What is Māhuahua Ka Lae?
We interpret Māhuahua Ka Lae as the proliferation of Hawaiian intellect and wisdom. The imagery of the coral exemplifies the intention and impact of the kind of proliferation we seek to catalyze. Extensive reef systems are built from a single polyp and nurture multitudes of fish species. The well-being of our ocean and ourselves relies heavily upon this critical reef-building process.
Māhuahua Ka Lae aims to mimic this process within and beyond the research community. The hāpapa we aim to contribute to is an increased prevalence and influence of Native Hawaiian perspectives, knowledge, practices, and approaches through the overlapping of traditional and Western academic research. The proliferation of ʻike and process into our practices and communities contributes to improving the well-being of our lāhui, Hawaiʻi, and honua.
In recognizing the need for scholarship and research to better align with the Native Hawaiian worldview in both form and function, and in its work to bring together KS’ and community partners’ rich Hawaiian culture, ʻōlelo and ʻāina-focused opportunities that grow ‘ōiwi leaders (people who use their knowledge, skill, and passion to strengthen Hawaiʻi, its people, and our global community), Kamehameha Schools’ Kaiāulu puts forth the opportunity to immerse into the Māhuahua Ka Lae Research Fellowship.
The Fellows of 2024
Dr. Nākoa Farrant
RESEARCH PATHWAY: Dissertation Research
“How can former plantation lands be managed to meet the social, cultural, and ecological needs of communities across Hawaiʻi?”
Nākoa Farrant is from Paumalu, Koʻolauloa, Oʻahu. He is completing his Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Management at University of California, Santa Barbara. Nākoa has participated in the restoration of loʻi and loko iʻa across Hawaiʻi for 20 years. These experiences on ʻāina motivated his Ph.D. research that elevates Kānaka Maoli perspectives to guide culturally relevant management of former plantation lands. Beginning in September 2024, Nākoa will be an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Hawaiʻi, Mānoa collaborating with Professor Kiana Frank to study changing patterns of nutrient accumulation across ahupuaʻa and moku as more loʻi and loko iʻa are restored.
Nākoa Goo
RESEARCH PATHWAY: Dissertation Research
"What causal factors are strongly linked to declines in native forage fish populations throughout Hawai'i and how can we resolve this issue through leveraging historical fishing knowledge with molecular research approaches to both preserve traditional fishing practices and replenish native forage fish stocks?"
Nākoa Goo was born and raised in Puna, Hawai‘i where he developed an interest in marine ecosystems through the lens of fishing and shoreline gathering. After earning a bachelors’ degree in Marine Science at UH Hilo, he served as program coordinator at the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center in Hilo (2011-2016) and as a marine fellow with The Nature Conservancy (2016-2018) where he supported education, research and conservation efforts in communities throughout Hawai'i. He is currently pursuing a doctorate degree at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in Marine Biology. focusing on the ecology and diet of native bait fish species found in estuaries of Hawai‘i to support their conservation and management. Outside of research, he serves as a board member for both Paepae 'O He'eia and Hui Nehu.
Dr. Rebecca Kapolei Kiʻili
RESEARCH PATHWAY: Dissertation Research
"How do stakeholders in the Maui Kaiapuni communities envision a future vision of success for Kaiapuni education?"
Dr. Rebecca Kapolei Kiʻili, a kamaʻāina of Maui was fortunate to benefit from Hawaiian education at a time when ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and Hawaiian enrichment educational programs were revived in the late nineteen eighties. Inspired by the Maui community leaders of the ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi educational movement at a young age, she first learned ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi with Kumu Keliʻi Tauʻā and Kumu Kīʻope Raymond in high school. She credits the Hawaiian enrichment programs with Nā Pua Noʻeau, OHA, and Kamehameha Schools with building a strong foundation for her Hawaiian education background. She is a graduate of Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani and Kahuwaiola. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Hawaiian Studies and Communications as well as her teaching credentials at UH Hilo. She has been a Kumu Kaiapuni for her entire public school teaching career of 19 years (and counting). After gaining teaching experience at Pāʻia school, she earned a Masters in Educational Leadership degree. She recently completed her Educational Doctoral degree in Professional Practice with UH Mānoa where her research focused on a future vision of success for Maui Kaiapuni schools in the three communities across the island: Hāna, Lahaina, and Hamakua-Kula (Upcountry). She owes her educational accomplishments to the richness her Hawaiian cultural learning of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and ʻIke Hawaiʻi as well as to the upbringing in her Hawaiian family and community. She is proud and humbled to be a part of Māhuahua Kalaeʻs first cohort of ʻōiwi scholars and plans to continue contributing to her community to strengthen, elevate, and support the growth and expansion of Hawaiian culture based education for all learners.
Dr. Hōkūlani Holt (Master)
RESEARCH PATHWAY: Traditional Master-Apprentice
"How does the cultural and spiritual significance of ʻawa (Piper methysticum) in Hawaiian ceremonies influence its importance, the ceremonial processes, and the transference of knowledge and mana?"
