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

Abstract

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.