Our Mission
Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law is an academic center that promotes education, scholarship, community outreach and collaboration on issues of law, culture and justice for Native Hawaiians and other Pacific and Indigenous peoples.
Who We Are
Ka Huli Ao was established in 2005 at the Law School through a Native Hawaiian Education Act grant. Ka Huli Ao focuses on education, research and scholarship, community outreach, and the preservation of invaluable historical, legal, traditional, and customary materials. It also offers new courses and supports Native Hawaiian and other law students as they pursue legal careers.
What We Do
Education, Research, and Scholarship
Ka Huli Ao facilitates wide-ranging programs to promote education, research and scholarship on the unique aspects of Native Hawaiian law, and the intersection of local, federal and international laws affecting Native Hawaiians. Ka Huli Ao also offers new courses on Native Hawaiian and Indigenous law, and offers the first-ever Native Hawaiian Law Certificate.
As part of this effort, Ka Huli Ao’s Post-Juris Doctor Fellows advance cutting-edge research in Native Hawaiian law; foster understanding of Native Hawaiian history, culture, and social context; facilitate law teaching and learning; and support on-the-ground Native Hawaiian justice issues.
Community Outreach and Trainings
Ka Huli Ao facilitates discourse between the legal community, the Native Hawaiian community, and the community at large. Law students and faculty – through workshops, trainings, symposia, and meetings – inform and educate, and are educated and informed by, the community about significant Native Hawaiian issues, history, and law.
Accessing Hawaiian Legal and Historical Materials
Access to early Hawaiian legal and historical resources is currently limited. Ka Huli Ao has created a searchable online archive of Hawaiian legal and historical materials for use by law students, lawyers, scholars and the community. Visit punawaiola.org.