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About This Initiative
Injustice affects all of us. It permeates all aspects of our lives. In this time, when the hatred and ignorance of the past appears intent on re-emerging and reestablishing a foothold in modern society, it is imperative that we stop and demand a close examination of how injustice has historically harmed us and the real threat it poses to our collective future.
The Kaulike Initiative will survey and document the multitude of ways in which injustice has permeated a wide range of sections in the lives of Native Hawaiians. The co-principal investigators for this project are Dr. Kalei Kanuha (University of Washington) and Dr. Trisha Kehaulani Watson (‘Āina Momona).
This work will include the following elements:
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A survey of Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians in Hawaiʻi and on the continent to assess perceptions of justice and Native Hawaiians to be led by Ward Research.
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A series of focus groups with Hawaiians in Hawaiʻi and on the continent to gather feedback from Hawaiians about the ways in which injustice has affected their lives and to gather input on paths towards justice.
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Papers from Hawaiian experts and leaders in various fields on the history of injustice in specific sectors, how injustice continues today, and recommendations for ways forward that lead to the transformational, systemic change we need.
Project Team
Kalei Kanuha, Ph.D.
Dr. Kanuha is the project co-Principal Investigator. She was born and raised in a rural town in Hawaiʻi in the 1950s. She is the daughter of a Native Hawaiian father and Nisei mother. Dr. Kanuha considers herself a critical, indigenous, feminist, activist-practitioner scholar with a focus on gender violence against women and children, and the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender and sexual identity. For the past 45 years, she has worked as a community-based researcher and consultant with organizations in Hawaiʻi and the continental U.S., and lectures widely on violence against women and social justice issues.
Julie Au, M.A.
ʻO wai lā o ʻoukou i ʻike ʻole iaʻu ka mea nona ka inoa ma luna? A ʻo wai lā hoʻi o ʻoukou i ʻike ʻole i kaʻu mau hana i waena o ʻoukou? A ʻo wai lā hoʻi o ʻoukou e haʻohaʻo ana i ka mea nona ka inoa ma luna a nona nō hoʻi ka hana noiʻi e hoʻopuka ʻia ana? ʻO wai lā hoʻi kēia wahine uʻi launa lua, kēia wahine keu a ke akamai, kēia wahine ʻōlelo kaena i waena o ʻoukou i kōkua ikaika i ka lāhui Hawaiʻi inā ʻaʻole ʻo au, ʻo ka mea nona ka inoa ma luna? Ke pane pololei aku nei au: ʻo au ia, ʻo au ma ʻō, a ʻo au ma kēlā wahi kēia wahi o kēia mau Mokupuni.
Trisha Kehaulani Watson, J.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Watson is a co-Principal Investigator on the project. She was born and raised on the island of O‘ahu to which she has long ancestral ties. She obtained her degrees from Washington State University and the University of Hawai‘i, Mānoa. Her legal background is in environmental law. Her PhD studies focused on indigenous epistemologies and traditional natural resource management. She previously worked in administration at the University of Hawai‘i on special projects related to culture and research issues. She currently runs her own consulting company, Honua Consulting that focuses on biocultural resource planning and management in Hawai‘i.
Kaʻili Sproat, B.S.
Kaʻili Sproat serves as an intern on the project. Raised on the island of Oʻahu, Ka‘ili completed her B.S. in Biology at Chaminade University of Honolulu with a concentration in integrative and organismal biology. Having long had an interest in serving her community, she plans to continue her education in health care and work as a health practitioner in Hawai'i.
Jane Au, M.A.
Jane Lokomaikaʻikeakua Au serves as one of the project's directors. She was raised on the shores of Māeaea, on the island of Oʻahu. She is a daughter, sister, moʻopuna, artist, and enthusiast of nature. She obtained her BA and MA in Religion at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where she focused on Hawaiian Religious beliefs and practices. She has spent several years studying religious theory, focusing in particular on indigenous belief systems and their inherent messages of sustainability. She strives to incorporate traditional Hawaiian aesthetics, genres, and epistemologies in her work.
Kawika Perreira, B.S. Candidate
Kawika Perreira works as an intern on the project He was born and raised on the island of O‘ahu. He currently attends the University of Oregon in Eugene and is working towards bachelors of science degrees in Psychology and Anthropology. He enjoys working with indigenous communities and plans to continue that work after graduation.