Huliauapaʻa
Huliauapa‘a is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to educate and empower students, communities, and professionals on the stewardship of Hawai‘i's wahi kūpuna (ancestral places). Huliauapa‘a collaborates with various community groups, educational institutions, landowners and archaeological firms to provide education, training, and assistance in the preservation, stewardship, and management of cultural sites throughout Hawai‘i.
To reach these goals, we run the Wahi Kupuna Internship Program (WKIP). A five-week long summer internship where students are trained in the cultural and technical aspects of resource management. Visit our Wahi Kupuna Internship Program page for more information.
To reach these goals, we run the Wahi Kupuna Internship Program (WKIP). A five-week long summer internship where students are trained in the cultural and technical aspects of resource management. Visit our Wahi Kupuna Internship Program page for more information.
About the Wahi Kūpuna Internship Program
The Wahi Kūpuna Internship Program was launched in 2010 with support and funding from Kamehameha Schools. The primary goal of this internship program is to increase the number of Native Hawaiians and Kama‘āina in the field of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) through scientific and cultural mentoring, professional development, education and applied field experiences. Since 2010, the program has mentored numerous haumāna through conducting community based research on and off of Kamehameha Schools legacy lands throughout the paeʻāina.
This year, the WKIP was held in the moku of Kohala. The WKIP is a community, cultural and ʻāina-based internship for college haumāna interested in future careers in wahi kūpuna stewardship or related fields.
This year, the WKIP was held in the moku of Kohala. The WKIP is a community, cultural and ʻāina-based internship for college haumāna interested in future careers in wahi kūpuna stewardship or related fields.
2020 Challenges & Program
In the process of planning for WKIP 2020, the Huliauapaʻa staff went back and forth trying to figure out how to best run the program safely under these unique circumstances of the world wide pandemic. After surveying the haumāna and talking with our funders, Kamehameha Schools (KS), meeting with members of the Kohala community, and after careful consideration, we felt there was really no safe way to run our program as usual.
A couple of big factors in this decision included the fact that we had haumāna from not only Hawaiʻi Island but Oʻahu and Maui as well, and we felt it was unsafe to have them fly to Hawaiʻi Island for the summer. Also, our program usually requires everyone to live, work, eat, and pretty much do everything together in close proximity. So there really was no way we could social distance 24/10 and follow the State and County rules of keeping 6-feet apart at all times. For all of us, the safety of ourselves, our ʻohana, and our communities are of the utmost importance.
Obviously there is no way we could replicate being on the ʻāina together with the community, but with a lot of creativity, flexibility, support and all hands on deck with our team, we successfully held an ʻāina based, community grounded, interactive virtual program.
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Here are some of the ways we shifted the program this year:
Our first day of the program started Monday, July 6 and ran to Friday, July 31. During the program we met Monday through Friday, but our time together daily on the computer was limited to 4 hours a day - Meeting 2 hours in the morning from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and then again for 2 hours in the afternoon, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. In the middle portion of the day, we provided haʻawina and other activities that the haumāna did on their own, with their hui, or with their mentor.
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The advantage of an online ʻāina based program? We weren't confined to a small place within Kohala, which is possibly one of the most diverse and largest moku in the pae ʻāina. We know online learning was difficult for many, but haumāna were still able to develop meaningful research topics that they were very passionate about and that benefit Kohala and it’s community. While there are things we didn't foresee - bad connections, dropped zoom calls, etc. - the haumāna are resilient and so was this years Wahi Kūpuna Internship Program, Kohala I ka Unupaʻa.
Mahalo to our Funders and Partners
Over the years Huliauapa‘a has partnered with a number of private and government organizations as well as individuals to train students in the field of cultural resource management. Our partners play a critical role in fostering the cultural and technical knowledge required for our students to be well-rounded stewards. "Our relationships with other like-minded organizations are crucial to program success as it develops trust between various groups and stakeholders involved in the management of wahi kūpuna as well as providing our students opportunities to network with agencies or groups responsible for significant decision making for these properties." |
FundersKamehameha Schools,
Natural & Cultural Resources - Wahi Kupuna Department Kamehameha Schools, ‘Āina ʻUlu Department Nohopapa Hawai‘i, LLC |
Program PartnersKawailehua
Kalaemanō Interpretive Center Ho‘ōla Ka Makana'ā at Ka‘ūpūlehu The Nature Conservancy- Ka‘ū Preserve Dept. of Land and Natural Resources- State Parks Division Queen Lili‘uokalani Children's Center Lewanui Unmanned Aerial Systems |
Educational PartnersUniversity of Hawai‘i at Hilo- Anthropology Department
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa- Kamakakūokalani Hawai‘i Community College North Hawai‘i Education & Research Center Waiākea High School's Early College Program Leeward Community College University of Hawai‘i West O‘ahu- Hawaiian/Pacific Studies & Sustainable Communities Food Systems |
Non-Profit Organizations |