Nineteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

This paper examines my theoretical and pedagogical framework for ʻāina (land) education. Born out of a three-year case study of an Indigenous graduate exchange program, this framework describes the learning journey of participants in programs focused on nurturing kanaka-ʻāina (people-land) relationships. Through a method of ancestral lensing, I draw on images and lessons embedded in the mele (traditional Hawaiian chant) “A Maunakea ʻo Kalani,” in order to imagine how our ancestors might have given meaning to educational practices observed during my case study. Ancestral concepts woven within the lines of this mele for Queen Emma’s 1881 trip to Maunakea reveal particular aspects of praxis that are currently reenacted within the context of an Indigenous, ʻāina program. I weave these components into an educational theory and pedagogy that not only challenges dominant Place-Based Educational narratives but simultaneously creates new life around the field of ʻāina education. Specifically, through the lens of “A Maunakea ʻo Kalani,” I trace the learning journey of participants, mai ka piko a ke mole, from sites of intersection and inspiration (piko) along paths that lead back to the people, places, and practices that together deeply root us to our foundations (mole). I argue that it is not enough for participants in an ʻāina education program to gain knowledge and be transformed themselves; the program needs to instill in them a commitment to return to their own communities so that they can apply what they have learned for the benefit of those for whom they are responsible.