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ULANA ʻIKE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE

PROJECTS

As part of a broader effort to catalyze a cross-Pacific regional collaborative hub integrating research, outreach, and education to advance sustainable Indigenous Aquaculture practices. The Ulana ʻIke Center of Excellence partnered with Hui Mālama Loko Iʻa, Washington Sea Grant, and Alaska Sea Grant to convene a cross-regional summit bringing together diverse experts, knowledge holders, practitioners, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Northwest tribal leaders, senior and youth community members and Sea Grant outreach staff to learn about local and regional examples of traditional Indigenous Aquaculture systems. The summit was held on Oʻahu in February 2020. Over 125 Indigenous aquaculture practitioners came together representing a dozen tribal nations from the Pacific Northwest as well as Indigenous communities in Alaska, California, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Hawaiʻi, and Aotearoa. The gathering fostered relationship building and space to share knowledge and advance Indigenous aquaculture practice and methodologies.

As part of a broader effort to catalyze a cross-Pacific regional collaborative hub integrating research, outreach, and education to advance sustainable Indigenous Aquaculture practices. The Ulana ʻIke Center of Excellence partnered with Hui Mālama Loko Iʻa, Washington Sea Grant, and Alaska Sea Grant to convene a cross-regional summit bringing together diverse experts, knowledge holders, practitioners, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Northwest tribal leaders, senior and youth community members and Sea Grant outreach staff to learn about local and regional examples of traditional Indigenous Aquaculture systems. The summit was held on Oʻahu in February 2020. Over 125 Indigenous aquaculture practitioners came together representing a dozen tribal nations from the Pacific Northwest as well as Indigenous communities in Alaska, California, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Hawaiʻi, and Aotearoa. The gathering fostered relationship building and space to share knowledge and advance Indigenous aquaculture practice and methodologies.

Na ʻOno o Ka ʻĀina Indigenous Foods Course Featuring the Ahupuaʻa of Heʻeia 

The Ulana ʻIke Center of Excellence partnered with the Heʻeia NERR and Paepae o Heʻeia to develop a seven week course for employees in the food industry facing unemployment or reduced hours as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The course piloted distance-learning techniques, and focused on the Indigenous foods of Heʻeia including history, ecology, cultural practices, cultivation and harvesting techniques, and methods for preparing and preserving. Training instructors included Hawaiian agriculture and aquaculture practitioners from Heʻeia. Evaluation feedback from the course was highly positive with participants emphasizing that they feel more knowledgeable about Indigenous foods and comfortable working with them. 100% of course participants were interested in staying connected to Heʻeia after the course including through volunteering and sourcing ingredients.

Marine Biology Graduate Student Orientation Course

The Ulana ʻIke Center partnered with the Marine Biology Graduate Program at UH Mānoa and the Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve to develop and lead an intensive three week graduate course Kūlana Noiʻi: Introduction to Place-based Research Methodologies in Hawaiʻi. The course was mandatory for all incoming Marine Biology Graduate students in the 2021 cohort and was aimed at providing students with a grounding in what constitutes a research paradigm and the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct place-based research in Indigenous spaces with a focus on Hawaiʻi. Through readings and lectures from experts students were exposed to multiple disciplines and knowledge frameworks for approaching scientific inquiry. The course used the Kūlana Noiʻi as an ethical framework to explore reciprocal, place-based research methodologies. Students also gained first-hand experience in building connections with local community organizations that implement Indigenous management practices. They worked alongside place-based stewards, researchers, and cultural practitioners to learn about conservation issues and practices in Hawaiʻi. In addition to place-based activities and panels, a series of self-directed learning broadened students’ skill sets and critical thinking as well as provided space for self-reflection towards integrating place-based dimensions in their graduate research. The course culminated with students developing a set of individual place-based research ethics, or their personal Kūlana Noiʻi, to inform their graduate work.

IN THIS SECTION

Learn more about the Ulana ka ʻIke Center of Excellence

CONTACT

Ulana ʻIke Center of Excellence

Director
Rosie Alegado
rosie.alegado@hawaii.edu

Projects & Partnerships Coordinator
Katy Hintzen
hintzen@hawaii.edu

OUR PATTERNS
Center of Excellence Sidebar Pattern

Each pattern represents a Center of Excellence. Learn more about the cultural connections and meanings behind them.