The popular ‘Onipa‘a speaker series returns with ‘Onipa‘a: Ho‘ōla Lāhui, featuring a presentation by three University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu faculty who will share their first-hand experiences and knowledge with community-based healing in Lāhainā and the importance of building pilina in grassroots trauma responses.
‘Onipa‘a: Ho‘ōla Lāhui — from 12:30 to 1:50 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5, in UH West O‘ahu’s James & Abigail Campbell Library, second-floor event space — features speakers Ka‘iulani Akamine, Dr. Masahide Kato, and Dr. Kau‘i Merritt.
More about the speakers:
Kumu Ka‘iulani Akamine is a cultural practitioner in lomilomi. She has served as UH faculty since 2006. She is currently an Assistant Faculty Specialist at UH West O‘ahu working with adults returning to education and is kāko‘o to the Hawaiian Indigenous Health and Healing Program. Creating educational opportunities is her passion and she continues to weave together Hawaiian and Western practices to help foster foundations of student success.
Dr. Masahide Kato, Associate Professor in Social Sciences Capstone Information (SSCI), spent his sabbatical semester (Fall 2023) in Honokōwai, Lāhainā, volunteering for Maui Medic-Healers’ Hui. He continues to be part of the community-wide holistic healing through Wisdom Circle Oceania, providing sound healing to the keiki survivors in West Maui.
Dr. Kau‘i Merritt lives in her family home built by her father and uncles in ‘Aiea with her husband, their three children, kitty, and Ocean the Fish. She follows her mo‘okū‘auhau to the Waiolama family of Waihe‘e, Maui. At UH West O‘ahu, she is an Associate Professor of Indigenous Health Sciences and Principal Investigator of the Māpuna Lab. As a social epidemiologist, she strives to help students connect their social, cultural, and historical contexts to contemporary living conditions, health behaviors, and health disparities.
About the series:
The ‘Onipa‘a speaker series, which started in 2016, features Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners, scholars, researchers, and community members. It is inspired by the idea of ‘onipa‘a, its meaning, and its history within various political contexts. ‘Onipa‘a was the motto of Kamehameha V who reigned from 1863-1872. During her reign, Queen Lili‘uokalani expanded her motto to “‘Onipa‘a i ka ‘imi na‘auao” or to “Stand fast in your seeking of wisdom and knowledge.” Following the Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, “‘Onipa‘a” became a rallying cry for Kānaka Maoli national pride and resistance to American colonialism. In the modern era, ‘Onipa‘a was the name given to the 100-year commemoration of the Overthrow and mass march held in 1993.
The word, ‘Onipa‘a, combines two seemingly contradictory concepts — ‘oni, “to move, stir, shift, movement, motion” and pa‘a, “firm, solid, fixed, stuck, secure.” When combined, they are difficult to translate in English and can only be closely approximated as “fixed movement.” In Hawaiian, however, ‘Onipa‘a conveys a sense of resolution, determination, and steadfastness that is grounded in action, motion, and passion, and also carries a historical and political genealogy that is closely tied to Hawaiian sovereignty and independence.
The ‘Onipa‘a speaker series is sponsored by Nālimakui Native Hawaiian Council, UH West O‘ahu Political Science, UH West O‘ahu Hawaiian and Indigenous Health and Healing, and UH West O‘ahu’s James & Abigail Campbell Library
‘Onipa‘a: Ho‘ōla Lāhui is free and open to all UH West O‘ahu students, faculty, and staff, and the general public. For questions about the event, email kawenask@hawaii.edu or uhwolib@hawaii.edu.