Pīʻāpā

The Hawaiian pīʻāpā (alphabet) is composed of 12 vowels and an ʻokina. Shortly after its introduction in the 1820s, rapid adoption of written Hawaiian made the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi at one point the most literate nation in the world. Our chiefs recognized the value of literacy and encouraged all to read and write in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, catalyzing an era of newspapers, books, and scholarly works. Today, we can continue this legacy by immersing our keiki in Hawaiian language books, songs, and more. E ola ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi! 

The pīʻāpā (alphabet) is the kahua (foundation) of the Hawaiian language. The ʻōlelo noʻeau (Hawaiian proverb), “I ka 'ōlelo nō ke ola, i ka 'ōlelo nō ka make" reminds us that “In the language there is life, in the language there is death.” This print features images that represent the 12 letters and the ʻokina of the pīapā. We hope that ʻohana will use this print to instill a love of learning and literacy in their keiki. E ola ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi!

This print was created in collaboration with Coco Moon Hawaii, which will be carrying a number of their products in the same print, and illustrated by Design Jord.