Preserving Indigenous Hawaiian Culture Through Aloha

By April Pulcini, Richlands Elementary School, Onslow County Schools, North Carolina

OVERVIEW OF LESSON:
As fifth-grade students begin to learn about the life of North America’s first peoples, the Age of Exploration, and colonization, they will be asked to analyze the effects that European exploration had on Native Hawaiian Peoples. Students will begin this lesson learning about Hawaiian history. Then they will explore Native Hawaiian traditions and learn how many of these traditions were banned or altered during colonization. Native Hawaiians revived their culture through determination and Aloha (a feeling of love, compassion, mercy, peace, and kindness) during the Hawaiian Renaissance.

SUGGESTED GRADE LEVEL: Grade 5

SUBJECTS: English Language Arts, Social Studies

CORRESPONDING NATIONAL AND/OR STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA STANDARDS:

North Caroline ELA Standards
W.5.5 Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

W.5.6 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work and provide a list of sources.

North Carolina Social Studies
5.B.1.2 Explain how the values and beliefs of various Indigenous, religious, and racial groups have contributed to the development of American identity.

5.H.1.3 Explain the ways in which revolution, reform, and resistance have shaped the United States.

RI.5.7 Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question or to solve a problem efficiently.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
How does outside influence affect people’s culture?

LESSON OBJECTIVES:

1. Students will learn a brief history of Hawai’i; the Indigenous people and how it became a state.
2. Students will study Native Hawaiian traditions.
3. They will examine how Hawaiian cultures were affected by Western influence.
4. Students will be able to recognize that Native Hawaiians are determined to keep their cultural beliefs and traditions alive, and they do this through activism.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR THE EDUCATOR or RESOURCES TO EXPLORE FURTHER:
The first settlers of Hawaii were said to have come from the Polynesian islands in 300 CE. In 1778 the first European explorer, Captain James Cook, landed on the island of Kaua’i. Shortly after his discovery Christian Missionaries began to arrive in Hawai’i and converted many Native Hawaiians to Christianity, ending many of their traditional practices. Hawai’i became a popular destination for wealthy Europeans, planters, and businessmen, who sought after the island’s agricultural resources. The Western colonizers worked together to overthrow the Kingdom of Hawai’i in 1893, using threats of violence. The United States attempted to gain control over Hawai’i in 1896 due to its position in the Pacific, allowing access to Asian trade markets, however, it remained a territory until 1959. Shortly after receiving statehood the Hawaiian community experienced a cultural renaissance. The Hawaiian Renaissance brought back a renewed focus of the Hawaiian language, hula, and traditional navigation and voyaging. Native Hawaiians are still seeking sovereignty today; they are doing this through activism and the “aloha spirit”. Unlike many Native American Tribes and Alaskan Natives, the Indigenous peoples of the Hawaiian Islands aren’t federally recognized so they don’t receive entitlements, funds, or benefits.

Aloha, It’s More Than Hello-TED Talk

Hawai’i History: Timeline-Animation

TED Ed-The Overthrow of Hawai’i

SPECIFIC STUDENT STRATEGIES & ACTIVITIES:

Day 1 (60 minutes)

1. Display an unlabeled image of the Hawaiian Islands (Preserving Indigenous Hawaiian Culture Through Aloha Slide Deck, Slide 3).
2. Ask students what the drawing is.
3. Using a KWL chart ask students what they know about Hawaiian history, student responses should be annotated in the K section of the chart (Preserving Indigenous Hawaiian Culture Through Aloha Slide Deck, Slide 4).
4. The class will then brainstorm what they want to learn about Hawaiian history on the chart.
5. Introduce new vocabulary words: archipelago, dynasty, colonization, Indigenous, missionaries, monarchy, provisional, and territory (Preserving Indigenous Hawaiian Culture Through Aloha Slide Deck, Slide 5).
6. The class will then view this video: Hawai’i History: Timeline-Animation

The video should be stopped frequently to allow for discussion and for students to fill in the Short History of Hawaii Timeline (Preserving Indigenous Hawaiian Culture Through Aloha Slide Deck, Slide 6), noting significant historic events that occurred in Hawai’i at that time.

(The KWL chart can be referenced throughout this lesson but should be completed at the end to demonstrate what students have learned.)

