Pūpūkahi i Holomua: A Story of Hawaiian Education and a Theory of Change

Abstract

The Hawaiian kingdom, prior to the illegal overthrow of its monarchy (1893) and the subsequent English-only Law (1896), had boasted a 91-95% literacy rate. Within that learning environment learners had a clear sense of purpose because Hawaiians had a firm grasp of who they were, where they were, and what they had to contribute. Since the English-only Law and US annexation of Hawai‘i (1898), however, the settler colonialschool system has maintained levels of cultural dissonance that have manifested as inequitable student outcomes for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) across multiple academic and disciplinary student indicators (i.e., proficiency, suspension rates, etc). While western law and US compulsory education severed traditional sources of knowledge production that had provided a sustainable model of a‘o (teaching and learning), the ancestors of the Native Hawaiian community were diligent about preserving the keys to their genealogical legacies within more than 120,000 pages of Hawaiian-language newspapers. This collective repository is a resource that helps the Office of Hawaian Education (OHE) rethread Hawaiian education into the tapestry of traditional sources of knowledge production to improve sustainability (cultural, intellectual, environmental, political, etc.) for all learners. OHE uses a theory of change that engages primary and secondary sources, quantitative and qualitative data, in action research that informs Why contemporary circumstances exist, What those contemporary circumstances are, Where we want Hawaiian education to go, and How we are going to get there.

Engaging a Kanaka ʻŌiwi Literature Review Methodology Through Research on Native Hawaiian Culture-Based Education

“…At a pedagogical level, self-determination was used as the focal points to transmit cultural knowledge through self-empowering strategies (Kanaʻiaupuni et al, 2017). Similarly, Ea was identified as an example of Native Hawaiian content knowledge; when applied to the design of transformative programs and projects, Ea produces “a curriculum of sustainability through agency and action” (Kukahiko et al, 2020, p. 208).…”

“…While this finding confirms a degree of consensus on the two concepts’ significance among Kanaka ʻŌiwi scholars, it does not corroborate a widespread familiarity of the terms within Native Hawaiian CBE schools or the Lāhui. In fact, among the 16 pieces that fit within the kukui tree model’s aʻa, kumu, and kukui nuts, only five (Culturally Relevant Evaluation and Assessment Hawaiʻi Hui, 2019; Espania et al, 2017; Kawai‘ae‘a et al, 2018; Kukahiko et al, 2020; and Kūkulu Kumuhana Planning Committee, 2017) are conceptual papers that provide generalizable pedagogical frameworks for Native Hawaiian CBE schools. If we analyze this short list according to the number of times that self-determination and Ea are mentioned in the main text, we are met with a stark discovery: only one paper (Kūkulu Kumuhana Planning Committee, 2017) provides extensive definitions and examples of both concepts.…”

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

“…Although 78% of all NH students in the HIDOE had college aspirations of attaining at least a 2-year degree in 2017 (ACT, 2017), only 45% ended up enrolling at U. S. institutions of higher education in 2018 (Kukahiko et al, 2020a). This statistic suggests that obstacles, or perceived barriers, are impeding the matriculation of NH high school students who want to go to college but do not.…”

Returning Children to the ’Āina and Fanua: Indigenous Survivance in Pacifica Early Childhood

“…In the 21st century, health, social services, and schooling often remain out of Indigenous hands in Hawai'i (Kaomea, 2005). Today, approximately one-fifth of the population in Hawai'i reports Native Hawaiian heritage (K. Kukahiko et al, 2020). Native Hawaiians and part-Hawaiians still rank low regarding Hawai'i's health, education, and economic well-being (Benham, 2006;Kana'iaupuni et al, 2005;Kaomea, 2009).…”

“…In the 21st century, health, social services, and schooling often remain out of Indigenous hands in Hawai’i (Kaomea, 2005). Today, approximately one-fifth of the population in Hawai’i reports Native Hawaiian heritage (K. Kukahiko et al, 2020).…”