The pilina of kanaka and 'aina : Place, language and community as sites of reclamation for indigenous education the Hawaiian case

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2008.1 Kanaka Maoli- the aboriginal people of Hawai'i; 'Aina- land or that which feeds. 2 Kupuna- ancestors. 3 Kaiaulu- community. 'Olelo makuahine- language, mother tongue.Kanaka Maoli are intimately connected to 'aina.1 'Aina, "that which feeds", encompasses the entire cosmos including the land, sea, sky and spiritual dimensions which our kupuna celebrated in place names, stories, songs and other orature.2 Hearing from childhood- through song and story of the myriad of relationships of people with their world commemorated in what more scientific perspectives have labeled the "natural environment" grounds Hawaiian sensibilities about the world around them in a unique and powerful way. Many nuances of Native language communicate to and inform Kanaka Maoli in ways that other languages from foreign places cannot. Tremendously strong connections are forged through being immersed both physically and linguistically in the landscape and community of beings that inhabit it. The current educational, political and economic system disregards, for the most part, this ancestral bond with 'aina and 'olelo and the influence it could exert in the arena of education.3 This work explores and accords recognition to the powerful, positive potential influence that land, language, community and place can have as sites of reclamation for the education of our people.The first chapters of this work take us through indigenous ideas of 'aina, kaiaulu, 'olelo makuahine, and an indigenous framework as a means for informing this project. Chapters 3 and 4 explore a traditional Kanaka Maoli education system and deconstruct the Protestant missionary classroom as a means to better understand our current education system and why it is incongruent with traditional values and education. Chapter 5 explores options for educational reform and the closing chapter summarizes the findings by offering possibilities.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 212-219).Reproduction.Also available by subscription via World Wide Web219 leaves, bound 29 c