collection and Ka Leo Hawaii—both rich archives of native speakers that offer learners the chance to hear the language as it was traditionally spoken.
Malu knows that reconnecting with Olelo Hawaii often involves unlearning what we think we know. “Go to wehewehe.org and look up ‘food.’ If ‘kaukau’ comes to mind, I hate to break it to you—that’s not the real word. Learning that shook me and showed how much I had to learn.”
It’s these moments of realization that remind diaspora Hawaiians just how far removed they might be from the language and culture—but also how possible it is to reconnect.
For Maluhia, this journey isn’t just about fluency—it’s about reclaiming identity, community, and the deep cultural ties that unite Hawaiians, no matter where they are.
“No matter where you are, your connection to Hawaii is always there—waiting to be rediscovered.”
Listen to native speakers:
🎧 Clinton Kanahele Collection
🎧 Ka Leo Hawaii