Permanent status for Kamakakūokalani Hawaiian Studies Program
- fearsl
- Mar 25, 2019
- 1 min read
WHO: Notable early instructors included John Henry Wise, Reverend Edward Kahale, Rubellite Kinney Johnson, and Samuel Elbert.
WHAT: BA was offered in Hawaiian language for the first time.
WHEN: 1970-1996
WHERE: Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies
WHY:
Hawaiian studies was not considered a degree program. Formally established under liberal status in 1970.
The Kaʻū report in 1986 amplified the urgency of creating a comprehensive Center for Hawaiian Studies and set the tone for growth in the years to follow.
OUTCOME:
Hawaiian studies was officially established in 1987. A Center for Hawaiian Studies was established by the Board of Regents. In 1996 a five-acre complex was completed and named after Gladys Kamakakūokalani ʻAinoa Brandt, a passionate and dedicated Native Hawaiian educator.
“[This school] is both a symbolic and an actual victory in the more than a century-long struggle of Hawaiians to reclaim the education of our own people in our own culture (“Hawai’inuiākea”, 2018).”
The literal meaning of kamakakūokalani is the “upright eye of heaven” that is honored by a water sculpture at the center or piko, of the building. The circular piko is an area that reaches up to the heavens. It signifies holding to lofty ideals and seeking the highest knowledge.
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