{"id":220410,"date":"2025-08-19T14:34:05","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T00:34:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=220410"},"modified":"2025-08-19T14:34:05","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T00:34:05","slug":"uh-hilo-smithsonian-folklife-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/08\/19\/uh-hilo-smithsonian-folklife-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Bridging currents: UH<\/abbr> Hilo connects oceanic journeys to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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The Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> tent at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival featured lei making and ʻōlelo<\/span> Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This article by Native Hawaiian Engagement Director at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Hilo Pelehonuamea Harman was first published in Ka Wai Ola on August 1<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

This summer, University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Hilo served as a cultural and intellectual bridge between the New Directions in the Humanities international conference and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.<\/p>\n

These two global events—centered on Indigenous knowledge, language revitalization, and the role of youth in shaping culture—highlighted UH<\/abbr> Hilo\u2019s leadership at the intersection of scholarship, ʻike<\/span> kupuna, and community.<\/p>\n

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Held at UH<\/abbr> Hilo and chaired by Dr. Patsy Y. Iwasaki, the New Directions in the Humanities conference marked the first time this prestigious gathering was hosted in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>. Previous locations included Paris and Rome, with Lisbon, Portugal, set to host next.<\/p>\n

The conference opened with a k\u012bpaepae welcome ceremony, grounding guests in the spirit of the land and people of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Under the theme “Oceanic Journeys,” scholars, students, and cultural practitioners explored the humanities through a Pacific lens. Presentations spanned topics from language reclamation and Indigenous storytelling to cultural continuity and place-based education. A field trip to the luapele—the volcanic landscape sacred to Pele—provided an experiential learning opportunity rooted in Hawaiian ways of knowing and deepened participants\u2019 understanding of the connection between land, language, and identity.<\/p>\n

UH<\/abbr> Hilo faculty, staff, and students played central roles sharing research, performing mele and oli, and engaging in cross-cultural dialogue. The conference affirmed UH<\/abbr> Hilo\u2019s strength as an Indigenous-serving institution committed to community-centered and place-based education.<\/p>\n

Weeks later, UH<\/abbr> Hilo\u2019s voice resonated from the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where university representatives participated in the 2025 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.<\/abbr><\/p>\n

Under the theme “Youth and the Future of Culture,” the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> delegation led the Language Reclamation Program. Representatives from UH<\/abbr> Hilo leadership, Ka Haka ʻUla<\/span> o Keʻelik\u014dlani<\/span><\/a>, ʻImiloa<\/span> Astronomy Center<\/a>, Ke Kula ʻo<\/span> N\u0101wah\u012bokalaniʻ\u014dpuʻu<\/span>, and the National Native American Language Resource Center shared mele, oli, hula, and strategies for revitalizing ʻōlelo<\/span> Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.<\/p>\n

A key facilitator for the folklife festival was UH<\/abbr> Hilo alumnus H\u0101lena Kapuni-Reynolds who serves as a curator at the Smithsonian\u2019s National Museum of the American Indian. His leadership helped ensure that Indigenous voices from Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> were highlighted with respect and authenticity on this national stage.<\/p>\n

Visitors to the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> tent participated in intergenerational dialogue and hands-on activities, learning how language restoration is deeply tied to land, education, and cultural identity. In a powerful gesture of continuity, several “Oceanic Journeys” attendees visited the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> tent to thank the UH<\/abbr> Hilo delegation for extending the spirit and ʻike<\/span> of the conference to the nation\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n

Whether we are hosting a conference as kamaʻ\u0101ina<\/span> at our own university or attending as malihini at a national gathering, our relationship to Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> remains central to who we are and how we engage. In every setting, we carry this ʻike<\/span> (knowledge), aloha, and the values rooted in this ʻāina<\/span> with us.<\/p>\n

These gatherings affirmed a shared vision: that the humanities are most powerful when grounded in place, lived experience, and Indigenous knowledge systems. UH<\/abbr> Hilo\u2019s presence at both events underscored its commitment to cultivating future cultural leaders—those who carry tradition forward while envisioning and shaping a resilient future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UH<\/abbr> Hilo highlighted its leadership in Indigenous knowledge this summer, from hosting an international humanities conference to sharing ʻ\u014dlelo<\/span> Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.<\/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":[1057,1500,292,316,1622,14],"class_list":["post-220410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-hawaiian-language","tag-hawaiian-studies","tag-imiloa-astronomy-center","tag-ka-haka-ula-o-keelikolani","tag-olelo-hawaii","tag-uh-hilo","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