“In Hawai?i and across much of Oceania, Pacific Islanders celebrate the connections between their islands and the ocean that surrounds them.
“As descendants of the ocean, the dearth of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) in ocean science seems inconsonant,” writes a team of authors that includes University of Hawai’i (UH) at M?noa faculty, students, and alumni in an article in a special issue of the journal Oceanography, called “Building Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Ocean Sciences.” The authors ask, “Where are all our island people in the ocean sciences?”
“To understand the root causes of this disparity and potential solutions, UH faculty, staff and students approached this problem through the lens of voyagers, examining the past course of history of the peoples of the Pacific and attempts to make headwinds in programs focused on increasing participation in ocean sciences,” said co-author Rosie Alegado, associate professor in the UH M?noa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST).” …
Read more at Phys.org (January 3, 2024)
Abstract
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.
Kane, H.H., C.A. Choy, B.C. Bruno, D.K. Tachera, K. Keliipuleole, J.A.T.K. Wong-Ala, J.H.R. Burns, C.A. Kapono, K.H. Pascoe, K. Steward, and R.A. Alegado. 2023. Ho‘okele ka wa‘a: Recalibrating the sail plan for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the ocean sciences. Oceanography 36(4):35–43, https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2024.137.