UH Manoa's Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Announce Partnership

$1.5 Million award from OHA to benefit Hawaiian Studies program

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa‘s Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs have signed an agreement granting the center more than $1.5 million over a period of five years.

"The faculty, staff and students of Kamakakūokalani deeply appreciate the good work OHA is doing in support of Hawaiian education," said Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies Director Lilikala Kameʻeleihiwa. "Our mission is providing ʻEducation for the Nation,‘ thus fulfilling the mandate of our ancestors by seeking reclamation of our sovereignty and forever retaining our national identity.

"The study of culture, history and resource management empowers Hawaiians in our quest for self-determination," Kameʻeleihiwa continued. "This is a historic moment and we look forward to further partnerships with OHA."

The award will be used to hire faculty, consultants and staff members, as well as provide resources for graduate and undergraduate students to teach and conduct research. The center will also be able to offer more cultural courses in areas such as Hawaiian medicinal herbs, taro cultivation, and fishpond management. Students also will learn to inventory ceded lands, produce videos, and manage natural resources, both mauka and makai, in traditional ways. The allocation also will allow the center to establish a library to house OHA documents.

"The partnership between the Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs represents a historic moment in educating and expanding the knowledge of our youth," said University of Hawaiʻi President Evan S. Dobelle. "This partnership symbolizes the University of Hawaiʻi‘s mission to foster growth, understanding and cultural awareness in every student while still remaining true to the history that makes these islands and our university unique."