{"id":199351,"date":"2024-06-14T15:43:45","date_gmt":"2024-06-15T01:43:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=199351"},"modified":"2024-06-14T15:43:45","modified_gmt":"2024-06-15T01:43:45","slug":"harman-charting-indigenous-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2024\/06\/14\/harman-charting-indigenous-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Pelehonuamea Harman: Charting UH<\/abbr> Hilo\u2019s course in Indigenous learning"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Pelehonuamea Harman (Photo Credit: Daniella Zalcman)
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Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island educator Pelehonuamea Harman has been appointed as the first-ever director of Native Hawaiian Engagement at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Hilo<\/a>. The announcement, confirmed by the UH<\/abbr> Board of Regents and UH<\/abbr> President David Lassner this June, marks a significant stride toward the university\u2019s goal of becoming a leader in Indigenous education. Harman is scheduled to start in her new role on July 1.<\/p>\n

Harman will join the growing Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Papa o Ke Ao<\/a> team established throughout the 10-campus UH<\/abbr> System to develop, implement and assess strategic actions to enhance the higher education needs of Native Hawaiians. At UH<\/abbr> Hilo, Harman will help to implement priorities such as advancing language and culture parity in areas ranging from programming and curriculum to research and hiring practices.<\/p>\n

“Her acceptance of this role and her willingness to share her rich lineage of Hawaiian language and cultural knowledge as a moʻopuna<\/span> kuakahi (great-granddaughter) of Mary Kawena Pukui, one of the University of Â鶹´«Ã½\u2019s<\/span> most esteemed scholars of Hawaiian knowledge, is a testament to her commitment to our shared journey of reclaiming this ʻike<\/span> (knowledge) in our endeavors moving forward as a university,” said UH<\/abbr> Hilo Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin.<\/p>\n

Wealth of knowledge, expertise<\/h2>\n

Harman brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the position, with more than twenty years of experience in Hawaiian immersion education, which includes teaching at UH<\/abbr> Hilo\u2019s Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu<\/span> K–12 laboratory school and the Kahuawaiola Teacher Education<\/a> program within Ka Haka ʻUla<\/span> o Keʻelikōlani<\/span> College of Hawaiian Language<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Harman is an alumna of UH<\/abbr> Hilo with a bachelor of arts in Hawaiian studies, a teaching certificate from Kahuawaiola, and a master of arts in Hawaiian language and literature.<\/p>\n

ʻŌiwi<\/span> (Native Hawaiian) innovators<\/h2>\n

Together with her husband, Kekoa, an associate professor of Hawaiian studies and Hawaiian language at UH<\/abbr> Hilo, Pelehonuamea serves as a kumu hula (hula teacher) of Hālau I Ka Leo Ola O Nā Mamo (Hālau of the Living Voice of Descendants).<\/p>\n

Related: From hula to PhD<\/abbr>: UH<\/abbr> Hilo kumu shares ʻōlelo<\/span> Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> journey<\/a>, March 28, 2024<\/span><\/p>\n

Harman is a haumāna ʻuniki<\/span> (student of intense studies) of Kumu Hula Kimo Alama Keaulana. The Harmans\u2019 hālau hula (hula school) based on Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Mokupuni (Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island), is focused on raising new generations grounded in the practices of hula from a strong foundation of Hawaiian language fluency. Living what they teach, they raise all four of their children through ʻōlelo<\/span> Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> (Hawaiian language).<\/p>\n

In a notable recognition of their expertise, the Harmans were invited to Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. in 2022 to collaborate on curriculum development for their haumāna (students).<\/p>\n

For more go to UH<\/abbr> Hilo Stories<\/a>.<\/p>\n

—By Susan Enright<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Harman is scheduled to begin on July 1, 2024. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[33,1500,316,14,907],"class_list":["post-199351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-hawaiian","tag-hawaiian-studies","tag-ka-haka-ula-o-keelikolani","tag-uh-hilo","tag-uh-hilo-stories","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t