Aloha Kailua, I cannot agree that Hawaiian is a dead language. Our streets have Hawaiian names. People of all races give their children Hawaiian names. Before ground breakings, opening sessions of the legislature, and other major public events there are prayers and an oli all of them in Hawaiian. These are not the symptoms of a dead language.
Language is power.
Those who control the language can disenfranchise people. The fact that a person cannot speak Hawaiian frightens them because they cannot control the language. This has happened too often in our history and we cannot let it happen again. We have let the english speaking world use and abuse our words for too long. If we as a people are to survive, preserve and grow our culture we need our language.