Indigenous Science and Scientists: Our Future
Kaluhea Fay Dudoit

By: Chloe Molou, UHH Seawords Liason

This article is the first of a three-part series, highlighting Indigenous Marine Science students at the University of Hawaiʻi Hilo and their work. Each student profiled for this series was a part of the 2021-2022 Keaholoa STEM Scholars cohort and completed their own independent research projects.

The Keaholoa STEM Scholars Program is an academic program at UH Hilo, aimed at supporting and increasing the representation of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders in STEM fields. The program provides paid independent research experiences with mentors in related fields, community outreach opportunities, academic support, and various professional development workshops. Keaholoa is part of a multi-campus, National Science Foundation (NSF) program known as the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program. 

The first student to be featured in this series is Kaluhea Fay Dudoit, a Hawaiian Studies and Marine Science double-major entering her junior year at UH Hilo. Originally from the island of Molokaʻi, Kaluhea comes from a patrilineage of well-known, skilled fishermen. She spent her childhood in and on the ocean, learning the Hawaiian practice of lawaiʻa (fishing). Kaluhea fondly recalls the days of swimming in a net of freshly caught kala (Naso sp., unicornfish) with her siblings, while her father and uncles held the net closed.

Her love for the ocean intensified after taking a Marine Biology class during her junior year of high school that was completely taught in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. 

“It wasn’t until I was in this class where we spoke completely in Hawaiian, learned about our oceans in Hawaiian, learned marine vocabulary in Hawaiian, and wrote science reports in Hawaiian, that I realized I was a scientist and that all of my ancestors were scientists as well.” She decided to pursue Marine Science and Hawaiian Studies at UH Hilo to bridge the gap between science and culture, in the hopes of “protecting and perpetuating the practices that have kept [her] people alive for generations.” 

As a part of this year’s Keaholoa cohort, Kaluhea completed an independent research project alongside her partner Chloe Molou, creating 3D models of the Honokea loko iʻa (Hawaiian fishpond), in Keaukaha. They used a surveying technique known as Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry, that uses overlapping 2D images to render approximate 3D models. Models were made of three different loko i’a features: the kuapā (rockwall), the ʻauwai (sluice gate), and umu (circular rock formations) for the creation of a digital database.

Working alongside Hui Hoʻoleimaluō, a non-profit based in Keaukaha that cares for Honokea loko iʻa, and high school students from Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo Hawaiian Immersion School, Kaluhea and her partner were able to teach the technique to the small group of students who aided in image collection. This project emphasized the “great importance in working together with the community and the people of [these spaces] to understand what relationship they share with it and how we can learn from each other.”

Reflecting on the outcomes of the project, Kaluhea says this project helped to reaffirm her idea of the interconnectedness of science and culture, highlighting the importance of “documenting, maintaining, and sharing information about our special places, like Honokea loko iʻa.” 

While there are ways in which academic institutions such as the University of Hawaiʻi have worked towards better supporting Indigenous STEM students, Kaluhea believes that a critical step is to place “indigenous scientists in teaching and faculty positions in the institution. When there is more diversity in teachers, there will be more diversity in students and better inclusivity in the sharing of knowledge and ideas.”

Her final comment was a word of encouragement for indigenous youth: “there is always a place in science for [us]. Growing up I never saw myself in a science field or being a scientist, but today I understand that the roots and knowledge that we bring with us from our cultures as Indigenous people is what will set us apart and bring new and ground-breaking ideas into this world.”