{"id":218253,"date":"2025-07-03T15:11:57","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T01:11:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=218253"},"modified":"2025-07-03T18:36:25","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T04:36:25","slug":"no-ka-hawaii-na-ka-hawaii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/07\/03\/no-ka-hawaii-na-ka-hawaii\/","title":{"rendered":"No ka Hawai\u02bbi na ka Hawai\u02bbi"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Hamilton
UH<\/abbr> Manoa Hamilton Library<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This article by UH<\/abbr> Kanaka ʻ\u014ciwi<\/span> (Native Hawaiian) librarians Kawena Komeiji, Shavonn Matsuda and Kapena Shim was first published in Ka Wai Ola on July 1<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

As we celebrate L\u0101 Hoʻihoʻi<\/span> Ea this month, K\u0101naka ʻ\u014ciwi<\/span> librarians in the University of Hawai\u02bbi (UH<\/abbr>) System have been working towards restoring Hawaiian knowledge sovereignty to the l\u0101hui Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.<\/p>\n

A new initiative launched this past December, Kahoʻiwai<\/span>: Reclaiming Hawaiian Knowledge Sovereignty, focuses on improving access to Hawaiian resources in libraries and archives. The project will integrate ʻ\u014dlelo<\/span> Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and kuanaʻike<\/span> Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> into the ways we categorize, organize, and search for information in libraries. <\/p>\n

Part of a collaborative effort by three UH<\/abbr> campuses, Kahoʻiwai<\/span> is led by K\u0101naka librarians at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa, UH<\/abbr> Maui College, and Â鶹´«Ã½Hilo<\/abbr>. This work builds upon previous groundbreaking work of the Ka Wai H\u0101pai project, which set the foundation and methodology for development of a Hawaiian Knowledge Organization System (HKOS<\/abbr>) intended for implementation across libraries and archives with responsibilities for the preservation of Hawaiian knowledge. <\/p>\n

Expanding on this work, Kahoʻiwai<\/span> will also partner with Hawaiian language experts and scholars to create a Hawaiian language newspaper index from community-indexed information found in n\u016bpepa, enhance 7,500 library catalog records with table of contents and descriptions, and revise incomplete and\/or harmful descriptions in archival finding aids to provide better, Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>-centered context, to Hawaiian collections at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa.<\/p>\n

As testament to the work of K\u0101naka librarians, K\u0101naka scholars and allies, particularly in recent years, UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s Hamilton Library has created two dedicated tenure-track faculty librarian positions to bolster Hawaiian knowledge sovereignty and ensure the long-term sustainability of this initiative.<\/p>\n

Similarly, librarians at the UH<\/abbr> West Oʻahu<\/span>, UH<\/abbr> Maui College, and UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa have been building a social media archive rooted in community and ʻ\u0101ina<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Kaʻohip\u014dhaku<\/span> will consult with K\u0101naka activists and web archiving experts to identify tools and priorities for archiving social media content and to help establish culturally relevant practices for Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, culminating in a report that will be available to the public.<\/p>\n

By shifting autonomy of collection development back into the hands of our people, we will empower the people of today to preserve their leo for the generations to come, much like our k\u016bpuna did in the Hawaiian language newspapers.<\/p>\n

Both the Kahoʻiwai<\/span> and Kaʻohip\u014dhaku<\/span> projects are supported and strengthened by funding from the Mellon Foundation\u2019s Public Knowledge Program. Kahoʻiwai<\/span> was awarded $3.22 million over three years (2024-2027) and Kaʻohip\u014dhaku<\/span> was awarded $150,000 as part of a 1-year planning grant.<\/p>\n

Libraries and archives are critical spaces for our l\u0101hui to connect to and engage with. Through these efforts, we seek to center Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and improve libraries and archives in meaningful ways so that K\u0101naka feel welcomed and empowered to research, learn, and engage in these spaces and with the waiwai housed within these institutions.<\/p>\n

While libraries are not commonly considered in the movement for ea, these efforts highlight our role as just one of the many pathways in furthering ea for the l\u0101hui Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UH<\/abbr> Kanaka ʻŌiwi<\/span> (Native Hawaiian) librarians published a column about working towards the restoration of Hawaiian knowledge sovereignty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[33,1057,207,128,71,14,9,60,59],"class_list":["post-218253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-hawaiian","tag-hawaiian-language","tag-library","tag-manoa-library","tag-uh-community-colleges","tag-uh-hilo","tag-uh-manoa","tag-maui-college","tag-uh-west-oahu","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