(HSHK) at the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� welcomed more than 100 Indigenous educators from around the world for the annual (WINHEC) 2024 conference. The five-day event, held September 27–30, attracted educators from as far as Norway, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Australia, and Canada, to share cultural ʻike (knowledge) and practices in Indigenous education.

“This is why it’s so important for Kānaka Maoli to own the fact that we are Indigenous native peoples and that we have the spiritual connection to the land, to the waters, to our ancestors that is so similar to Saami, Apache, Māori regardless of where people come from,” said Jon Osorio, dean of Hawaiʻinuiākea.

WINHEC, first established in 2002 in Alberta, Canada, is a global effort to advance Indigenous studies in higher education. The conference serves as a forum for members of Indigenous-serving institutions to discuss Indigenous philosophies and knowledge systems. While most of the 2024 conference took place in Waikīkī, a key breakout session was an all day cultural experience at the ����ԴDz� campus at , the site of HSHK’s loʻi kalo (taro patch) and cultural garden.

ʻĀina-based education

During the session, participants engaged in hands-on learning led by Hawaiʻinuiākea haumāna (students), who demonstrated traditional kalo cultivation, the importance of our water systems, and traditional imu (underground) cooking methods. Hawaiʻinuiākea, home to the nation’s largest Indigenous studies program, deeply values ʻāina-based learning—education rooted in the land, its resources, and people.

“The things that our ancestors knew about how to live off of this land, we believe are becoming increasingly important to sustain us for many generations,” Osorio added.

Among the attendees was Bashqwaa-idaamoqwe Roxanne Delille, an Ojibwe from Minnesota and dean of Indigenous and Academic Affairs at Fond du Lac Tribal Community College.

“When we think about that old knowledge, how do we pick that back up again and reclaim it so that we become stronger in who we are,” Delille said. “That’s the beauty of it!”

Accreditation achievement

On the final day of the conference, Hawaiʻinuiākea received a prestigious renewal of a 10-year WINHEC accreditation, honoring the school’s dedication to preserving and revitalizing Indigenous knowledge.

The (IILF) was held in Hawaiʻi for the first time, November 27–30. Founded in 1999 and held every two years, the forum serves as a coming-together of Indigenous information practitioners and knowledge keepers from Native nations around the world to discuss goals, challenges, projects and successes that are important to Native peoples, cultural resources and the repositories that house them.

Because of COVID-19, the forum had been on hiatus since 2021. Hawaiʻi stepped up to host and drew the most attendees in the event’s history. Around 200 delegates, from Aotearoa, Australia, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Canada, Norway, the United States and more, attended sessions at Waimea Valley, the ’s , , , and the ’s . Librarians and archivists from across the ������Ƶ system and throughout the local and diaspora community served on the steering committee and its various subcommittees.

Kapena Shim and Hauʻolihiwahiwa Moniz from Hamilton Library served as IILF Hawaiʻi steering committee co-chairs.

“The Forum speaks to the amazing work of resilience and reclamation that Indigenous information practitioners and allies all over the world are forging in both big and small ways to support Indigenous communities and sovereign futures. It was a time for us to think collectively about how we are lifting up Indigenous communities and their fight/right for ea (sovereignty),” said Shim and Moniz.

Other steering committee members from ������Ƶ and the community included:

Carina Chernisky (������Ƶ West Oʻahu)
Keahiahi Long (������Ƶ Mānoa)
Annie Thomas (Kapiʻolani CC)
Hōkū Kaʻahaʻaina (ʻUluʻulu, ������Ƶ West Oʻahu)
Shavonn Matsuda (������Ƶ Maui College)
Kawena Komeiji (������Ƶ West Oʻahu, former committee member)
Hinano Tangaro (Kawaihaʻo Church Archives)
Puamokihana Renti Cruz (Hawaiʻi Kai Public Library)

Delegates attended breakout sessions that were hosted by their peers to learn more about Indigenous knowledge initiatives being implemented in their respective countries and communities. Although the forum welcomed non-Indigenous people to attend, all planning and presentations were Indigenous led.

The forum theme was EA: Indigenous Agency and Abundance, which challenged delegates to think about how Indigenous information professionals breathe life into their institutions to advance Indigenous independence and sovereignty in their communities. Attendees heard from keynote speakers such as Pua Case, ������Ƶ Maui College Vice Chancellor Kahele Dukelow, and a panel of Kanaka (Native Hawaiian) librarians (Kylie Flood, Ikaika Keliiiki, Komeiji and Long), all of whom are graduates of the ������Ƶ Mānoa library and information science program.

