2 books found
"Education is a high priority for Native Hawaiian families today, even while many Native Hawaiian children are identified for remedial or special education. But there was a period in Hawaiian history when the literacy rates for Native Hawaiians, both children and adults, was higher than that of the United States. What happened and what can we learn from that situation in addressing the education needs of Native Hawaiians today? In A'o Malcolm Näea Chun takes the reader through the fascinating story of how Native Hawaiians learned, why learning and knowledge were prized in traditional society, and how two systems--native and foreign--combined to achieve one of the highest literacy rates in the world. A'o offers traditional and historical examples that provide insights into the practices of learning and teaching in a native society, bringing together cultural and educational perspectives to help parents, teachers, and administrators develop new ways of learning that are relevant to a culturally based native community"--Publisher's description.
Ho'omana examines what happened to Native Hawaiian beliefs from the time the priests ended traditional temple worship in 1819 to the present day controversies over sacred sites and objects. As a former Cultural Affairs Officer for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Malcolm Naea Chun was actively involved in the early initiatives of cultural and historic preservation and knows well of the conflicts and struggles that involve and invoke Hawaiian beliefs. He has written and published several articles on the historical dialogue between traditional religion and Christianity. In Ho'omana, Chun uses primary Native Hawaiian sources to compare pre-contact practices with contemporary beliefs and practices, looking for what has been retained, what has changed, and which current practices should be considered questionable as Native Hawaiian. This book is one of eleven short volumes of the Ka Wana series, which is part of the Pihana Na Mamo Native Hawaiian Education Program.