Kamakakūokalani
MISSION STATEMENT
The Mission Statement of Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies
To achieve and maintain excellence in the pursuit of knowledge concerning the Native people of Hawai‘i, their origin, history, language, literature, religion, arts and sciences, interactions with their oceanic environment and other peoples; and to reveal, disseminate, and apply this knowledge for the betterment of all peoples.
Kamakakūokalani is committed to representing Native Hawaiian perspectives including self-determination and honoring the thousands of Hawaiians who more than a hundred years ago signed the Kū‘ē petition opposing and protesting the proposed annexation by the United States. The mandate of these kūpuna and their leaders to their descendants is to “Onipa‘a” to forever stand fast for and continue in the pathways of the ancestors, to strive to retain a sense of Hawaiian national identity and seek reclamation of Hawaiian ‘āina and sovereignty over our homeland.
Kamakakūokalani provides “Education for the Nation,” empowering students’ identities and preparing them to lead Hawai‘i into a future in which Native Hawaiian people, their world views and their practices will be represented and sustained through practice by ever succeeding generations.
We recognize our kuleana to be responsible for the following actions:
KĀNAKA MAOLI PERSPECTIVES
Present, from Kanaka Maoli perspectives, the interplay of history, culture, politics, and the importance of interconnected-ness of all knowledge, both contemporary and ancestral, in order that students will understand Kanaka Maoli experiences in the context of world indigenous peoples.
MENTORSHIP AND SUPPORT
Mentor and support and provide an educational experience that will transform our students into responsible community leaders, teachers, and scholars who will make positive contributions for our people, for our island homeland, and for the planet extending into the future.
ANCESTRAL CONNECTION
Reawaken, recognize, and strengthen genealogical ties to Papahānaumoku, our earth mother, and Hawaiʻi, as our ancestral homeland, in order that our students will understand Kanaka Maoli are a Lāhui and are fully aware of our uniquie connection through Hāloa across Nā Kai ʻEwalu.
