Center for the Promotion and Survival of Hawaiian
Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Research & Curriculum Development
While the collection and preservation functions of the Mary Kawena Pukui Hale provide for indirect support of the teaching, curriculum development, and research of Hawaiian by providing access to Hawaiian language and culture resources, the other primary functions of the MKPH involve the actual production, showcasing, and dissemination of newly developed resources and curriculum materials, which can be directly applied in the teaching, curriculum development, and research of Hawaiian. This is achieved through scholarly activities that involve research, development, and distribution of innovative, culturally grounded, place-based Hawaiian language curriculum that can be implemented here at the University as well as in the community at other institutions, organizations, and programs engaged in Hawaiian education (i.e., Hawaiian language K-12 immersion schools, other University of Hawaiʻi campuses). Below highlights two such scholarly projects led by the Director of the MKPH, Dr. Maya Saffery.
Scholarly Project Spotlights
Welina Mānoa
A Hawaiian Language ʻĀina Education Curriculum
The Welina Mānoa Curriculum Initiative brought together scholars from both Hawaiian knowledge and traditional STEM fields. Led by a team of Native Hawaiians, including the Director of the Mary Kawena Pukui Hale, Dr. Maya Saffery, this unique partnership was dedicated to developing learning experiences for Hawaiian students preK-16+ in Hawaiian and English Language based on the cultural practices and living narratives of the land and Native people of Hawaiʻi. Several scholarly publications resulted from this initiative, copies of which are available in the collections of the Mary Kawena Pukui Hale:
Two sets of Hawaiian language curricula that take students, teachers, and families on a huakaʻi to four sites that represent different land areas of Mānoa — Kahi Hoʻoulu Lāʻau o Lāiana (Lyon Arboretum); Ka Hale Hōʻikeʻike ʻo Mānoa Heritage (Mānoa Heritage Center); Ka Papa Loʻi ʻo Kānewai Cultural Garden; and Ka Hale Hōʻikeʻike Iʻa o Waikīkī (Waikīkī Aquarium). Wahi pana along the flow of freshwater within Mānoa mai uka a i kai are recognized, honored, and engaged with through the activities and lessons that make up the curricula. After piloting the curricula with students, teachers, and families from Ke Kula Kaiapuni ʻo Ānuenue, Phase 1 produced a curriculum for families with children 0-8 year old that was published in 2012, and Phase 2 produced a curriculum for 4th & 5th graders that was published in 2013 funded by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education, the Kellogg Foundation, and Kamehameha Schools. Visit welinamanoa.wordpress.com for more information about this initiative, to download the two curriculum sets, and to explore other supplementary resources:
Saffery, M. & Krug, K. (2013). Welina Mānoa [Four Hawaiian Language curriculum guides for 4th & 5th graders when they visit Lyon Arboretum, Mānoa Heritage Center, Ka Papa Loʻi ʻo Kānewai, & Waikīkī Aquarium]. Honolulu: UH Outreach College.
Saffery, M. & Krug, K. (2012). Welina Mānoa [Four Hawaiian Language curriculum guides for families with children 0-8 years when they visit Lyon Arboretum, Mānoa Heritage Center, Ka Papa Loʻi ʻo Kānewai, & Waikīkī Aquarium]. Honolulu: UH Outreach College.
A peer-reviewed journal article by Dr. Saffery about the Welina Mānoa curriculum initiative appears in Volume 11.2 of Hūlili: Multidisciplinary Research on Hawaiian Well-Being. It includes discussions of the development and piloting of the curricula as well as its impacts on participants from the Ānuenue teachers to our site partners featured in the curriculum (Waikīkī Aquarium, Ka Papa Loʻi o Kānewai, Mānoa Heritage Center, and Lyon Arboretum). Click on the link in citation below to download the article:
Saffery, M. (2019). Welina Mānoa: A Hawaiian language curriculum that exposes acts of settler colonial erasure and reveals stories of ʻŌiwi survivance. Hūlili: Multidisciplinary Research on Hawaiian Well-Being, 11(2), 99-134.
ABSTRACT: Kānaka Hawai‘i have been dealing with settler colonial erasures for centuries, from changes to our landscape and our presence on it to our virtual elimination from school curricula. This article features a curriculum entitled Welina Mānoa, which brings these erasures into full view while also revealing stories of survivance and resurgence by ‘Ōiwi of Mānoa and Waikīkī who refuse to be silenced and forgotten. Led by a team of Kānaka Hawai‘i, this curriculum initiative is dedicated to developing learning experiences for Hawai‘i’s students based on the language, living practices, and genealogies of the land and Native people of Hawai‘i. Furthermore, its development is a statement of survivance in and of itself—challenging the many curricula that are imposed on our students in Hawai‘i, which continue to contribute to our Native erasure and elimination.
Nā ʻOno o Ke Kai
Hawaiian Language Playing Cards & Material
Nā ʻOno o Ke Kai (literally, “the delicacies of the sea”) is a unique deck of Hawaiian playing cards depicting 13 different iʻa or fish that are caught and consumed extensively by Hawaiians in both traditional and contemporary times. After developing and piloting this curriculum resource with teachers and students from Kawaihuelani and kula kaiapuni, Nā ʻOno o Ke Kai is currently in press with Kamehameha Publishing and has an anticipated release date of late 2022. The curriculum resource is designed not only for effective language acquisition but to also be engaging, versatile, and grounded in the knowledge and practices of our kūpuna. Instead of focusing on fish of the depths and fish that are ʻono only to the eyes, we heed the words of Bina Mossman’s mele “He ʻOno” and focus on Hawaiian fish that are commonly found near reefs and are highly useful and ʻono to eat. Each card face includes Hawaiian language sayings related to the cultural and dietary
significance of these iʻa, Hawaiian terminology related to traditional food preparation methods and techniques; and standard playing card ranks and suits in Hawaiian so that users can potentially utilize this deck in the playing of other card games. The curriculum resource also includes supplementary materials in Hawaiian and English for users to refer to during implementation, including Hawaiian playing card vocabulary, rules for a more culturally grounded version of the game “Go Fish” called “E Hele i ka Holoholo!” and suggested Hawaiian language sentences and phrases to practice and master while playing this game. The Hawaiian language version includes only ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, thus allowing Hawaiian language teachers and families to seamlessly incorporate the resource into their contexts without the distraction of English. In order to draw in and encourage new learners of Hawaiian, there will also be a stand alone English version of the supplementary materials.
Saffery, M. (2023). Nā ʻOno o ke Kai [Deck of Hawaiian Fish Playing Cards and Supporting Implementation Materials]. Honolulu, HI: Kamehameha Publishing.