JCSCORE

Sacred Landscapes and Wisdom Maps: Keawaʻula's Legacy

Kekaha Kalikolehua Pōmaikaʻināmeaapau Spencer — 2024-05-29

In the realm of indigenous knowledge systems, Kanaka researcher and scholar Oliveira's wisdom maps (2019) are a profound means to capture the intangible aspects of our cultural heritage and ancestral knowledge. They serve as metaphorical oral repositories, containing experiential, relational, and historical knowledge, which may not be easily reduced to written form. This essay integrates ethnographic research, historical accounts, and Hawaiian and indigenous knowledge such as moʻolelo (stories, literature, history) to demonstrate the significance of one such wahi pana (celebrated place), Keawaʻula, Oʻahu. The mo'olelo of Hiʻiakaikapoliopele, Pele's younger sister, offers us a rich example of ancestral knowledge and cultural heritage transmission transcending time and place. By tracing Hiʻiaka's journey and her interactions with the landscape of Keawaʻula and its surrounding areas, we gain a deeper understanding of ʻike Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian knowledge) and ʻike kūpuna (ancestral knowledge) through lessons of resilience, transformation, and the potential for positive change in the face of adversity, emphasizing the importance of place and the enduring connection between Hawaiians and 'āina (land). These moʻolelo are not mere relics of the past but vital tools for uplifting ʻike Hawaiʻi and ʻike kūpuna, playing a central role in our indigenous resurgence, preserving the indigeneity of these places. They also reveal their relevance in contemporary contexts inspiring a deeper connection to 'āina (land, that which feeds) by acting as a powerful link between the past, present, and future. Transformation encompasses significant changes in ʻāina and people over time, reflecting our adaptive response to life's challenges, demonstrating the depth of our connection with 'āina. Meanwhile, potential for positive change embodies hopeful anticipation of beneficial outcomes, recognizing every situation as an opportunity for improvement. This paper invites exploration of how wisdom maps reaffirm the importance of mo'olelo and our connection to 'āina, resisting the erasure of our presence from our kulāiwi (homeland). In embracing the insights of our kūpuna, we find pathways to thrive, highlighting the strength and richness ingrained in our heritage and homeland. Hiʻiakaikapoliopele's moʻolelo takes us on a journey through Keawaʻula and its neighboring ahupuaʻa (land divisions), revealing ancestral knowledge crucial for understanding our identity as Kānaka. This example of Kanaka geography illustrates methods used to map ancestral places and retain moʻolelo, shaping our identity and connection with ʻāina (Oliveira, 2019).

Puʻuhonua o Puʻuhuluhulu University: He kīhoʻihoʻi kānāwai no ka naʻauao Hawaiʻi

Presley Keʻalaanuhea Ah Mook Sang — 2024-05-29

This poem speaks to the salt and the waters, the growth and the growing, the ebb and the flowing, and the endless aloha I have for myself and my lāhui who has transformed me. I come from the very Hawaiians who suffered at the disallowance of Hawaiian education. I had to actively choose to break that cycle in our immediate family and join our extended one in this reimagined present and future. Through education, I learned the importance of activism. So, in July of 2019, I joined a few dozen educators on the slopes of Mauna Kea, at a section of ʻāina between our sacred mountain and Puʻuhuluhulu to stand in protection of our beloved lands. Soon, thousands of others joined us in the movement of protection with the goal of stopping the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). These thousands of people had so much to teach and were so motivated to learn. This endeavor came to be known as Puʻuhuluhulu University, which served as “an actual place of Hawaiian learning” and an example of ancient wisdom in our contemporary lives. For this is education which liberates our people. Let it continue.

Genuine Security for Whom?: Militourism and Violence Against the Feminine in Hawaiʻi and Asia and the Pacific

Nik Cristobal — 2024-05-29

Assaults on ʻāina (land; that which feeds) are assaults on wāhine (women). Violence toward wāhine ʻōiwi (Native Hawaiian women/feminine people) and the ʻāina is discussed through the context of the Missing and Murdered Native Hawaiian Women, Girls, Māhū (MMNHWGM) movement and its relation to militourism. Militourism is used to draw parallels between the violence experienced by wāhine ʻōiwi in Hawaiʻi and women in the Philippines and across Asia and the Pacific. The concept of “genuine security” is addressed as a step toward sovereignty and reducing violence against wāhine and ʻāina. Reflective solutions to the violent impacts of militourism are offered through the frame of radical healing.

The Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture (INPEACE): An Unapologetically Hawaiian Organization

Maile Keliipio-Acoba — 2024-05-29

The Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture (INPEACE) has provided educational programs to Native Hawaiian communities since 1994, nurturing the growth and development of keiki through ‘ohana-focused models and empowering community members to become educators and active leaders in their own communities because they understand, live, and are invested in the community’s future. INPEACE Chief Executive Officer Maile Keliipio-Acoba and Chief Program Officer Sanoe Marfil, offer a personal glimpse into their work and reflect on how their organization is supporting the Native Hawaiian community through culture-based education and professional development.

Returning ʻŌiwi Birthing Practices to Hospitals in Hawaiʻi

Pua ʻO Eleili Pinto — 2024-05-29

ʻŌiwi birthing practices are intimate relationships between family, community, and the environment. They support the physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental health of the whole family. In the Hawaiian Kingdom, with the introduction of institutionalized birth, Queen Kapiʻolani hybridized Euro-American birth practices with ʻŌiwi ones. Over time, with the changing of political leadership and the devaluation of traditional knowledge, ʻŌiwi birth practices have become virtually unknown to many. As Native Hawaiians today disproportionately experience adverse pregnancy outcomes, the authors advocate for and outline how returning to ancestral and historical ʻŌiwi birthing practices in hospitals could improve ʻŌiwi maternal and neonatal health.

Deconstructing the School to Prison Pipeline in Hawai‘i: Revitalization and Restoration of Kānaka, ‘Āina and Kuleana Through Language and Cultural Practices

Kealiʻi Kukahiko — 2024-05-29

Hānau ka ‘āina, hānau ke ali‘i, hānau ke kanaka. This ‘ōlelo no'eau is a Hawaiian proverb that means the land, the chiefs, and the people belong together. This translation suggests that the land and people of Hawai‘i are interconnected, both enacting collective values that shape and sustain the other through language and cultural practices. As the gaze of imperialists seeking a military foothold in the Pacific fell upon Hawai‘i during the 19th century, would-be conquerors actively sought to sever the relationship between kānaka (people), ‘āina (land) and kuleana (responsibility/stewardship). As a result, the land and people of Hawai‘i share histories of sustainability and prosperity, colonization and subjugation, and resistance and restoration. It is from this Indigenous lens that the authors problematize the carceral logics of K-12 education and seek a participatory action research praxis that offers preemptive protective inputs, outputs, and desired outcomes to the colonial processes that have sustained the school-to-prison pipeline (STPP) in Hawai‘i.

He mamo aloha na Hāloa; Things I would have learned in a Kula Kaiapuni

Eōmailani Keonaonalikookalehua Kukahiko — 2024-05-29

Moʻolelo are narrative reminders of the stories our ancestors hold in trust for future generations of kānaka. They remind us of our humanity as kānaka in life, love, and difficulty. Using moʻolelo, the author, a former Hawaiian language immersion teacher (kumu kula kaiapuni) will reflect on the moʻolelo of Hāloa and examine the many lessons learned through reconnection to diverse and non-heteronormative family structures, initiating and building language relationships after intergenerational loss, and engaging law, policy, and systemic structures to advance Indigenous education and ways of being and intergenerational persistence through the Hawaiian educational movement.

A Hawaiian Place of Learning Under U.S. Occupation

Willy Kauai — 2024-05-29

Prior to the United States’ (U.S.) illegal occupation of the Hawaiian Kingdom government in 1893 and illegal annexation in 1898, literacy rates and educational attainment in the Hawaiian Kingdom were amongst the highest in the world. In contrast to the educational history of the 19th century, the usurpation of the Hawaiian educational system following the occupation of the U.S. gave way to a century of miseducation and marginalization. Today, more than 130 years after the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom government, the consequences of this event are omnipresent across all sectors of education, including higher education. The downward educational trend correlates with the evolution of the University of Hawaiʻi. This article examines the paradox and the dilemma of the University of Hawaiʻi to become a “Hawaiian Place of Learning” while also fortifying the U.S. occupation of the Hawaiian Islands. This article also highlights possibilities, programming, and philosophies from Native Hawaiian Student Services (NHSS), a co-curricular unit at the University of Hawaiʻi that both responds to the University’s refusals and limitations by contextualizing Hawaiian student success in the 21^stcentury and by looking back to the Hawaiian educational system of the 19^th century as a blueprint for educational interventions today.

The Kāhea to Return Home: Diasporic Kānaka ʻŌiwi and Higher Education

Alicia Nani Reyes — 2024-05-29

This paper explores the perspectives of two Kānaka ʻŌiwi wāhine (Native Hawaiian women) born and raised in the diaspora and their journeys in navigating their way back home to Hawaiʻi. The modern usage of the term diaspora, in the context of Kānaka ʻŌiwi, is used to describe Native Hawaiians who were born or who have spent significant time outside of Hawaiʻi. However, from a Hawaiian worldview, our kūpuna (ancestors) made us Kānaka ʻŌiwi. We share our stories of being born and raised in the diaspora and what that meant for us as Kānaka ʻŌiwi. In telling our story, we center our shared experience of utilizing the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UH Mānoa) as a means to make our way home. We share the development of our shared kuleana (responsibility and privileges) to address a need to create a space and form a hui for haumāna with shared experiences of diaspora. With the help of Native Hawaiian Student Services (NHSS), we had the privilege to connect with our fellow diasporic Kānaka ʻŌiwi haumāna (students) to establish the Native Hawaiian Diaspora Association. We hope to bring more awareness to the increasing amount of diasporic Kānaka ʻŌiwi at UH Mānoa and the importance of a space like the Native Hawaiian Diaspora Association in serving the unique needs of our students. For UH Mānoa to become a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning, it must recognize, honor, and support the many diasporic Kānaka ʻŌiwi haumāna who receive the kāhea to return home.

Towards an Indigenous-Serving Institution: A Study on Sense of Belonging and Perceptions of Native Hawaiian Culture at Leeward Community College

T. Kuʻuipo Cummings Losch — 2024-05-29

Leeward Community College is committed to supporting Native Hawaiians, the Indigenous people of Hawaiʻi. It aims to become a “model indigenous-serving” institution (University of Hawaiʻi, 2012) as part of the University of Hawaiʻi system’s efforts to empower Hawaiʻi’s Indigenous scholars and their communities. This single-site case study used the Culturally Engaging Campus Environments (CECE) model to assess the degree to which students feel a sense of belonging on their college campus, specifically in their perceptions of Native Hawaiians and Native Hawaiian culture. The data revealed that while most participants felt a sense of belonging on campus, there are disparities between Native Hawaiian and non-Native Hawaiian students and employees. Interviewees emphasized the need for institutional support to prioritize indigenous people, mindsets, environments, and collective wellness in decision-making, leadership, and service to the community.

E kolo ana nō ke ēwe i ke ēwe: Our genealogy of building Pōpolo & Kānaka ʻŌiwi sisterhood through the Sister Circle at Mānoa

LaJoya Reed Shelly — 2024-05-29

Traditionally, “sister circles are support groups that build upon existing friendships, fictive kin networks, and the sense of community found among Black women” (Neal-Barnett et al., 2018). The context of attending an Indigenous-serving institution grounded in Native Hawaiian culture, values, and knowledge, coupled with the dearth of Black women attending the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, causes us to reimagine what a traditional sister circle might look like. Hence, we describe the importance of Black and Indigenous women's solidarities and how they are shaped and informed by place. Within this reflection, we describe how ʻike Hawaiʻi (Hawaiʻi centered knowledge) and ʻāina (land) inform the ways in which we create and sustain community for ourselves and other women of color attending UH Mānoa.

“Ako ʻĒ Ka Hale A Paʻa”: Mentoring for Kānaka Futures through Hilinehu Educational Leadership Advancement

Erin Kahunawaikaʻala Wright — 2024-05-29

In this article, we explore our experiences as Kānaka faculty mentors in Hilinehu Educational Leadership Advancement (HELA), a federally-funded grant through the Native Hawaiian Education Program (NHEP) supporting Kānaka graduate students in the field of education. Through the exploration of our experiences, we consider how mentoring can matter for Kānaka graduate students and furthermore how graduate education can matter for our lāhui Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian nation). Although graduate education historically has not been a priority for the Native Hawaiian Education Act (NHEA), we argue that it is vitally important to preparing Kānaka for educational leadership and nation-building. Finally, we offer reflections on our experiences as mentors through HELA and close with experience-based recommendations for policymakers and administrators, faculty mentors, and Kānaka graduate students.

