Niu Haohao refers to the soft milky consistency of maturing coconuts, sometimes referred to as “spoon-meat” coconut. Conversational skills will be taught at this intermediate level.

Kiʻi Papa Kamaʻilio

Eia mai ʻo Kumu Pila Wilson, ka hoa kipa o kēia papa kamaʻilio, Kumu Nāʻilima 
a me nā haumāna o ka Papa Kamaʻilio Hāʻulelau 2014.

Since 2012, our papa kamaʻilio (conversational class) has consistently been held three times a year with Kumu Nāʻilima Gaison. This video-conference class via Zoom is for anyone who wants to strengthen their speaking skills in a safe and nurturing environment. All video-conference classes are recorded live and are then archived on Niuolahiki for easy access and review by participants.

Past and present haumāna in our online kamaʻilio classes, who hail from as far away as Kelemānia (Germany), Lādana (London), Konetikuta (Connecticut), Nūioka (New York), Keokia (Georgia), Kaleponi ʻĀkau (Northern California), Wakinekona (Washington state) to Molokaʻi, Kunia and Kāneʻohe on Oʻahu, are now putting the grammatical concepts that they have learned over the years into practice and are having fun while doing so.

This class is valuable for those who reside in Hawaiʻi but are not able to take upper-division classes at the university or frequently engage in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and can be especially valuable for those who live abroad and who have no one to practice with. Being able to find a consistent, in-person hui kamaʻilio (an informal Hawaiian-speaking get together) can be hard to find. The Niuolahiki Online Learning program of the ʻAha Pūnana Leo hopes to fill that gap with our online papa kamaʻilio.

This class is also great for anyone who has taught themselves Hawaiian via books, tape cassettes, DVDs, YouTube videos, the Kīpaepae or Duolingo apps or via other basic online language classes. This class is also great for former adult night school, community college, university students who want to review and strengthen their speaking skills. 

Our topic-based conversational classes are held on Zoom on Saturday mornings from 9am-10:30am HST (1.5 hours) and meet 12 times during the Fall and Spring semesters at a cost of $340 per semester. Summer sessions can range from 6-8 meetings from 9am-11:00am HST (2.0 hours) at a reduced rate. The cost pays for the instructor's time and the continuation of the Niuolahiki Online Learning program. Due to the nature of this online class, seating is limited to 10-15 students per class.

If there is a demand, an introductory papa kamaʻilio may also be made available for anyone who has attained a basic level of proficiency and who would like to practice their speaking skills in a safe and nurturing environment. This class may also be offered three times a year on Saturdays from 11am-12:30pm HST (1.5 hours). A minimum of at least three (3) semesters with a B grade or higher at the introductory level is required prior to moving on to the intermediate level class. However, an exception can be made if there is not enough demand for an introductory papa kamaʻilio.

No financial aid or grants are available for these non-credit, self-enrichment kamaʻilio classes, but payment plans may be considered on a case-by-case basis so that more people can take part in this wonderful opportunity to focus on strengthening their speaking skills helping to support ʻAha Pūnana Leo's vision of E ola ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi–The Hawaiian language shall live.

Please email us at niuolahiki@ahapunanaleo.org if you are interested in creating a payment plan.

Future sessions will be listed below like so: KL26 (Spring 2026), KW26 (Summer 2026), HL26 (Fall 2026), etc. 

If you are new to the Hawaiian language, however, and would like to start learning today via our online program, we offer self-directed lessons starting at $30 per chapter, pay-as-you go. Enroll into Mokuna (Chapter) 1 by following the three easy steps HERE.

E kamaʻilio kāua!