I ulu no ka lālā i ke kumu, the branches grow because of the trunk: ancestral knowledge as refusal

Abstract

This paper will discuss the ways that Native Hawaiian scholars are engaging in innovative strategies that incorporate ancestral knowledges into the academy. Ancestral knowledges are highly valued as Indigenous communities strive to pass on such wisdom and lessons from generation to generation. Ancestral knowledges are all around us no matter where we are, they are evident and valued in every setting, whether out on the ocean and land or in a four-walled classroom. However, contrary to Indigenous beliefs, ancestral knowledges are continually threatened by formal education systems – institutions that would have us believe that they have no place in the university setting; whereby Indigenous ways of learning are replaced with Western forms. Ancestral knowledges are devalued due to the fact that most institutions of higher education are not multi-generational, reflecting a bias against elders and elder knowledge and an overemphasis on ‘new’ knowledge. Furthermore, these institutions are dependent on Western epistemologies and ways of thinking. Building upon my own experiences. This paper aims to unveil the ways in which Native Hawaiians have combated alienation and isolation of ancestral knowledges in higher education and to re-imagine what Native Hawaiian higher education could be. More specifically, I analyze exemplary practices at the level of individuals, community, and institutions to illustrate the ways that scholars have refused such exclusion of ancestral knowledges within the academy.

Keywords:

• Ancestral knowledge
• Indigenous communities
• Native Hawaiians

Notes

1. Today, there are 28 tribally controlled colleges and three federally chartered Indian colleges throughout 12 states (Boyer, 1997). The tribally controlled institutions are chartered by one or more tribes and are locally managed. The federally chartered colleges are governed by national boards. Due to the organizational structure of TCUs, they are able to define their cultural identity through curricula designed specifically for American Indian students.

2. My name is Kapua Lililehua Chandler, and I am the daughter of Kirkland Chandler and Hilary Ferris. My paternal grandparents are Elizabeth ‘Kapeka’ Mahuiki and Francis Chandler who trace back to the moku (regions) of Na Pali, Halele‘a, and Ko‘olau. My maternal grandparents are Helen McElfresh and Robert Ferris and trace back to the states of California and Oregon. Among my immediate and extended family, it is a rare privilege that I am pursuing a doctoral degree as many of my other Hawaiian siblings as well as first and second cousins have not had such opportunities.

3. I left my island at a young age of eleven to attend a private Native Hawaiian boarding school in OʻAHU whereby I continued my education to obtain a Bachelors in Computer Science with a second major in Mathematics; closely followed by a Master’s degree in Educational Administration; and now onto a Phd in Higher Education.