Hōkūlani Holt is a master hula teacher who first studied with her grandmother Ida Pakulani Long, and later learned from her aunt Kahili Cummings, mother Leiana Woodside, and Hoakalei Kamau‘u. Holt is also an educator, playwright, composer, and director. In addition to leading the hālau she founded in 1976, Pā‘ū O Hi‘iaka, she directs Ka Hikina O Ka Lā and Kahōkūala, Hawaiian student scholarship programs at UH Maui College. She also works with nonprofits Kauahea Inc. and Lālākea Foundation, teaches community culture classes, and oversees cultural education centers in Waihe‘e and Wai‘ehu, Maui. Hōkūlani’s understanding of ʻawa began through ceremonial practices with Pualani Kanakaʻole and Parley Kanakaʻole more than 40 years ago. Her extensive use of ʻawa in ceremonies and deep knowledge of ʻike Hawaiʻi has led her to share this knowledge with students such as Kamanaʻopono Crabbe, Kui Gapero, and Pā Kāneloa.
Kui Gapero (Apprentice)
RESEARCH PATHWAY: Traditional Master-Apprentice
“How does the cultural and spiritual significance of ʻawa (Piper methysticum) in Hawaiian ceremonies influence its importance, the ceremonial processes, and the transference of knowledge and mana?"
Kui Gapero is a teacher at the Kamehameha Schools Maui campus. A native of Maui, he grew up around the ocean with a love for waʻa (canoes) and hula. He graduated from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with a B.A. in Hawaiian language. He is an Army veteran having served 8 years and participated in the Operation Iraqi Freedom War Campaign. Returning to Maui, he worked as the Cultural Program Specialist for the Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission and taught Hawaiian language at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College. With a passion for culture and language, he is dedicated to the revitalization of Hawaiian cultural practices and is currently pursuing his M.A. in Indigenous Education with Arizona State University. Kui began his initial ʻaha ʻawa learning with Hōkūlani about 10 years ago in Pā Kāneloa, which continues today.
Maile Andrade (Master)
RESEARCH PATHWAY: Traditional Master-Apprentice
"What are the indicators of readiness that contribute to the successful transference of cultural knowledge for Pacific communities engaged in maʻawe practices?"
Maile Andrade is a multimedia artist and has a Masters of Fine Art degree from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM). She recently retired as a Senior Professor at Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies at UHM teaching in the Hālau o Laka: Native Hawaiian Creative Expression program. She has received a variety of academic awards and was selected by the Folk Arts Apprentice Program to serve as an apprentice with Master Weaver Elizabeth Maluihi Lee and received the 1998 Visual Arts Fellowship from the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. She has participated in numerous Indigenous Symposiums/Gatherings in New Zealand, Tahiti, and the Longhouse in Evergreen State College, Washington to name a few. Maile was artist-in-resident in New Zealand, at the Alaska Heritage Center, Anchorage and SAR School for Advanced Research, Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has exhibited her works locally, nationally and internationally.
Malia Nobrega-Olivera (Apprentice)
RESEARCH PATHWAY: Traditional Master-Apprentice
“What are the indicators of readiness that contribute to the successful transference of cultural knowledge for Pacific communities engaged in maʻawe practices?”
Malia Nobrega-Olivera was born and raised in Hanapēpē Valley, Kona, Kauaʻi. Malia is a Native Hawaiian educator, a kumu hula, a salt maker, an event strategist, and an advocate of indigenous rights at all levels – locally, regionally, and internationally. Malia is also a multimedia artist that has experience in lei making, film making, multimedia presentations, and for the last few years she has continued her journey of ʻulana lauhala with Maile Andrade. Malia strongly believes that participating in the virtual community weaving classes during COVID, joining a community of practice, and (re)learning the art of lauhala weaving has helped her in her personal journey of mauli ola especially during a time of grieving the loss of her mother. She also believes that the virtual and in-person community gatherings has helped many of the participants improve their physical and mental health through connections to land, place, and people as we collectively increase our knowledge and skills of maʻawe practices.
Kamalani Johnson
RESEARCH PATHWAY: Community-Applied Research
"How does J. W. H. I. Kiheʻs life and writing serve as a well of knowledge that grounds our community today?"
My name is Kamalani Johnson. I am a generationally rooted son of Kahana, Oʻahu. I am an ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and moʻolelo Hawaiʻi scholar pursuing a Ph.D in Political Science at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa specializing Indigenous politics and political theory and a graduate certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
Makana Kāne Kuahiwinui
RESEARCH PATHWAY: Community-Applied Research
“How is waimaka lehua education, Hawaiʻi-centric menstrual education, best integrated into households and communities?”
Makana Kāne Kuahiwinui wrote Ka Waimaka Lehua: Menstruation Through a Hawaiian Epistemology, her Masterʻs Thesis from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 2018. Since then she has presented her findings to many communities, families, and willing audiences to raise collective awareness. She is also a kumu ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi at Kamehameha Middle School at Kapālama and enjoys her time with her ʻohana and hālau hula. Makanaʻs goal is the restructure sex education through a Hawaiʻi-centric worldview to envision a thriving lāhui.
