After the dreaming, after the challenges, after the proposal, Hawai‘inuiakea School of Hawaiian Knowledge is finally becoming a reality

By Brooke L. Hutchins

Faculty spent three to four years of planning and pushing this stagnant idea: Hawaiian Language, Hawaiian Studies and ka Papa Lo‘i o Kanewai were reorganized into one school where knowledge and resources can be accessed with ease.

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Sign on the door of the Hawaiian Language department at Spalding. Photo by Brooke L. Hutchins

“It’s an exciting time," said Maya Saffery, a Jr. Specialist at Kawaihuelani, which is the language center incorported into Hawai‘inuiakea. "It's taken a lot of hard work to get us to this point and it’s going to continue to take more hard work to move forward.”

Hawai‘inuiakea the School of Hawaiian Knowledge at its construction will incorporate three centers: Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies, Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language, and Ka Papa Lo‘i o Kanewai Cultural Garden.

Challenges in getting started

One challenge of the merger was drafting the reorganization proposal, according to Saffery. She said the problem was bringing the faculty from Hawaiian language, Hawaiian studies and the lo‘i together to brainstorm ideas and write a proposal for the Board of Regents and others within the university. The difficulties they faced were defining their mission, designing the structure, and the impact of change on the old programs.

She said another challenge faced was figuring out what their budget needed to be in order for the school to thrive on its own. The Hawaiian Lanaguage program was a part of the Department of Hawaiian and Indo-Pacific Languages and Literature, the Hawaiian studies program was a part of the School of Asian and Pacific Studies (SHAPS), and the lo‘i was a part of Kamakakuokalani at the time. After the schools reorganize, the school would have its own dean and budget, but what that budget would be was still undercided.

Plaque situated at the entrance of Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies. Photo by Brooke L. Hutchins

The Ka‘u Report

This idea of merging Hawaiian Studies and Hawaiian Language has long been a dream of the two programs and has been talked about since the 1986 Ka‘u Report. The 1986 Ka‘u Report was put together by 18 Hawaiian scholars “to evaluate Hawaiian Studies in the UH system and recommend to the university how it should create an appropriate academic forum for the study of Hawaiian language, culture and history.”

In this Ka‘u Report, these Hawaiian scholars recommended that a Hawaiian Studies Center be built where Kamakakuokalani is located not only to bring together research, instruction, student services and more, but also to preserve and develop the Hawaiian Language. These scholars also wanted the B.A. program to have two concentrations, culture and language.

“Both our programs had grown really rapidly ... and because we had developed a lot of partnerships with each other in terms of curriculum, the faculty decided collectively that it was the right time to move forward,” said Saffery. 

Approval and reorganization of the school, department and lo‘i

The Board of Regents approved the establishment of the Hawai‘inuiakea School of Hawaiian Knowledge on May 17, 2007, and its reorganization became effective July 1, 2007.

Ka Papa Lo‘i o Kanewai located next to Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies. Photo by Brooke L. Hutchins

After it became effective, the Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies moved out of the School of Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific Studies (SHAPS). The school was renamed the School of Asian and Pacific Studies. The Hawaiian Language Program moved out of the Department of Hawaiian and Indo-Pacific Languages and Literature to form its own unit. The department was then renamed the Department of Indo-Pacific Languages and Literature. And lastly, Ka Papa Lo‘i o Kanewai moved out of the Kamakakuokalani Center to become its own unit.

“This school will play a critical role in strengthening opportunities for students and faculty engaged in these areas of study and research,” says UH Board of Regents Chair Kitty Lagareta in a press release.

Challenges to plan implementation

Now that the plans are set in place implementing those plans are going to take time. Saffery said the proposal is written and the plans are laid out, but putting these things into action is going to take time, people and budget support. She said she expects things to be off and moving with all its kinks worked out in one to three years with one of its proposed sites being the gravel parking lot next to the parking structure.

“I think that to have the two schools merged into one building would be logistically more ideal and beneficial to us because it would eliminate wasted time in trying to cross campus," said Claire Steele a graduate student in Hawaiian Studies.