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Hawai‘inuiākea
Kanaka `Ōiwi Methodologies: Mo`olelo and Metaphor
For many indigenous scholars, embarking on their research journey can be a bewildering, marginalizing experience. From the sciences to applied engagement scholarship, often the approaches to research and inquiry ignore ancestral knowledge, as well as alternative worldviews and creative avenues for discovery and learning. Kanaka `Ōiwi Methodologies: Mo`olelo and Metaphor addresses this dilemma by exploring various approaches to inquiry through the lenses of Native Hawaiian scholar perspectives and practices.
Kanaka `Ōiwi Methodologies is a collection of methodologies-focused essays written by Kanaka `Ōiwi scholars across academic disciplines. Collectively, the essays in the volume aim to generate dialogue around Kanaka `Ōiwi research methodologies and to consider the diverse ways in which Kanaka `Ōiwi scholars engage in the research process. The authors illustrate how they have used these methodologies to guide and inform their research for deeper understanding, language and cultural revitalization, and positive social change. Their texts examine Native Hawaiian Critical Race Theory, Hawaiian traditions and protocol in environmental research, using mele for program evaluation and research design, and other timely and significant concepts.
Kanaka `Ōiwi Methodologies is a collection of methodologies-focused essays written by Kanaka `Ōiwi scholars across academic disciplines. Collectively, the essays in the volume aim to generate dialogue around Kanaka `Ōiwi research methodologies and to consider the diverse ways in which Kanaka `Ōiwi scholars engage in the research process. The authors illustrate how they have used these methodologies to guide and inform their research for deeper understanding, language and cultural revitalization, and positive social change. Their texts examine Native Hawaiian Critical Race Theory, Hawaiian traditions and protocol in environmental research, using mele for program evaluation and research design, and other timely and significant concepts.
184 pages, Paperback
Published October 31, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 12, 2021
This book is an incredibly useful tool for researchers hoping to add some Native Hawaiian methodologies to their own quiver of research methods. In the opening essay, Goodyear-Kaʻōpua lays out a framework to identify if scholarship is Hawaiian Studies as opposed to studies about Hawaiʻi/Hawaiian culture. She writes that there are four threads that weave together Hawaiian Studies research: lāhui (people/nation), ea (sovereignty), kuleana (responsibility/stewardship), and pono (justice/righteousness). We can ask questions of our work to see if it contributes to those threads:
Does this research help Kānaka Maoli assess and understand our collective status?
How can lived experiences of Kānaka on the ʻāina inform this research?
How can I nurture reciprocal relationships?
How are the benefits of this research accruing? To whom? To what end?
What emergent lines of research may effectively challenge structural relations of power and wealth that hinder Hawaiian survivance?
It was interesting to see how some of these methods shared overlap with others I'm learning about in my community-based planning class. In particular, I noticed that Vaughan's fieldwork shared great similarities with the school of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA). She spent time on the ground talking with rural fishers, nurtured those relationships, and recognized the value of knowledge from those physically working the land (not just outsider "professionals").
I also appreciated the way in which some of the authors took care to distinguish their work from other indigenous methodologies. While they share some similarities with the larger indigenous experience, that of Kānaka Maoli exhibits some distinct differences. One example of this that really stood out was Wright and Balutski's piece on a Kanaka ʻŌiwi Critical Race Theory (CRT). It should be noted this article was written 5+ years ago so it predates any controversy surrounding the CRT "boogeyman." The authors first outline a few key tenets of CRT and even further TribalCRT (indigenous): "Colonization and racism are endemic to society; critiques of neutrality, meritocracy, and colorblindness; applicability to examine inequalities in education;" and others. They added to this the unique ways in which Native Hawaiian consciousness can inform a Kanaka CRT. Wright and Balutski highlight that, "Educational structures are reflections of colonialism and occupation," and ask questions like, "How do colonial structures influence Hawaiian educational journeys?"
All in all, a very useful book for any researchers interested in adding some new tools to their researcher's toolbox.
Does this research help Kānaka Maoli assess and understand our collective status?
How can lived experiences of Kānaka on the ʻāina inform this research?
How can I nurture reciprocal relationships?
How are the benefits of this research accruing? To whom? To what end?
What emergent lines of research may effectively challenge structural relations of power and wealth that hinder Hawaiian survivance?
It was interesting to see how some of these methods shared overlap with others I'm learning about in my community-based planning class. In particular, I noticed that Vaughan's fieldwork shared great similarities with the school of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA). She spent time on the ground talking with rural fishers, nurtured those relationships, and recognized the value of knowledge from those physically working the land (not just outsider "professionals").
I also appreciated the way in which some of the authors took care to distinguish their work from other indigenous methodologies. While they share some similarities with the larger indigenous experience, that of Kānaka Maoli exhibits some distinct differences. One example of this that really stood out was Wright and Balutski's piece on a Kanaka ʻŌiwi Critical Race Theory (CRT). It should be noted this article was written 5+ years ago so it predates any controversy surrounding the CRT "boogeyman." The authors first outline a few key tenets of CRT and even further TribalCRT (indigenous): "Colonization and racism are endemic to society; critiques of neutrality, meritocracy, and colorblindness; applicability to examine inequalities in education;" and others. They added to this the unique ways in which Native Hawaiian consciousness can inform a Kanaka CRT. Wright and Balutski highlight that, "Educational structures are reflections of colonialism and occupation," and ask questions like, "How do colonial structures influence Hawaiian educational journeys?"
All in all, a very useful book for any researchers interested in adding some new tools to their researcher's toolbox.
January 31, 2025
this book alone did more to encourage me to get my degree than anything my parents could have said in the last decade
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews