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Centering Hawaiian knowledge systems within research library and archival practice
Library Instruction
Waʻa: A Framework for
Hawaiian & Pacific Research
E lauhoe mai nā waʻa; i ke ka, i ka hoe; i ka hoe, i ke ka; pae aku i ka ʻāina.
Paddle together, bail; paddle, bail; paddle toward the land.
Research in Hawaiian and Pacific contexts is not solitary or extractive. It can be understood as voyaging.
Like a waʻa (canoe) moving toward land, inquiry requires preparation, strategic navigation, discernment, collective effort, and relational accountability. Knowledge is a relationship — grounded in ʻāina (environment), moʻokūʻauhau (genealogy), ʻōlelo (language), and lāhui (community).
Library instruction within this Wa’a framework emphasizes:
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Developing meaningful research questions grounded in context
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Navigating archival, genealogical, and Hawaiian-language resources strategically
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Evaluating authority within colonial and Indigenous knowledge systems
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Practicing ethical citation and knowledge stewardship
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Engaging research as collaborative and community-connected work
Explore Instructional Pathways
This section is organized into four interconnected areas of practice:
Setting the Course: Inquiry & Research Design
Developing research questions, defining scope, and building structured pathways for Hawaiian and Pacific research.
Reading the Stars & Currents: Searching & Source Navigation
Strategic use of Papakilo, Ulukau, Kipuka, archival repositories, and scholarly databases.
Selecting Navigators: Context, Authority & Interpretation
Reading sources within historical, political, and cultural frameworks; evaluating narrative, power, and positionality.
Upholding Kuleana: Ethics, Citation & Knowledge Stewardship
Culturally grounded citation practices, Indigenous data sovereignty, and responsible engagement with archival and community knowledge.