With a $75,000 grant from Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, IILF Hawaiʻi was able to increase attendance, refund presenters their registration fees, pay the way for several Maui information professionals to attend, and hire a casual-hire part-time Indigenous initiatives librarian for Hamilton Library who will lead a white paper on the state of Indigenous librarianship to be published in fall 2024.

The proceedings from the forum will be published in spring 2024.

When the new school year began for the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz�’s , so did its leadership under a new dean, . “The school is heading to be a much more dynamic contributor to the overall life of this campus—academically, culturally, socially,” he said.

Learn why Osorio applied for the leadership position, where the school is headed, one of his highest priorities, and how modern-day challenges demonstrate “just how brilliant our ancestors were.”

�Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ���Գܾ����� is , , and . Established in 2007 and located on Dole Street, �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ���Գܾ����� is the newest college on the ����ԴDz� campus and the only indigenous college in a Research I ranked institution.

A new oceanography course is being offered this summer in the at the (SOEST). SOEST Mauka to Makai is a six-week bridge program that goes beyond the usual lectures and laboratory activities to include tutorials, coastal cruises and service-learning activities.

Funded as part of an award from the National Science Foundation Tribal Colleges and Universities Program to students at , , and ������Ƶ ����ԴDz�, this fresh approach aims to provide hands-on learning in the natural environment. A unique aspect of the course is its connection with community groups involved in the preservation and restoration of traditional Hawaiian resource management practices in watersheds and coastal waters of Oʻahu.

Students from ������Ƶ community colleges with an interest in science and solid academic records, who are interested in coming to ������Ƶ ����ԴDz� for a four-year degree in the geosciences, were encouraged to apply for the course. This summer, 11 students representing Honolulu, Kauaʻi, and Windward CCs are enrolled.

“This course is different from the typical introductory oceanography class in that it has been restructured to be place-based, exposing the students to specific challenges being faced by communities across Oʻahu and the local organizations that are tackling them,” said , co-principal investigator and oceanography professor.

The course involves faculty from across SOEST, enabling students to interact with researchers in a broad array of geoscience-related disciplines and allowing students to see first-hand the real-life application of the research being carried out at this institution.

Tapping into Hawaiʻi‘s local talent pool

“This course is part of an overall effort to create more pathways between the ������Ƶ community colleges and ������Ƶ ����ԴDz� in the geosciences (atmospheric science, environmental science, geology, oceanography), with the end goal of having more underrepresented minorities in the geosciences graduate with geoscience-related degrees,” said , co-principal investigator for the course and chair of the SOEST .

“Native Hawaiians and other ethnic minority groups, including Pacific Islanders, Filipinos, Hispanics, African Americans and Native Americans, are underrepresented at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in SOEST,” said , co-principal investigator and assistant professor in SOEST oceanography and University of Hawaiʻi . “In an effort to tap into Hawaiʻi‘s local talent pool, SOEST is actively partnering with community colleges to recruit �첹����ʻ�徱�Բ� students into our degree programs.”

The overarching goal of these partnerships is to foster a transfer pathway from the community colleges to geoscience degree programs at ������Ƶ ����ԴDz�, with a focus on Native Hawaiian and other underrepresented students. The natural pathway from the community colleges in the ������Ƶ system to ������Ƶ ����ԴDz� facilitates administrative collaboration and student transfer.

The National Science Foundation Tribal Colleges and Universities Program grant covers summer tuition and associated fees, six weeks of room and board on the ����ԴDz� campus and a stipend for the participating students. The SOEST Mauka to Makai course will be offered each summer for the next three years as a pilot program.

—By Marcie Grabowski

Nervousness and smiles marked the faces of students who had the opportunity to meet Japan’s Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko on June 7 when the royal couple visited the .

This was the first visit the Japanese royal couple has made to ������Ƶ. Prince Ashikino’s parents, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, have visited the ������Ƶ ����ԴDz� campus twice.

The prince and princess spoke with Japanese language students, who were prepared in the protocol of greeting a royal Japanese family member.

About 1,000 students take each semester at ������Ƶ ����ԴDz�, which has the largest program in the country. Many graduates also take part in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET), which sends participants to teach English to students in Japan.

The prince and princess took time to speak with each student and faculty member that attended the event at the Queen Liliʻuokalani Center.

“Just to be in their presence, you know, you see them in pictures, we see them in the news. But to see them in person and just find out they’re down to earth and humble,” said senior Jackie Kojima.

