Hawaiians have resisted the complete translation of their language and their culture into something more accessible to Westerners since the 'discovery' of the Sandwich Islands in 1778. The image reverses the idea of using language as a means of resistance and suggests that resisting the surge toward Hawaiian practices, including resisting the use of the language, is the less powerful stance. 'Ne'e papa i ke ō mau' is meant to convey the inevitable return tide of the Hawaiian language and with it Hawaiian cultural values and practices. This is true, but the image that 'ne'e papa' conveys, and that it is meant to convey, is that of lava moving inexorably to the sea or of a phalanx of soldiers eating up any resistance on the way to their goal. 'Ne'e papa i ke ō mau' means to move forward as one, which suggests that the donors and Hawaiian speakers in the room are moving forward as one to revive the Hawaiian language. The 'Aha Punana Leo is the organization that started the Hawaiian language immersion schools movement in the late 1970s. 'Ne'e papa i ke ō mau' is the theme of the annual 'Aha Pū Leo fundraiser dinner.

Google translate hawaiian pidgin