Day 2 (60 minutes)

1. Introduce the vocabulary words culture and tradition (Preserving Indigenous Hawaiian Culture Through Aloha Slide Deck, Slide 8).
2. This would be a good time to remind students that there is a difference between culture and traditions (Preserving Indigenous Hawaiian Culture Through Aloha Slide Deck, Slide 9).
3. Students will then complete a Gallery Walk (images also located in the Preserving Indigenous Hawaiian Culture Through Aloha Slide Deck, Slide 10), reviewing images of Hawaiian culture and traditions: Canoeing, Hula, Language, Land, Surfing, and Food. During the Gallery Walk students should write down what they notice about the images on a sticky note and post them around the images.
4. The class will then come back together, the teacher will review what was written on the sticky notes with the class.
5. Ask students how they think all these images are related.
6. Have students fold a piece of paper into 6ths (Preserving Indigenous Hawaiian Culture Through Aloha Slide Deck, Slide 11) labeling the top of each box with these six categories (canoeing, hula, language, land, surfing, and food).
7. As a class watch the videos: Aloha Aina-Indigenous Life in Hawai’i and True Hawai’i, during the videos have students take note of what they hear/see relating to the six categories.
8. Once the videos are complete have students complete the Gallery Walk again. This time students will write what they learned about the images and how they relate to Hawaiian culture and traditions.
9. Review the sticky notes as a class and add them to the L section of the KWL chart.
10. End by asking students, “Why are these traditions important to Hawaiian culture?” (Sentence frame models on Preserving Indigenous Hawaiian Culture Through Aloha Slide Deck, Slide 12)

Day 3 (60 minutes)

1. Ask students to choose one of the six native Hawaiian traditions from Day 2 that they want to learn more about.
2. Task students to conduct individual research on the native Hawaiian tradition that they chose. For this first part of their research students need to concentrate on the pre-European period (prior to 1778). In their search engines students should use the inquires below (Preserving Indigenous Hawaiian Culture Through Aloha Slide Deck, Slide 14):

• • What was canoeing like in Hawai’i prior to European settlement?
  • What was native Hawaiian food like pre-European influence?
  • How did Hawaiians view land before European settlement?
  • How was the tradition of hula celebrated prior to colonization?
  • What was the primary way of communication in Hawai’i before the arrival of settlers?
  • How was the tradition of surfing practiced in Hawai’i before European contact?

3. During their research students should focus on the 5Ws (who, what, when, where, and why). They should also be encouraged to make note of the beliefs and feelings of the Indigenous people during this time.
4. As students are conducting their research the teacher should ensure that students are staying focused on the task at hand.
5. The teacher should also meet with groups of students who are conducting their research on the same tradition, giving them time to collaborate and share what they learned with each other.

Day 4

1. Have students refer to the timeline sheet that was completed on Day 1. Ask students, “what historical event took place that ended many of Hawaii’s traditional practices?” and “when did this event occur?” (arrival of missionaries, 1819)
2. Then ask students, “what happened that helped to reinstate Hawaii’s cultural practices?” and “when did this occur?” (Hawai’i State Constitutional Convention, 1978, this period is referred to as the Hawaiian Renaissance)
3. Have students reflect and think about how long Indigenous Hawaiian’s weren’t allowed to practice their culture and traditions.
4. Introduce the vocabulary word sovereignty (Preserving Indigenous Hawaiian Culture Through Aloha Slide Deck, Slide 16).
5. The teacher should have students continue their research on the tradition that they chose on Day 3. This time students will be focusing their research on how Hawaiians have fought, and continue to fight, to keep their traditions alive. Below are some resources that students can use (Preserving Indigenous Hawaiian Culture Through Aloha Slide Deck, Slide 17):

Canoeing: The Hokulea-Polynesian Voyaging

Language: HAWAIIAN: The Endangered Language of Hawai’i

Hula: Hula: Preserving Native Hawaiian Language and Culture

Food: The Hawaiian Diet: Traditional Native Vs. “Local” Food – Delishably

Land and Agriculture: How Native Hawaiians Have Been Pushed Out of Hawai’i

Surfing: TED-Ed The Complicated History of Surfing

6. Have students focus their research on answering these questions (Preserving Indigenous Hawaiian Culture Through Aloha Slide Deck, Slide 18):

• • How was the cultural practice affected by European influence?
  • Are there any misconceptions that Europeans many have had about this tradition?
  • Are there any people in particular who fought to keep this tradition alive?
  • Are there any differences with how the tradition is practiced (past vs. present)?
  • If there are differences, are they good or bad? Why?
  • Has there been an increase in the tradition’s popularity? Is this good or bad?

