L to R: Prof. Kapua Sproat ʻ98, Post JD Fellow Tereariʻi Chandler-ʻĪao ʻ16, Post JD Fellow Letani Peltier ʻ17, Prof. Melody MacKenzie ʻ76.
On October 5, 2018, Ka Huli Ao was proud to participate in the 2018 Pikoʻokoʻo conference, which was designed to define and give meaning to “a Hawaiian Place of Learning.” According to conference organizers, the conference was meant to:
highlight the ways in which Native Hawaiian scholars and programs at UH Mānoa support, encourage, and engage with communities throughout our islands to address the serious social, economic, health, educational, cultural, and environmental challenges we face. It will also showcase the traditional ecological knowledge and biocultural wisdom shared by members of those communities to inform and culturally-ground the work, research, scholarship, and teaching of Mānoa faculty. The topics covered in this conference will enable faculty to incorporate it into their coursework and have students from different disciplines across campus attend as part of their learning process.
An estimated 300 participants took part in Pikoʻokoʻo 2018, including UH Mānoa faculty and staff, Kānaka community participants, and UH Mānoa and high school students. Ka Huli Ao participated on the first full-day of the conference. Prof. Melody MacKenzie ʻ76, Prof. Kapua Sproat ʻ98, and Post JD Fellows Tereariʻi Chandler-ʻĪao ʻ16 and Letani Peltier ʻ17 presented, “Hahai Pono I Ke Ala Kukui Me Ka Huli Ao.” Immediately after, they joined Kaleio Crowell (2L), and Post JD Fellow Sean Aronson ʻ17 at the Pikoʻokoʻo Educational Informational Booth Session held at McCarthy Mall.
Ka Huli Ao participating in Pikoʻokoʻo’s Educational Informational Booth Session held at McCarthy Mall.
Pikoʻokoʻo was made possible through UH Mānoa Vice Chancellor for Research Michael Bruno’s Strategic Investment Initiative. Pikoʻokoʻo was one of eight projects selected for funding after a highly competitive campus-wide initiative in 2017. Professors Melody K. MacKenzie, Kapua Sproat, and Ka Huli Ao partnered with colleagues from Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Native Hawaiian Student Services, and the Chancellor’s Office, to propose this interdisciplinary conference, identify best practices, and produce a publication showcasing how UH Mānoa is a Hawaiian Place of Learning. Mahalo to Vice Chancellor Bruno and Pikoʻokoʻo conference organizers Noelani Puniwai, Malia Nobrega-Olivera, and Chantrelle Waiʻalae (WSRSL ʻ16).