June 15, 2005 - Hawaiian Language, Part 2

Today on Wordmaster, Rosanne Skirble takes us to a school in America's Pacific island state, Hawaii, where students are immersed in the Hawaiian language and culture.

On this day we find a class of sixth graders outdoors in the taro field. Taro - the root crop brought here long ago by migrating Polynesians - is a staple in Hawaii. They believed it was the plant form of the great god Kane - the giver of life.

BABA YIM: "For me it is more like family. It is more of a life than a job. It is not just one child "kiki" who goes here. (We have) brothers, sisters and cousins -- big extended families throughout our school."

SECOND STUDENT: "I'm learning that there are different chiefs in the Hawaiian nation and they teach us things they mostly don't know at other schools."