Kanaka ‘Ōiwi Methodologies to Honor Moʻōlelo, Communities, Aloha ‘Āina, and Make it Hānai

• In Event: Light a Fire and Watch It Burn: Disruptive Qualitative Methods in Education Research

Abstract

In my research to develop my Hānai Pedagogical framework (Author, 2023b; Author, under review b) and scholar identity, I have combined a mix of methodologies which pay homage to the kūpuna and ‘āina of Hawai’i, while also recognizing that the population of Hawai’i has developed into what one participant lovingly described as “mixed-plate.” This term is in reference to the popular plate lunch combo of foods historically served by and to plantation laborers in Hawai’i representing a rich and diverse background of Native Hawaiians, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, and other immigrants who traveled to the islands in search of work and a better life after the 1850s. Much like a mixed-plate lunch, this accumulation of methodologies intentionally combines qualities and intentions of Kanaka ‘Ōiwi (Native Hawaiian) culture, proverbs, and mythology along with the traditions and cultural beliefs of diverse groups stemming from immigrant laborers who crossed vast oceans to live and work together. Collectively, these groups merged and formed their cultures and traditions to produce common protocols such as greetings, ways of discourse, rules about entering houses, and additional ways of knowing which date back to ancestral teachings which span their lived experiences and diverse nationalities. These same protocols continue to dictate how individuals in Hawai’i live and serve today, but also how I established myself as an Asian American and Pacific Islander-identifying researcher, originally from Maui, with insider/outsider privileges on the island (Aikau, 2019) and how I built established trust with my participants by becoming a part of the community, rather than just a researcher and observer.

Author

• Robin Brandehoff, University of Colorado - Denver