A groundbreaking project by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers to document the cultural heritage of Cambodia’s Kuy communities has been supported by a new three-year, $126,265 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Department of Anthropology Professor and Center for Southeast Asian Studies Director Miriam Stark and National Chengchi University Associate Professor Courtney Work (also a UH Mānoa graduate affiliate faculty member in anthropology) are co-directing the project “Of Water, Crocodiles, and Kings: Co-producing Kuy history in the Prey Lang Forest, Cambodia.” Responding to the Kuy communities’ request, the project will train local community residents in documenting culturally important sites. This collaborative approach seeks to decolonize knowledge production by ensuring Kuy perspectives shape the research process.
The Kuy people have maintained their cultural practices through significant historical periods, including the Khmer Empire, French colonialism, and the Khmer Rouge era. However, they now face challenges from rapid economic development and deforestation.
“This project resonates with Hawaiʻi’s efforts to preserve Indigenous knowledge and cultural heritage, highlighting the University of Hawaiʻi’s commitment to supporting Indigenous communities locally and globally,” Stark said.
Starting January 2025, the team will conduct ethnographic and archaeological fieldwork in five Kuy communities. The project brings together specialists from multiple fields to help preserve oral traditions and sacred places, largely under Work’s direction. Stark will lead the archaeological documentation and training program component.
By combining Indigenous and academic skills and knowledge, the initiative aims to provide new insights into how oral traditions, documented histories, and pre-Angkorian material remains interact in living landscapes. The findings will contribute to K–12 history lessons and provincial museum exhibits, supporting local knowledge production and grassroots historical perspectives.
The Department of Anthropology is housed in UH Mānoa’s College of Social Sciences and the Center for Southeast Asian Studies is housed in UH Mānoa’s College of Arts, Languages & Letters.