Both Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko have advanced degrees. The prince has a PhD in ornithology and the princess has a PhD in psychology. The prince is also an official patron of the Japan Forestry Association and the Japan Association of Botanical Garden.

The royal couple later spent time with students and faculty at . The students demonstrated the planting and harvesting cycle of taro as the prince asked many questions.

“The princess came and she was really awesome and really sweet,” said ������Ƶ ����ԴDz� graduate student Kalena Lee-Agcaoili. “She was really interested in what we were doing here and our youth and my generation. (She) wanted to know about what we were doing here and what this was about.”

Students who had the chance to interact with the royal couple came back to the word “genuine” when describing what the time spent with the prince and princess was like.

The final stop on the ������Ƶ ����ԴDz� tour was a visit to . Prince Akishino had an interest in the chickens that roam around the arboretum, his specialization is in the domestication of animals with an emphasis on chickens.

To commemorate the visit a ʻō��ʻ�� lehua tree was planted in one of the gardens.

The couple traveled to Hawaiʻi to mark the 150th anniversary of the first immigrants that traveled from Japan to the islands to become laborers in the sugar cane fields.

Earth Day has grown in popularity and importance since it was first established in 1970. Though it is officially observed on April 22, Earth Month events are being celebrated across University of Hawaiʻi campuses.

������Ƶ Hilo and Hawaiʻi Community College

������Ƶ Hilo will be celebrating , April 15–20, with farm-to-table food, documentary films, educational exhibits and fun activities. The week culminates with the annual Earth Day Fair and Conservation Career Day on Friday, April 20.

This year’s Earth Day celebration boasts educational videos, science demonstrations, expert guest speakers, a food sustainability panel, environmental science skill-building workshops, dance troupes, hula, storytellers, face-painting, campus garden tours, an environmental career fair, unmanned aerial vehicle flight simulators and many other engaging activities.

The 6th annual is held in collaboration with the Earth Fair. The event draws local scientists and agencies in the field of natural resource management, with the overall goal to inspire local students to become environmental stewards and to pursue careers in natural resource management.

For a complete list of events, .

������Ƶ ����ԴDz�

������Ƶ ����ԴDz� on April 19 at the ������Ƶ ����ԴDz� Campus Center Courtyard. Campus Center will be alive with community groups, music, activities, art installations and vegan food sampling. Connect with and learn from community groups who are paving the road for a healthier Hawaiʻi. The art department and student fashion designers will be showcasing student created pieces that address topics like marine debris and climate change. Student bands will start at 3 p.m., opening for Mike Love who will be playing from 5–7 p.m. The event is hosted by the ������Ƶ Office of Sustainability and the Graduate Student Organization

The Oʻahu Chapter of Surfrider Foundation and Surfrider ������Ƶ ����ԴDz� Student Club are . They return to the Ka Papa Loʻi O ����Ա�ɲ��� on Saturday, April 21 to stage the event and will be cleaning the stream next to the dorms and above. In 2016 they cleared 3,000 pounds of debris from the stream, and are hoping for a big turnout of volunteers.

Kapiʻolani Community College

Kapiʻolani CC‘s in the ʻIlima courtyard on Wednesday, April 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. gives participants the opportunity to meet community partners, taste food from local vendors, witness live poi pounding, and enter a raffle for prizes. Stop by the Service and Sustainability Learning table to enter into the raffle.

For more information, email kccserve@hawaii.edu or phone (808) 734-9353.

Kauaʻi Community College

Earth Month at Kauaʻi Community College runs through April 27.

Events include:

• Service learning “Free the Natives” service work project, April 18, 2:30 p.m., behind Hawaiian Studies building
• Poetry reading “What We Must Remember”—The Massie Case, April 18; 5 p.m., Fine Arts Multipurpose Room
• Panel discussion and community conversation, 2nd Annual Kava Konvosation “Grassroots Activism: Fighting for the Earth,” April 19, 4:30 p.m., Fine Arts Multipurpose Room
• Earth Day Fair and Hoʻike, April 20 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

For more information, contact Campus Faculty Sustainability Coordinator Julia Morgan, Kauaʻi CC at jmmorgan@hawaii.edu.

������Ƶ Maui College

������Ƶ Maui College’s Earth Day Festival on the Great Lawn, April 25 features booths, food, music, EV ride and drive and a special announcement about the Net Zero Energy Project. Community organizations and campus clubs will be showcasing their talents and services 11 a.m.–3 p.m., and the electric vehicle ride and drive will take place 2–6 p.m. For more information, email palio@hawaii.edu.

