ABSTRACT
If we think of education is an act of knowing, then reading has to do with knowing. The act of reading cannot be explained as merely reading words since every act of reading words implies a previous reading of the world and a subsequent re-reading of the world. There is a permanent movement back and forth between “reading” reality and reading words-the spoken word too is our reading of the world. We can go further, however, and say that reading the word is not only preceded by reading the world, but also by a certain form of writing it or rewriting it. In other words, of transforming it by means of conscious practical action. For me, this dynamic movement is central to literacy. (Freire, 1985, p. 18)
This quotation by the great Brazilian educator Paolo Freire highlights the view of reading comprehension taken in this chapter. We look at comprehension in terms of reading the world, understanding how literacy can be used to position individuals and cultural groups, to create narratives and counternarratives. Our goal in this chapter is to explore reading comprehension-as reading the world as well as the word-and issues of diversity from a historical perspective, highlighting insights gained from studies of the literacy and schooling of Native Hawaiians. The case of Native Hawaiians is of particular interest because of the traditional belief in the power of language. This belief is refl ected in the saying, “I ka ‘ǀlelo no ke ola, i ka ‘ǀlelo no ka make” (Pukui, 1983, p. 129). The popular translation of this saying is, “In the language is life, in the language is death,” and it refl ects the conviction that language is so powerful that it can heal or destroy.
