{"id":226621,"date":"2025-12-08T14:39:52","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T00:39:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=226621"},"modified":"2026-02-18T11:45:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T21:45:15","slug":"hawaii-cc-traditional-mapping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/12\/08\/hawaii-cc-traditional-mapping\/","title":{"rendered":"Hawai\u2018i CC<\/abbr> expands traditional Hawaiian place name mapping"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Nature
Hakalau-Kamaʻeʻe<\/span> falls within the moku (district) of Hilo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hawaiʻi<\/span> Community College<\/a> faculty, staff and students are helping revive the traditional place names of Hawaiʻi<\/span> Island through a growing series of bilingual geographic maps that honor ancestral knowledge and strengthen community connection to the ʻ\u0101ina<\/span> (land).<\/p>\n

\"Kapp
Kapp and Ells-Hoʻokano<\/span> presented the first map in their series, Puna, at a geography conference.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The project began several years ago when Geography Assistant Professor Drew Kapp and his student Kaylyn Ells-Hoʻokano<\/span> combined their shared passion for mapping and inoa ʻ\u0101ina<\/span> (traditional Hawaiian place names) to produce a community map of the ahupuaʻa<\/span> (land divisions) of Puna. In 2025, the pair were joined by Hawaiian studies student Yuna Inoue to create a second map of the ahupuaʻa<\/span> of Hilo.<\/p>\n

“I view this work as a means to highlight the significance of place names and their role in indicating how to interact with the environment, to honor the stories that are embedded within them, and to contribute in ensuring their regular use and vibrancy,” said Kapp.<\/p>\n

The new Hilo map, completed in spring 2025, features ahupuaʻa<\/span> across Hilo and is fully bilingual in ʻ\u014dlelo<\/span> Hawaiʻi<\/span> (Hawaiian) and English. Ells-Hoʻokano<\/span> served as mapmaker using Geographic Information Systems (GIS<\/abbr>), while Inoue and Kapp researched inoa ʻ\u0101ina<\/span>, historic land divisions and cartographic considerations.<\/p>\n

\"Inoue
Yuna Inoue at Laup\u0101hoehoe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“One challenge we had was to figure out how to best fit a large moku (district) like Hilo with its approximately one hundred ahupuaʻa<\/span>, on a single sheet,” said Kapp.<\/p>\n

Inoa ʻ\u0101ina<\/span> significance<\/h2>\n

Kapp said that working with historical place names required careful attention. “We encounter so many variations of names in our research, many of which are incredibly compelling, meaningful and deeply sourced,” he noted. “We hope people will use these maps as resources to strengthen connections with their moku, ahupuaʻa<\/span> and ʻ\u0101ina<\/span>.”<\/p>\n

Hawaiʻi<\/span> CC<\/abbr> Hawaiian language and studies Assistant Professor \u0100keamakamae Kiyuna emphasizes the broader cultural importance of this work.<\/p>\n

\"Ocean\"
Wai\u0101kea, Kaumaui-Waiʻ\u014dlena<\/span> in the moku of Hilo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Inoa ʻ\u0101ina<\/span> are far more than simple labels; they are informative narratives that embody the mana (power) and unique character of a place,” Kiyuna explained. “Their restoration and presence on updated geographic maps are crucial for cultural preservation, historical accuracy, and honoring Indigenous identity and sovereignty.”<\/p>\n

Research sources<\/h2>\n

Their research drew on Native Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena P\u016bkuʻi<\/span>\u2019s scholarship, historic maps, kaʻao<\/span> (legends) of Hawaiian akua (goddesses) Pele, Hiʻiakaikapoliopele<\/span> and kupua (supernatural being) Kamiki, and old n\u016bpepa (newspaper).<\/p>\n

Community members, faculty experts and librarians, including Hawaiʻi<\/span> CC<\/abbr>\u2019s Kiyuna and Assistant Professor Kuʻulei<\/span> Kanahele, 糖心视频<\/abbr> Hilo Edith Kanakaʻole<\/span> Hawaiian Collection<\/a> Librarian Annemarie Paikai and former Hawaii Lifestyles<\/a> lecturers Lokelani Brandt and Manaiakalani Kalua also served as integral resources for the collaborative project.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The new Hilo map, completed in spring 2025, features ahupuaʻa<\/span> across Hilo and is fully bilingual in ʻ\u014dlelo<\/span> Hawaiʻi<\/span> and English. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":226614,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[38,61,1017,1622,71],"class_list":["post-226621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","tag-geography","tag-hawaii-community-college","tag-mapping","tag-olelo-hawaii","tag-uh-community-colleges","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t