Ho'okele ka wa'a: Recalibrating the sail plan for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the ocean sciences

In Hawai'i and across much of Oceania, Pacific Islanders celebrate the connections between our islands and the ocean that surrounds us. Since the beginning of time, we have relied upon precise observations of marine and celestial realms to intentionally navigate thousands of miles across vast expanses of open ocean. Through our migrations, we have created-and continue to create-purposeful relationships by observing the movements of swells, weather patterns, celestial bodies, and marine life. In direct opposition to colonial Western thought, we view Oceania as a metaphorical road that connects rather than separates island people (Hau'ofa, 1994). As descendants of the ocean, the dearth of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPIs) in ocean science seems inconsonant. We wonder, where are all our island people in the ocean sciences? In better defining the persistent, systemic, and collective barriers that NHPIs face within Western society and the academy, we identify gaps that conventional professional development programs aimed at minoritized groups in the geosciences have been unsuccessful in filling. We share lessons learned from building two wa'a (canoes) in programs that center oceanic ways of knowing.

To Access Resource:

Questions? Email Resource Support Contact:

  • opensky@ucar.edu
    UCAR/NCAR - Library

Resource Type publication
Temporal Range Begin N/A
Temporal Range End N/A
Temporal Resolution N/A
Bounding Box North Lat N/A
Bounding Box South Lat N/A
Bounding Box West Long N/A
Bounding Box East Long N/A
Spatial Representation N/A
Spatial Resolution N/A
Related Links N/A
Additional Information N/A
Resource Format PDF
Standardized Resource Format PDF
Asset Size N/A
Legal Constraints

Copyright author(s). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.


Access Constraints None
Software Implementation Language N/A

Resource Support Name N/A
Resource Support Email opensky@ucar.edu
Resource Support Organization UCAR/NCAR - Library
Distributor N/A
Metadata Contact Name N/A
Metadata Contact Email opensky@ucar.edu
Metadata Contact Organization UCAR/NCAR - Library

Author Kane, H.
Choy, A.
Bruno, B.
Tachera, Diamond
Keliipuleole, K.
Wong-Ala, J.
Burns, J.
Kapono, C.
Pascoe, K.
Steward, K.
Alegado, R.
Publisher UCAR/NCAR - Library
Publication Date 2023-12-01T00:00:00
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) Not Assigned
Alternate Identifier N/A
Resource Version N/A
Topic Category geoscientificInformation
Progress N/A
Metadata Date 2025-07-11T15:12:18.843034
Metadata Record Identifier edu.ucar.opensky::articles:26974
Metadata Language eng; USA
Suggested Citation Kane, H., Choy, A., Bruno, B., Tachera, Diamond, Keliipuleole, K., Wong-Ala, J., Burns, J., Kapono, C., Pascoe, K., Steward, K., Alegado, R.. (2023). Ho'okele ka wa'a: Recalibrating the sail plan for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the ocean sciences. UCAR/NCAR - Library. https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d7q81j63. Accessed 01 August 2025.

Harvest Source