7. The teacher will conduct another meeting with students who are conducting their research on the same tradition and have them share their findings.

The group that is going to have the biggest variation from past to present will be the students conducting their research on Hawaiian food. Remind students that the traditional food and ways of making it have stayed the same (i.e. poi and kalua pig) but Western influence changed their ways of eating.  Hawaiian men and women ate separately but eventually came together in what was later called a luau. Many current Hawaiian cuisines are derived from different countries, and Hawaiians have added ways to make them their own.

The group conducting their research on Hawaiian land won’t see much progress toward reinstatement, but it will become clear that Hawaii’s land is as important to the Native Hawaiian people as it was to their ancestors. The fight for sovereignty continues to be an ongoing battle between Hawai’i and the mainland.

Day 5 (30 minutes)

1. Ask students what they have learned during their research, and continue to fill in the L section of your KWL chart. It is important to also take this time to review the K and W sections as well to address any misconceptions and answer any lingering questions.
2. Exit Ticket (Preserving Indigenous Hawaiian Culture Through Aloha Slide Deck, Slide 20): Ask students to write a thoughtful response to one of the questions below (a, b, c, or d). Students should be encouraged to utilize examples from what they learned throughout this lesson to justify their response.
   1. How do traditions change?
   2. Why do traditions change?
   3. Who or what keeps traditions going?
   4. How does changing traditions affect people’s culture?

ASSESSMENTS: Teacher Observation, Student Notes, KWL Chart, Exit Ticket (available on the slide deck)

LEARNING EXTENSIONS: Have students complete a one-pager to share what they have learned about their chosen Hawaiian cultural tradition. Their one-pager will be a visual representation focusing on how the tradition was celebrated in the past, what happened to it during colonization, and what the tradition looks like today and why. The goal is to depict the strength of Hawaiian culture through the “Aloha Spirit”.

MATERIALS:

Day 1: computers, internet, smart board, chart paper, markers, writing utensils, notebook paper, Short History of Hawaii Timeline, and Preserving Indigenous Hawaiian Culture Through Aloha Slide Deck.

Day 2: computers, internet, color printer access for Gallery Walk images, sticky notes, chart paper, markers, writing utensils, and Preserving Indigenous Hawaiian Culture Through Aloha Slide Deck.

Day 3: computers, internet, Preserving Indigenous Hawaiian Culture Through Aloha Slide Deck, notebook paper, and writing utensils.

Day 4: computers, internet, Preserving Indigenous Hawaiian Culture Through Aloha Slide Deck, notebook paper, writing utensils, chart paper, and markers.

Day 5: exit ticket, notebook paper, writing utensils, computer, internet, smartboard, and Preserving Indigenous Hawaiian Culture Through Aloha Slide Deck. 

REFERENCES:

Bianca Grulau. (2023). How Native Hawaiians have been pushed out of Hawai’i. Retrieved February 24, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO83K8s8dnk

Beautiful Destinations. (2019). TRUE HAWAII by Sam Potter and Nainoa Langer. Retrieved January 4, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRaTy54hk-0

Captain Potter. (2021). Aloha Aina-Indigenous Life in Hawaii. Retrieved January 3, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ3nBI3WM8I

History on Maps. (2019). Hawaii History Timeline-Animation. Retrieved January 3, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9l7qrUYpMw

Kennedy, B. (2022, December 2). The Hawaiian Diet: Traditional native vs. “local” food – Delishably. Retrieved January 4, 2024 from https://delishably.com/world-cuisine/Hawaiian-Food-Culture-The-Evolution-and-Effects-of-Local-Food

Langfocus. (2020). HAWAIIAN: The Endangered Language of Hawai’i. Retrieved January 4, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhusTQ58bvc

Smithsonian Folklife. (2013). Hula: Preserving Native Hawaiian Language and Culture. Retrieved January 4, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upK-xODTd50

SurferToday. (2017). The Hokulea. Retrieved January 4, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvC4LKucDQw

TED-Ed. (2017). The Complicated History of Surfing. Retrieved January 4, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyn_orqdyHQ

TED-Ed. (2022). The Dark History of the Overthrow of Hawaii. Retrieved January 3, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2bjjwv4134

TEDx Talks. (2019). Aloha, It’s More Than Hello. Retrieved January 3, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyUj4gogY0o.