‘The Green’ kicks off Hawaiian Language Month with special song contest

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - As February marks Mahina Olelo Hawaii or Hawaiian Language Month, the popular local band, “The Green” is putting on a special song translation contest.

The contest will run through Feb. 18 and people of all Hawaiian Language skill levels are encouraged to participate.

Contestants must choose a chorus and verse from their favorite song by The Green, translate it to Hawaiian and then record themselves performing the translation.

Participants can then post the performance to their Instagram, using the hashtags #eunuhimai and #mahinaolelohawaii in their caption and tagging @thegreen808.

“I’d love to see some really fluent people maybe some kumu enter and do the full song, but I wanted everybody to be able to enter, so if you only know a few words or you can even look them up in the dictionary, translate a few words or sentences and mix it in with the English, that’s encouraged as well” said Brad Watanabe, a band member of The Green.

Three winners will be chosen and announced in the last week of February.

Prizes include a Kamaka Ukulele, gift cards, band merch and VIP concert tickets.

Watanabe added that the band hopes the contest encourages new people to go and learn the Hawaiian language.

“I think that’s the only way we’ll be able to revitalize the language, to have everybody learn it and use a little bit every day,” he said.

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