Cultivating Pacific Studies in Koʻolauloa

Line-Noue Memea Kruse — 2024-05-29

Pacific Studies is an interdisciplinary field that began in the twentieth century in Australia, Aotearoa, and the United States (Mawyer et al., 2020). The field sought to understand the area and region of Oceania, but later, many scholars took more critical approaches to Pacific Studies. These approaches have provided more perspectives from those connected to and in relation to Oceania. The authors provide a historical account of Pacific Studies being introduced into Hawaiʻi (first within the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and the University of Hawaiʻi-West Oʻahu) to then illustrate how it has become situated within the Koʻolauloa region of Oʻahu where Brigham Young University-Hawaiʻi (BYUH) is located. The purpose of sharing this historical account of Pacific Studies in Hawaiʻi, and more specifically BYUH, is to provide invaluable insights into the evolution of the academic discipline. There is a deeper appreciation for the present state of Pacific Studies and its potential future direction when past decisions and outcomes are recognized and understood within institutions and places. The authors look forward to fostering transparency, critical reflection, and informing decision-making processes to enhance the relevance and effectiveness of the Pacific Studies field.

Reclaiming, Resisting and Representing: Makings Space for Palauan Knowledge in a Pacific Islander Serving Institution

Joy R. Hannibal — 2024-05-29

Little research exists on the specific ways that Indigenous Knowledge is integrated into institutions of higher education across the U.S.-affiliated islands of Micronesia. This research study highlights the existence of Palauan Knowledge within Palau Community College. An Indigenous paradigm (Wilson, 2003) is utilized to align with Palauan values of respect (omenguul), responsibility (ngerachel), care and compassion (klechubechub). Through interviews (chelededuch) with nine collaborators, in addition to field notes, observations, and archival documents, this study was guided by the following questions: How is Indigenous Knowledge incorporated within Palau Community College (PCC)? Secondly, how do stories from Indigenous teachers and Indigenous learning environments inform PCC? Findings from this study reveal experiences of separation from Palauan Knowledge and the actions some collaborators took to preserve Palauan Knowledge. Collaborators’ narratives highlight several instances where Palauan knowledge is honored within the college through visual and oral representations and with academic and community programming. Continuity of Palauan Knowledge through ongoing opportunities to sustain practices in and outside the college is explored in the final reflections of collaborators. They continue to challenge perspectives that Indigenous Knowledge is in the past and instead is evolving. Ultimately, this study lays a foundation for continued inquiry and reflection of the college to continue to interrogate the ways that Palau Community College elevates Indigenous Knowledge.

Redistributing Waiwai: Carrying Abundance for Movement Building in Hawaiʻi

Micky Huihui — 2024-05-29

In this community spotlight, Executive Director Micky Huihui describes the work and aims of Hawaiʻi People’s Fund, an organization that seeks to contribute to social justice movements in Hawaiʻi through funding and supporting grassroots organizations and leaders doing on-the-ground social justice work.

Reflections and Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Journal Committed to Social Change on Race and Ethnicity

Cristobal Salinas Jr., Ph.D. — 2024-05-29

Welcome to the Spring 2024 Special Issue of the Journal Committed to Social Change on Race and Ethnicity (JCSCORE). This Special Issue celebrates the 10th Anniversary of JCSCORE and features the scholarship of scholars, practitioners, and activists with connections to or relationships with Hawai’i.

A Letter from the Guest Editors: Meditation on Hawai`i as the Piko

Erin Kahunawaikaʻala Wright — 2024-05-29

This special issue is to engage the NCORE community in respectful and joyful dialogues, situating your temporary presence in Hawaiʻi within the broader historical, social, cultural, and political contexts influencing the education and well-being of our people. The articles featured in this special issue are arranged in honor of the piko from which we draw inspiration, radiating from the center of our physical and metaphorical landscape and land-sea continuum outwards into our oceanscapes.