The Confluence of Native Hawaiian Spirituality and Western Research

• In Event: Confluence in Education and Professional Development: Expert Knowledge, Autobiography, and Narrative to Develop Transformative Practice

Abstract

This paper investigates my use of Native Hawaiian spirituality in accomplishing my research agenda. My scholarship has mainly involved studying the history of education for Native Hawaiians during the nineteenth century. This historical and heuristic study is about the confluence of cultures - the connecting of practices from my Hawaiian culture with Western research. Spirituality connected to both the traditional Hawaiian religion and Christianity has long been a practice in my family. Calling on the guidance from the spirits of my kupuna (elders) and aumakua (ancestral spirits) , whenever there has been confusion due the conflict of words spoken (or written) and the actual actions taken, has led me to see through the confusion and develop a unique Native perspective.

Author

• Carl Kalani Beyer, Pacific Oaks College