MHC: Connecting Educators through Native Hawaiian Resources

Mānoa Heritage Center (MHC) was honored to be one of 29 grant recipients nationwide awarded funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Creating Humanities Communities grant program. The $90,000 NEH challenge award made it possible for MHC to connect educators with Native Hawaiian cultural resources – creating a strong link between leading organizations and institutions dedicated to enhancing how Hawaiian history and culture are taught in Hawaiʻi’s public schools.

“Supporting the Mānoa Heritage Center’s efforts to promote the understanding of Hawaii’s natural and cultural heritage, this grant will allow for the development of community partnerships to help connect our educators, researchers, and students to Hawaiian history and previously unavailable language resources,” said Senator Mazie Hirono.

“Language is fundamental to the identity of Native Hawaiians,” said Senator Brian Schatz. “This new funding will support the Manoa Heritage Center’s mission of preserving the Hawaiian language and all aspects of Native Hawaiian culture.”

The three-year project is making previously unavailable source materials accessible to teachers. Under the leadership of Dr. Puakea Nogelmeier, Awaiaulu (www.awaiaulu.org) researchers will examine Hawaiian language newspapers published between 1834-1948 and archives seeking information about Kūkaʻōʻō Heiau, the ancient agricultural temple located on MHCʻs campus, Mānoa Valley history and moʻolelo (legends), and the role plants played in ancient Hawaiʻi.