Po‘o kula share mana‘o on Moananuiākea’s role in creating global ʻōiwi leaders

Oct. 12, 2022

Poʻo kula from each of our three campuses recently gathered virtually for “Moananuiākea: Our Ancestral Oceanic Home,” an inaugural tri-campus ʻohana webinar. Moananuiākea – the great expansive Pacific – is our ancestral oceanic homeland and has served as a strategic region of influence and innovation for thousands of years. It is a global educational canvas for the highest levels of learning to generate real-world solutions guided by indigenous wisdom. It is the oceanic home of all E Ola! learners and graduates.

KS Hawaiʻi Poʻo Kula Kāhealani Naeʻole-Wong KSK‘87, KS Maui Poʻo Kula Dr. Scott Parker, and KS Kapālama Poʻo Kula Dr. Taran Chun KSK‘95 shared their personal reflections about Moananuiākea and its importance in augmenting culture-based learning at our kula and preparing our haumāna to be global ʻōiwi leaders.

In addition to future cultural exchange and professional development opportunities focused on the Pacific, the webinar highlighted many Moananuiākea educational resources that teachers and learners can enjoy and which are available on the Kaʻiwakīloumoku website.

A set of heritage pūʻolo, bundles of knowledge in the form of Prezi presentations, was just released to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Kaʻiwakīloumoku. “Moananuiākea,” “Kealaikahiki,” and “Taputapuātea” form a kahua (foundation) of basic knowledge about our connection to the Pacific as a kula Hawaiʻi, and as a high-performing Native Hawaiian-serving institution.

Educational resources:
Our very own KS digital team launched the website Holomoana, which includes a variety of educational resources centered around voyaging for students and teachers. You can find lesson plans, digital activities, worksheets, and even hands-on activities suited to your grade level and subject area. Also available is the Waʻa Honua website, which hosts voyaging stories and features, as well as the ability to track the voyage, including the upcoming Moananuiākea Voyage.

Stay tuned for future tri-campus and organization-wide discussions, hosted by the Kaʻiwakīloumoku Pacific Indigenous Institute!

The tri-campus webinar was moderated by Ho‘okahua cultural specialists Snowbird Bento and Laiana Kanoa-Wong. The participating po ‘o kula from top, left clockwise are: KS Kapālama Poʻo Kula Dr. Taran Chun KSK’95, Po‘o Kula Kāhealani Naeʻole-Wong KSK’87 and KS Maui Poʻo Kula Dr. Scott Parker. Enjoy the one-hour program here.

The Kaʻiwakīloumoku website has released new resources in the form of heritage pūʻolo. It includes a variety of educational resources centered around voyaging for students and teachers. You can find lesson plans, digital activities, worksheets, and even hands-on activities suited to your grade level and subject area.