Windward Community College

Windward CC celebrates Aloha ʻAina Earth Week with workshops including Planting Edibles and Native Plants on April 18, 2:30 p.m. at the Hawaiian Studies Māla, and Vermicomposting/Worm Bins on April 19, 2:30 p.m. at the Hale Aʻo picnic tables. For more information, contact Harvy King, harvy@hawaii.edu or Christian Palmer ctpalmer@hawaii.edu.

Newly selected University of Hawaiʻi President David Lassner participated in a traditional Hawaiian welcome ceremony on Friday, June 20 at ������Ƶ Mānoa’s .

“This ceremony today is an opportunity for the kanaka maoli of this place to commit ourselves to the success of David Lassner as the president of the system,” said Maenette Benham, the dean of ������Ƶ Mānoa Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge.

Lassner also displayed his knowledge of Hawaiian culture by offering his own oli, or Hawaiian chant, at the start of the ceremony.

“That brought tears to many peoples’ eyes just because we knew that when he oli’d there, he was honoring everything that we are. Our spirit and this place,” said Benham.

Lassner was draped in lei and surrounded by Hawaiian community and campus leaders as the procession wound its way through the �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ���Գܾ����� grounds.

Along the way, representatives of ������Ƶ Mānoa’s colleges and schools welcomed Lassner, offering him chants and gifts.

“An opportunity for them to say to David Lassner that they support him and that they share in this journey forward,” explained Benham.

The procession then headed to for a traditional ʻawa ceremony, during which representatives from , , , , , Lunalilo Trust and the offered Lassner their best wishes, advice and spoke of the importance of working together as they look toward the future.

“I think that’s what he offers,” said Office of Hawaiian Affairs Chief Executive Officer Kamanaʻo Crabbe. “That progression, a new vision, but also he’s a great, great collaborator and with the number of projects the university has, as well as the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in Kakaʻako, I think it is a great time to reach out and really work together, not just for the benefit of each association, but for the benefit of Hawaiʻi as a whole.”

Lassner drank the ʻawa and expressed his gratitude.

“It was incredibly heartening and humbling to see the commitment and support of so many people inside and outside of the university who care about the university and our success and are willing to support our path forward,” said Lassner.

For many, the highlight of the day was after the ceremony, when Lassner performed an impromptu hula as members of his halau joined in.

Video of Lassner dancing hula

A traditional Hawaiian groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday, August 20, 2013 for a Cultural Resource Center at Cultural Garden on the campus.

The million-dollar center will include a large resource room and community learning area, an adjoining meeting room, learning laboratory, workshop, storage space and restrooms. A federal grant is covering about 80 percent of the cost, with the rest coming from private donations.

“This center is going to change so dramatically the experiences our students have in understanding their roots, their heritage and also, the importance of kalo,” said ������Ƶ Mānoa Chancellor Tom Apple at the ceremony.

“It will bring us from out under the tents into a nicer facility, so we get to have workshops, we get to have meetings, we get to have classes,” said Edward Makahiapo Cashman, executive director of the Ka Papa Loʻi

Reopened in 1980 by a small group of Hawaiian language students, Kānewai Loʻi �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ���Գܾ����� School of Hawaiian Knowledge in 2007.

Kānewai is a teaching cultural garden that features, what is thought to be, the largest collection of Native Hawaiian taro in existence—a 3.5 acre oasis of gurgling streams, taro ponds, native plant gardens, handmade rock terraces and a traditional, open-sided, thatched A-frame structure.

Kānewai is a one-of-kind outdoor classroom where students of all ages, families and community groups immerse themselves in the Hawaiian culture. More than 30,000 people visited in 2012 alone.

“Our mission is to serve the community through hands-on learning,” explained Cashman. “You know, teach them about our culture, the Hawaiian culture, and that’s what Kānewai gives us that ability to do. It actually gives the students chances to come down here and practice, whether it be working in the Loʻi

The Cultural Resource Center will go a long way in making sure that mission of education in na mea Hawaiʻi, all things Hawaiian, is fulfilled for generations to come. It is all thanks to everyone who has donated time and money and more donations are needed.

“That’s classic of doing Loʻi

More on the groundbreaking

Students and families are invited to participate in hands-on learning about the traditional and modern cultural practices of taro farming and enjoy award-winning music and hula as part of an open house event hosted by the at the on Saturday, November 3, 2–6 p.m.

The Family Fun Day is part of a series of family days and concerts to raise awareness and gain support for the school’s Ka Papa Loʻi o Kānewai cultural garden.