Lynette Paglinawan
RESEARCH PATHWAY: Community-Applied Research
"What is the wellness, readiness, and knowledge learned among hoʻoponopono haumāna after one year of training?"
Lynette Kahekili Kaopuiki Paglinawan, MSW, is celebrated for her pivotal role in social work, particularly in the preservation of the Hawaiian practice of hoʻoponopono. As the first in her family to attend college, she earned her bachelor's degree in Sociology from the University of Hawaii in 1962 and a master’s degree in social work in 1966. Paglinawan began her career at the Queen Liliʻuokalani Children’s Center, where she recognized the limitations of Western methods in serving Native Hawaiian families. Empowered by an expert practitioner, she implemented ho'oponopono to foster healing and community support. She later served as the Executive Director of Bishop Museum's Native Hawaiian Culture and the Arts Program, where she successfully secured funding for the revival of the Hawaiian fighting art, lua. From 2008 to 2017, she directed the Hawaiian Learning Program at the University of Hawaii’s Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work, shaping future social workers to better serve Native Hawaiian clients. In 2017, Paglinawan became a faculty member at the University of Hawaii West Oʻahu, contributing to the development of the Native Hawaiian Health and Healing Practices program. Her impact has been recognized through numerous awards, including being named a Living Treasure by the Honpa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple in 2012, honoring her significant contributions to society. In 2019, she received an honorary degree from Taiwan University, specifically a Doctor of Indigenous Practice Hoʻoponopono, further acknowledging her dedication to cultural preservation and social work excellence.
Kaʻaiʻai Paglinawan
RESEARCH PATHWAY: Community-Applied Research
“What is the wellness, readiness, and knowledge learned among hoʻoponopono haumāna after one year of training?”
Kaʻaiʻai Paglinawan was born and raised in Koʻolau, Oʻahu, and is a graduate of Windward Community College, Hawai‘i Pacific University, and the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Kaʻaiʻai is a second generation social worker and haku hoʻoponopono working for Liliʻuokalani Trust since 2008. She loves working for the Queen in a job that carries kuleana for the present and future of our children. She is blessed to work in an environment that supports the perpetuation of Hawaiian culture and values through service provision to our lāhui.
LeShay Keliʻiholokai
RESEARCH PATHWAY: Community-Applied Research
"What is the wellness, readiness, and knowledge learned among hoʻoponopono haumāna after one year of training?"
LeShay Keliʻiholokai was born and raised in Waimānalo, Oʻahu and received her Bachelors of Science in Pre-Medical Studies from Hawaiʻi Pacific University. Over the course of eight years, LeShay was part of the Hui Mālama O Ke Kai Foundation, where she created the ʻŌpio Leadership Program. This program was developed to instill servant-hood leadership within the ʻōpio of Waimānalo. LeShay went on to pursue a Master of Arts degree in Art Therapy and Counseling from Southwestern College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She believes that through art we are able to explore emotional, behavioral, and social challenges to better understand the human psyche, allowing access to one’s core self. In 2017, LeShay was a founding member of Ke Kula Nui O Waimānalo, a non-profit, Native Hawaiian-serving organization committed to the sustainability of the Waimānalo community. In addition to being a board member, she also develops and implements a plethora of programs that target Native Hawaiian youth and women’s wellbeing.
Samantha Keaulana-Scott
RESEARCH PATHWAY: Community-Applied Research
“What is the wellness, readiness, and knowledge learned among hoʻoponopono haumāna after one year of training?”
Samantha Keaulana-Scott an Assistant Professor in Native Hawaiian and Indigenous Health at University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Office of Public Health Studies and the Director of Data and Research at Papa Ola Lōkahi. Samantha is committed to Mauli Ola through research, advocacy, and policy. Currently, her research focuses on the experiences of historical and intergenerational trauma among Wāhine in hopes to resolve systemic barriers that inhibit Wāhine from equitable health and justice. In addition, Samantha is committed to working closely with Hawaiian communities on community-driven and Indigenous-centered research and programs.
Ilima Ho-Lastimosa
RESEARCH PATHWAY: Community-Applied Research
"What is the wellness, readiness, and knowledge learned among hoʻoponopono haumāna after one year of training?"
Ilima Ho-Lastimosa is faculty at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Waimānalo Learning Center and a PhD student in Social Welfare. She is a proud Waimānalo native and a strong proponent of food sovereignty and sustainability. For over a decade, Ilima has been passionate about giving communities the tools, knowledge and skills they need to grow food in their backyards. Her favorite method of sustainability is using aquaponics technology to emphasize the genius of ancient Hawaiians, who utilized the ahupua'a system to thrive in Hawaiʻi for thousands of years. As founder of God’s Country Waimānalo and a board member of Ke Kula Nui O Waimānalo, Ilima offers programs to Waimānalo and other Hawaiian communities. She is the recipient of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-Community Campus Health Partnerships 2020 Health Equity Award, Hawaiian Civic Club of Waimānalo 2020 Kalaniana‘ole Award, the AARP 2022 Purpose Prize Fellow, and was named the Native Hawaiian Educator of the Year 2021 by the Native Hawaiian Education Association.
