Synopsis: The indigenous languages in the present-day province of Quebec, Canada, were supplanted by French. Prior to colonization, there were numerous Native American tribes who lived and thrived there, including the Algonquian, Inuit and Iroquoian. Currently, there are laws to preserve the language of colonization. Perhaps some of these laws should be adopted to preserve the Hawaiian language and culture.

Ua noho mua ihola nā po‘e ‘ōiwi o Quebec ma laila i ka wā kahiko, ‘o ia ho‘i, ma hope mai o ka makahiki 10,000 BC. E noho ana nō nā mamo o ia mau po‘e ma Quebec i kēia au, a kapa ‘ia lākou ‘o ia nā lāhui ‘ilikini. He nui a lehulehu ia mau lāhui, e la‘a nā Algonguian, nā Iroquoian, nā Inuit, a me ia mea aku ia mea aku. ‘O ia mau lāhui ‘ilikini, kapa pū ‘ia nō ho‘i nā Lāhui Mua (First Nations). ‘O kēlā me kēia lāhui, he ‘ōlelo, he mo‘omeheu, he ho‘omana, a he ho‘okele waiwai nō kona. No Quebec nō ia mau lāhui a pau. ‘O lākou wale nō ka po‘e maoli o ia ‘āina.

E noho malie ana lākou i laila no nā makahiki he nui, he mau kaukani ho‘i, a hiki i ka makahiki 1555. I ia makahiki, ho‘omaka ‘ia kahi papahana ho‘okolonaio ‘ino e ka po‘e Palani. Ua kā‘ili ‘ia ka ‘āina a kā‘ili pū ‘ia me nā kūlanakauhale ‘o Stadacona a me Hochelaga e Jacques Cartier no ka mō‘ī Palani. Eia nō ke kapa ‘ia nei ia mau kūlanakauhale ‘o Quebec City a me Montreal. Ma hope o nā kaua me nā ‘ilikini a me Pelekane, ho‘ohui pū ‘ia ‘o Quebec me ke aupuni Pelekane. Ua ho‘okumu‘ia ko Canada kū‘oko‘a, a pakele iā Pelekane, i ka makahiki 1931.

I kēia au, e mau ana nō ka mo‘omeheu a me ka ‘ōlelo Palani ma Quebec. Eia kekahi, ‘o ka ‘ōlelo Palani ka ‘ōlelo kūhelu, a aia kekahi mau kānāwai ‘ōlelo i mea e mālama ai i ia ‘ōlelo. Hiki ke ho‘ohana ‘ia ka ‘ōlelo Palani a i ‘ole ka ‘ōlelo Pelekane ma loko o nā ‘aha‘ōlelo. Eia na‘e, inā aia he ho‘opa‘apa‘a, lanakila ka ‘ōlelo Palani ma luna o ka ‘ōlelo Pelekane. No kekahi mau kānāwai ‘ōlelo ‘ē a‘e, aia ka pono ‘o ka pa‘i ‘ia o nā palapala like ‘ole i laila ma ka ‘ōlelo Palani wale nō, e la‘a nā papa kuhikuhi mea ‘ai, nā hō‘ailona like ‘ole, nā pepelu, nā puke no nā mea kū‘ai, a pēlā wale aku. Eia kekahi, ke komo kahi mea kū‘ai ma loko o kekahi hale kū‘ai, a i ‘ole kahi hale ‘aina, ‘o “bonjour” wale nā ka ‘ano‘ai, a ‘o “au revoir” ke aloha a hui hou. Aia ke kūkākūkā ma ka ‘ōlelo Palani wale nō, a ke ‘ole ia, ‘a‘ole maopopo i ka mea kū‘ai. He ikaika nō ia mau kānāwai ‘ōlelo Palani. Pehea lā na‘e nā ‘ōlelo ‘ōiwi o ia wahi? Mālama wale ‘ia nō ma nā wahi i ho‘oka‘awale ‘ia no ka po‘e ‘ilikini.

‘Oiai, he ‘ōlelo kūhelu no Hawai‘i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, a ‘o ia ka ‘ōlelo makuahine o kēia pae ‘āina nei, e ho‘ohālike ‘ia anei paha ia mau kānāwai ‘ōlelo Palani i mea e mālama ai i ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i? He aha nā kumu no ka ho‘okahua ‘ana i ia mau kānāwai ma Hawai‘i nei? Ka‘aluna nō ka ‘ōlelo haole a me kona mo‘omeheu ma Hawai‘i nei. No laila, aia ka pono ‘o ka ho‘onui ‘ana i ka heluna o nā kānaka i hiki ke ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i i mea e ho‘oki‘eki‘e ai i kona ‘ōlelo kūhelu. E ho‘oikaika ‘ia ka mo‘omeheu Hawai‘i a hō‘ike nō ho‘i ua ‘oko‘a ‘o ‘Amelika a ‘oko‘a ‘o Hawai‘i nei.

I loko nō o ke ‘ano mailihini o ka ‘ōlelo Palani (‘a‘ole ia he ‘ōlelo ‘ōiwi), maika‘i ka ‘ikena ke hele wāwae i luna o nā alanui o Montreal. Inā ho‘i e ho‘okumu ‘ia kekahi mau kānāwai e koikoi ana i ka hō‘ike ‘ia o ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i ma nā hō‘ailona a ke aupuni ‘o Hawai‘i nei, e komo koke ana ia ‘ōlelo i loko o ka waha o ka lehulehu. ‘Oko‘a ‘o Hawai‘i, ‘oko‘a nō ho‘i ‘o ‘Amelika. E mālama ‘ia ia ‘oko‘a. ‘A‘ole nō ‘o Hawai‘i he wahi wale nō nona ke anilā mālie a me kauwahi kahaone nani. Eia na‘e, pehea kākou e hō‘ike ai i ka ‘aha‘ōlelo i ka waiwai o ka holo ‘ana o ia ‘ano kānāwai ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i? ‘Eā, na wai e ‘ole ka waiwai o ka mālama ‘ana i ka ‘ōlelo a me ka mo‘omeheu o ka po‘e ‘ōiwi?