• 2021-22, NO KU'U HAWAI'I: FOR MY HAWAI'I 21-22

No Kuʻu Hawaiʻi – For My Hawaiʻi

  • Hawaiian Culture

Kailena Akau

O wai la ʻoe? Who you? Aloha, my name is Kailena Shea Akau. I was born in Waimea and I live in a beautiful home in Kawaihae with my family. My Akau side of the family has lived in Kawaihae for many generations and a lot of my family also live in Waimea. My family is my everything, they are my foundation and they have helped to shape me into the person I am today. I come from a family who shares a deep love and connection to the ʻāina. The places I feel most connected to is Kawaihae and Waimea, and our Akau ʻOhana Ranch. My family loves to hunt, fish, dive, ranch, gather, etc. and these are the practices that I want to help carry on to our future generations. I want to live more sustainably and practicing the traditions of my kūpuna will help me do so. I am so grateful to live in such a beautiful place with many resources and I want to make sure that this land continues to flourish. I am also very connected to the practices and culture of Hawaiʻi. I have a passion for hula, Hawaiian language, and Hawaiian Studies. I’ve been dancing hula since I was three years old and I have gained many opportunities from it. I have competed in many competitions, such as the Merrie Monarch Festival in 2019, including other festivals, and shows on Hawaiʻi Island, Kauaʻi, and Aotearoa. My dream is to one day be Miss Aloha Hula. Hula has kept me connected to my culture, my ancestors, and who I come from. It has kept me rooted to Hawaiʻi and it is one of the cultural practices that I want to pass down to my children. I have always been fascinated with ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and Hawaiian Studies. Learning more about Hawaiʻi and perpetuating my culture will allow me to carry on the legacy that my Papa Akau left for me and my family.

Abstract

Why did I choose No Kuʻu Hawaiʻi?

I chose to be in the capstone No Kuʻu Hawaiʻi – For My Hawaiʻi because I feel that it best fits what I want to achieve. I believe that my capstone project should be something that I accomplish not just for myself but for my Hawaiʻi, for my community, and for my people. I have a kuleana to give back to Waimea and Kawaihae because these places have provided so much for me and my family. I will be studying and reasearching the Hawaiian language that was spoken on this island years ago before it was standardized. Prior to the 1980’s, ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi differentiated from island to island and community to community. Native speakers’ language demonstrated their intimate relationship with the land. Now that the language is standardized we have lost some of the connections that our ancestors had to the land and places that they inhabited. Niʻihau has a unique dialect of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi that is very specific to their island, familial practices, and history. I would like to revive those oral traditions for the language that is spoken here on Hawaiʻi. I will investigate the origins of my family, Waimea and Kawaihae, and conduct research on how the native language of these places was perpetuated generations ago. I would like my capstone project to preserve the language that was significant to this island so that it is never forgotten.

Milestones

Kuleana Statement

ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi: An Intimate Relationship with Place

Pitch

ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi: An Intimate Relationship With Place – Pitch Presentation

ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi: An Intimate Relationship With Place – Pitch #1

https://www.gstatic.com/atari/embeds/7925c5f8e01bacb9b4b0a3783ae0b867/intermediate-frame-minified.html?jsh=m%3B%2F_%2Fscs%2Fabc-static%2F_%2Fjs%2Fk%3Dgapi.lb.en.iTmf4rxOyWc.O%2Fd%3D1%2Frs%3DAHpOoo-LTnDn-AS2QlMWYZdnaV1OuFR7Iw%2Fm%3D__features__&r=573251764

Formal Proposal

Capstone Proposal – Akau

Trello – Akau

Demo/Prototype (NOV 23)

Prototype development – Akau

Semester 1 Presentation

Semester 1 Presentation – Akau

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Rlz5lSvhGun120-BP9I4uLnBHMfaHP7N3s997RjwfD4/embed?authuser=0

Product Creation (MAR 9)

Link your product documentation and progress here

Showcase (APR 25-29)

Link your slide deck here

Upload the video of your final presentation

Legacy (APR 29)

Link your white paper or SOP here