The event is free to the public, though donations are welcome. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. Parking is available in the structure next to Hawaiian Studies ($5/day) and along Dole Street. No alcohol or smoking is allowed.

Participants should expect to get muddy if helping inside the Loʻi kalo.

“We want people to come learn all about kalo, how to make poi, and how they can grow kalo in their own yards. We’ll do tours of the Loʻi and we’ll have food and drinks available for sale,” says Kānewai Director E. Makahiapo Cashman.

Plans in place to enhance garden

Donations will go entirely towards improving the site. Critical repairs and improvements are needed at Kānewai, and there are plans for the construction of a modest learning center.

“We currently host over 30,000 students every year,” says Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge Dean Maenette Benham. “A learning resource center will serve more Mānoa students, learners from preschool through high school, and families.”

The overhaul of Kānewai will cost about $1.3 million, with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development contributing $670,000 in grant funding.

“We have the HUD commitment, the plans, the clearances, and the vision,” says Benham. “All we need is the remaining $630,000.”

There is something you will see just about everyday at the Ka Papa Loʻi O Kānewai at ������Ƶ Mānoa’s —students, keiki to college age, pounding poi and learning about the Hawaiian culture. Recently, however, there was a first for the loʻi patch—about 30 of the came down as a team to experience this tradition firsthand.

“We are just learning a little bit more about Hawaiʻi and pounding some poi and it’s been a great experience out here,” said ������Ƶ quarterback Sean Schroeder.

“This is my first time doing something like this since I have been in this program,” said ������Ƶ defensive lineman Paipai Falemalu. “And this is my fifth year here.”

The players from the mainland said it was something they will never forget.

“You hear all about the culture but to actually see it and feel it, and actually be a part of this, it’s really a great thing,” said Schroeder.

The players are usually thinking about pounding their opponents not poi, but the volunteers said the boys were up for the challenge.

“They did fantastic for their first time,” said volunteer instructor Daniel Salsedo. “Most guys they struggle their first time but they did pretty good.”

“I haven’t pounded poi or taro since I was a little kid so it was a great experience to do this once again,” said Falemalu.

The players now have a better understanding of what it means to represent Hawaiʻi.

“Just how rich in culture Hawaiʻi is, learning little tidbits here and there, it just enriched my experiences in undertanding Hawaiʻi a little bit more,” said Schroeder.

“It’s a great experience for me, being from the islands, and especially my teammates from the mainland. They get to experience the Hawaiian culture that a lot of people really don’t get to experience,” said Falemalu.

There’s a small taro farm nestled next to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Hawaiian studies department that will be getting some international attention this summer.

Ka Papa Loʻi ʻO Kānewai will be featured on the National Mall in Washington D.C. for two weeks in June and July, as part of the . About 1.5 million visitors attend the annual event where this year, they’ll be treated to an authentic taro patch right on the National Mall.

“Trying to copy what we’re doing here on a little bigger scale and then taking it to the mall is a little challenging, but I think we’re really excited to be sharing what we do here,” said Ka Papa Loʻi ʻO Kānewai Director Hiapo Cashman.

“Hopefully, we’ll be able to educate and get as many people excited about what we do here in Hawaiʻi,” said graduate student Summer Maunakea.

Maunakea and other students created a four-foot by six-foot taro patch in their outdoor classroom, that they will replicate on the National Mall during the festival.

The taro farming students will be among the 80 ������Ƶ delegates who will share their knowledge with visitors from around the world, including how they plant, grow and harvest 69 Hawaiian varieties of taro.

“There’s a lot of important things Hawaiians did traditionally to farm. So if we take some time to slow down and look at our history, a lot of the answers are there already,” Cashman said.

Cashman has taught his students how to nourish the taro without the use of fertilizer. Students crush old leaves and plants to feed their taro.

“Trying to incorporate traditional ways of planting and doing it today modernly will help diseases, with all kinds of pests that are plaguing our different crops,” Cashman said.

“Hopefully, it’s something that the visitors and the people at the Smithsonian can kind of take with them and apply to their own communities that they live in,” Maunakea said.

Smithsonian Folklife Festival

The University of Hawaiʻi will be among 20 public land-grant universities to be featured in the in Washington D.C. from June 27 to July 8, 2012.

The festival celebrates the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Morrill Act, which paved the way for higher education for rural and working class Americans.

The University of Hawaiʻi exhibits will feature traditional Hawaiian health and healing practices, a mini taro patch, non-instrument navigation, medicinal herb and organic farming and much more. Hawaiʻi Community College’s halau Unukupukupu and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Tuahine Troup will also perform.