A Hawaiian Place of Learning

Erin Kahunawaika‘ala Wright
Hawai‘inuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge
Native Hawaiian Student Services

• How many of you are from places other than
Hawai‘i?
• What are some of the reasons you decided on
Hawai‘i?
• What are some of your notions of Hawai‘i before
you arrived?

The Importance of Knowing People and Place in
Hawai‘i: Understanding Context

• To show respect for the people and place;
• To be informed global citizens especially as participants in higher
education;
• To understand that the University of Hawai‘i is a “site of
engagement” for the Native Hawaiian community;
• To understand University of Hawai‘i System and, in particular, the
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa has dedicated itself to being a
“Hawaiian place of learning” and “model Indigenous-serving
institution, and also creating a “Hawaiian sense of place”; and
• To know that Hawaiian knowledge structures are complex,
relevant, and interlinked with broader knowledges.

• First peoples of Hawai‘i: Kanaka Maoli, Kanaka ‘Ōiwi,
Hawai‘i, Keiki Papa, Kama‘āina…
• Cultural, historical, and genealogical ties to Hawai‘i
• Generally speaking, Native Hawaiians are broadly
defined as lineal descendants of the aboriginal
inhabitants of the Hawaiian Archipelago prior to 1778 –
Native Hawaiian, native Hawaiian, Hawaiian, and
Hawaiian/Part-Hawaiian
• “Asian/Pacific Islanders”, “Asian and Pacific Islanders”,
“Native Hawaiians & Other Pacific Islanders”

• U. S.: >1% (401,162)
• Hawai‘i: 23% (239,655)
• University of Hawai‘i System (Fall 2011):
• CCs: 29.6% (33,715)
• UH Mānoa: Total 14.9% (3,049)
UG 15.8% (2,308)
GR/PR 12.5% (721)

• One in nearly every four students is Native Hawaiian in the UH
System
• Compose about 14% student population, 4% faculty at UH Mānoa
• Second lowest rate of retention at UH Mānoa
• Native Hawaiian families have high educational aspirations for their
children but Native Hawaiians are still underrepresented in the fouryear
universities and in post-baccalaureate education (i.e. graduate
and professional school)…
• Native Hawaiians are underrepresented in fields which require
advanced degrees and training. For example:
• Professoriate, academic research
• Administration, management
• Native Hawaiians are disproportionately represented in the prisons,
Special Education, and service-related employment

• Hawai‘i history is complex
• Traditional society Kingdom of Hawai‘i
Territory of Hawai‘i State of Hawai‘i
• Historical trauma, Inter-generational trauma
• Historically-situated power dynamics

• Contemporary Hawai‘i society is complex
• History impacts current society and its “politics”
• Shifting geographies
• Shifting demographies
• Kānaka Maoli assertions for political, social, and economic
self-determination
• Constructions of “Hawaiʻi”
▪ “Multicultural Paradise”, “Mixed Plate”
▪ “Mainland” and “Local”
▪ Asian Settler Colonialism

Engaging in multiple learning opportunities

• Hawaiian Studies
• Hawaiian Studies 107: Hawai‘i: Center of the
Pacific…
• Hawaiian Language
• Hawaiian Language 101 – 402
• Hawaiian Language 100: A Survival Kit for Life in
Hawai‘i…
• Botany 105: Ethnobotany

• Ethnic Studies
• Ethnic Studies 221: Hawaiians
• Ethnic Studies 320: Hawai‘i and the Pacific
• Ethnic Studies 360: Immigration to Hawai‘i
• Ethnic Studies 340: Land Tenure & Use in Hawai‘i
• English
• English 370: Ethnic Literature of Hawai‘i
• English 371: Literature of the Pacific
• Political Science
• Political Science 301 & 302: Political Thought in Hawai‘i
• Political Science 303: Topics in Hawai‘i Politics
• Political Science 304: Indigenous Politics…

• “From a Native Daughter: Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawai‘i”
- Trask
• “Aloha Betrayed: Native Hawaiian Resistance to American
Colonialism” - Silva
• “Native Men Remade: Gender and Nation in Contemporary
Hawai‘i” - Tengan
• “Ethnicity and Inequality in Hawai‘i” - Okamura
• “Illusions of Paradise” - Okamura
• “Hūlili: Multidisciplinary Research on Hawaiian Well-Being” –
Kamehameha Schools Publishing
• “ʻŌiwi: A Native Hawaiian Journal” – Kuleana ʻŌiwi
• “Asian Settler Colonialism” – Fujikane & Okamura

• “Act of War: The Overthrow of the Hawaiian
Nation”
• “The Navigators: Pathfinders of the Pacific”
• “Papa Mau: The Wayfinder”
• “Then There Were None”…

• www.oha.org - Office of Hawaiian Affairs
• www.wehewehe.org – Hawaiian language
resource
• Native Hawaiian Student Services – Facebook
• www.ulukau.org - Hawaiian resources
• www.namaka.com - Nā Maka o ka ʻĀina
documentaries
• www.piccom.org - Pacific Islanders in
Communications

Places to Start Learning about People and Place

• Hawaiian & Pacific Collection – Hamilton
Library
• Wong’s Audio/Visual Center – Sinclair Library
• Resource Center – Center for Hawaiian
Studies
• Mary Kawena Pukui Hale – Kawaihuelani
Center for Hawaiian Language (Spalding Hall
254)

• Student Groups
• Hui Aloha ‘Āina Tuahine
• Movement for Aloha No Ka ‘Āina (HauMANA)
• First Saturdays at Ka Papa Lo‘i o Kānewai
• Third Saturdays at Ka Papa Lo‘i o Kānewai in Punaluʻu
• First Saturdays at Kamakakūokalani Center for
Hawaiian Studies

• Hawaiian-focused faculty in different disciplines
• “Cluster hire” faculty
• Public Health
• Law
• Natural Resources and Environmental
Management
• Medicine
• Theater...

Connect History with
Contemporary Society
Surfing legend, Rell
Sunn

ʻOlapa: Sweetie Costa
Hālau: Ka Pā Hula o Ka Lei Lehua
Kumu Hula: Snowbird Bento

• Ask questions
• Invest in a Hawaiian Language Dictionary
• Talk to your students and faculty
• Visit places like Ka‘ala Farm, Bishop Museum, ‘Iolani Palace, Royal
Hawaiian Shopping Center (Helumoa)
• Take a minute to read the plaques next to statues when walking in
Waikīkī, Downtown Honolulu
• Take a minute to look at the pictures and explanations in hotel lobbies,
restaurants
• Listen to the explanations in Hawaiian songs and dances

Kahunawai Wright, ewright@hawaii.edu
http://manoa.hawaii.edu/hshk/