Hulikua: Aloha ʻāina theory, ʻōiwi guerrilla praxis, and a pedagogy of refusal

Abstract

ABSTRACT In 2002, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (the University) began a process of Indigenization. By 2011, it branded itself as a “Hawaiian Place of Learning” (University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Achieving Our Destiny, 2011, p. 11) to distinguish itself among Research-1 institutions for marketing and accreditation purposes. In line with a trend seen in many Western higher education institutions, the University continues to implement what could be termed “settler-occupier” policies under the pretext of “Indigenizing” itself, all the while appropriating Kanaka ʻŌiwi land, resources, cultural practices, and knowledge. The University promises recognition and inclusion, but this often leads to the continuation of negative stereotypes about Indigenous peoples. By encouraging the involvement of selective Indigenous communities, the University obscures the reality of the ongoing appropriation of Indigenous knowledge and resources, presenting it as support or collaboration rather than the extraction that it truly is.To confront these policies, this dissertation presents a Hulikua Pedagogy of Indigenous refusal. This framework draws on Kanaka ʻŌiwi’s traditional and customary practices of refusato expose the University’s harmful reinterpretation and erasure of Kanaka ʻŌiwi knowledge and sovereignty. Grounded in Aloha ʻĀina Theory and ʻŌiwi Guerrilla Praxis, Hulikua Pedagogy seeks to foster genuine community engagement and educational transformation by challenging the University’s façade of diversity and its settler-occupier policies. Hulikua Pedagogy rejects the institutional status quo by re-centering Kanaka ʻŌiwi, Indigenous, and marginalized academics within their communities and promoting a vision of hope and possibility over mere window dressing. This pedagogical approach is examined through traditional stories, practices, and the history of the Hawaiian Student Liberation Union, Makeʻe Pono Lāhui Hawaiʻi (Makeʻe Pono). This research analyzes how Makeʻe Pono influenced the development and implementation of Hulikua Pedagogy and its core components, Aloha ʻĀina Theory and ʻŌiwi Guerrilla Praxis. Hulikua Pedagogy aligns with emancipatory pedagogies by challenging current Indigenization efforts that mask the University’s settler-occupier policies while contributing to the broader field of Indigenous refusaresearch that confronts the status quo. This approach prioritizes Kanaka ʻŌiwi empowerment and sovereignty, offering a clearer path to genuine transformative education.