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Newsletter
Ke Alaula: "The Dawning"
July/August, 2007 - Vol 1, Issue 5
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| Aloha Mawae,
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Pictured above, KS Land Assets Development - Hawai'i Island Associate, Kamakani Dancil, shows the FNFP fellows a map of Kona and the assets KS controls. Atop a summit of Hualalai, the fellows survey KS lands first hand with Kama's guidance and tutorial. The treck up the summit was anything but dull and exhausting -- the fellows enjoyed travel in 4-wheel drive.
E nga mana, e nga reo, e karangatanga
maha, tena koutou tena koutou, tena koutou katoa. He mihi nunui tenei ki a tatou katoa, e nga tangata whenua, huri noa i te moana nui a Kiwa. Tena tatou katoa.
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| News |
 Pictured above is an Imu, or underground oven used in preparing food in the traditional Hawaiian way (with a few modern upgrades). Preparation of the Imu was done with the leadership of Noa Lincoln, Garden Educator at the Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden on Hawai'i Island / FNFP fellow. The Imu was done in celebration of traditions as the fellows enjoyed a day at the Amy Greenwell Garden in a sit-down/talk-story session with local school children and their families.
* The fellows presented their Hawai'i project findings to executives of the Kamehameha Schools on Friday, June 15, 2007. What was evident was that the project of "Sustainable Tourism" became one of "Sustainable Community." The former was not possible in isolation from the wider community situation.
* We congratulate all FNFP 2007 applicants in pursuing this opportunity. The final due date for '07 KS fellows is Friday, September 14, 2007. Visit the FNFP website (Quick Links in the left column) for application forms. Notification letters inviting selected applicants to participate in an interview with the selection panel will be mailed by mid-late September. Interviews will be scheduled for late September. Final notification letters inviting final selection of applicants to participte in the program will be mailed by September 30, 2007.
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Hawai'i Project: Defining New Paradigms Towards Sustainable Tourism
May 20 - June 22, 2007
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Pictured above is Dr. Peter Vitousek (FNFP Program Co-Director and Professor of Population and Resources Studies at Stanford University), Mike White (Ka'anapali Beach Hotel General Manager), and fellows looking out over some of the traditional Hawai'i dry land and agricultural systems. Leading the group, Dr. Vitousek shared his knowledge of the role arable land played in ancient Hawai'i in shaping cultivation systems and essentially expansive chiefdoms.
Setting the Scene:
The
Hawai'i project used Kamehameha Schools' and Maui Lane & Pine
assets as an applied case study site through which the fellows studied
the feasibility of defining and applying sustainable tourism
principles.
In order to get an in-depth feel for the broader
issues surrounding sustainable tourism, several sites across the
Hawaiian Islands were visited. The final report was an
accumulation of information and analysis with specific recommendations
to Kamehameha Schools.
To facilitate the research and analysis
phase of the project, a forum was convened by KS and the FNFP at
'Imiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo on Hawai'i Island. The forum
focused on Sustainable Tourism brought together a range of
stakeholders whom considered potential new paradigms for sustainable
tourism in Hawai'i.
Issues and Challenges:
Tourism
in Hawai'i presently generates $11 billion in revenue, from an
estimated 7 million visitors per annum. About one third of employment
opportunities in Hawai'i are generated via the tourism industry.
Kamehameha Schools is a significant stakeholder in the tourism industry
as a leaser, investor and custodian. Economically, Kamehameha Schools
generates several million dollars annually in revenue from hospitality and lodging, golf, and other visitor attractions such as the Royal Hawaiian Shopping
Center.
There
are mixed reviews about how environmental, educational, social and
cultural imperatives can influence, if not drive, economic initiative.
Nonetheless, it is important to note that the Hawai'i tourism industry
is making some headway with these matters. The pace of progress may
not necessarily be sufficient or timely for many interest groups, but
there can be no doubt that the industry can be expected to shift the
nature and extent of tourism in Hawai'i.
In the context of
Kamehameha Schools, this is particularly evident with the work
currently being generated around the multi-value evaluation tool and
its potential for balancing diverse expectations with clarity of
purpose and outcomes. Indeed, there is opportunity for Kamehameha
Schools to invest in tourism more actively. However, use and
development, participation, access, care, protection and enhancement of
'aina mole (legacy lands) must contend with ongoing issues and
challenges from diverse stakeholders, all of whom expect
acknowledgement and responsiveness to their purpose and intentions.
Kamehameha
Schools is largely a passive investor in tourism and tousim ventures on
'aina mole. Currently, Kamehameha Schools' impact on tourism is
particularly evident in the Land Assets Division Programs for malama
'aina (stewardship and caretaking - care for the land) and 'aina ulu
(ecotourism and education). Kamehameha Schools engage in partnerships
with community-based and local organizations, such as Waipa Foundation
and Paepae o He'eia.
Observation and feedback prior to the start
of the FNFP project seemed to indicate that tourism is currently about
generating wealth to provide educational, cultural, environmental,
commercial, and community benefits for Native Hawaiians. In this
regard, Kamehameha Schools may wish to consider how to support the
establishment of sustainable communities, whereby tourism drives local
economies, environmental sustainability, and cultural authenticity.
The FNFP project examined this proposition through the following
objectives.
Objectives:
The
fellows were put forth on the task to create a report centered around
sustainable tourism for the Kamehameha Schools. Several objectives
were set:
1. Determine Viability of Sustaining Tourism
2. Incorporate Native Hawaiian values
3. Understand natural resource management and reponsibility
4. Optimize returns for Kamehameha Schools
As
a final result, a report was compiled and presented. Findings were
discussed, some debated, but overall -- the issues were laid out on the
table. The move forward is Kamehameha Schools'.
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Hawai'i Project Completed
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Pictured above is Teri Gorman (V.P. of Communications for Maui Land & Pine Co, Inc.) and FNFP fellows. The informal meeting provided the fellows an appreciative opportunity of free/down time from the exhausting research and analyses.
After successfully presenting their findings to Maui Land &
Pineapple on June 8, 2007, the FNFP Fellows followed up by successfully
presenting their Hawai'i Project to
executives of the Kamehameha Schools for the final installment of
place-based projects on Friday, June 15, 2007. Presentations began
10:00 in the morning and lasted until past 4:30 p.m., with a lunch
break in the middle. The morning session featured the Hawai'i Project
on Sustainable Tourism and the realization that the project morphed
itself into a grander scale of: Sustainable Community. Kamehameha
Schools' Endowment Executive, Kirk Belsby, commented that the fellows
must "be willing to help the program grow," since the program is in its
infant stages. He also noted the great responsibility that Kamehameha
holds in the community, but cautioned that the public perception of KS
is to "give out fish, but instead should be - teach how to fish."
Ultimately, the major conclusion by the fellows was that KS must be a
leader in the movement for sustainability and serve as an exemplar for
others to look through the lens of culture in all aspects taken in
regard to defining a successful business. Afterall, there will be no
change unless we decide to be willing to be the first ones to change.
The
afternoon session continued with the conclusion of the Hawai'i project
and a re-presentation of the New Zealand Project: Water. A hotly
contested issue in Aotearoa is water rights. Of note, different
stakeholders make claim to the resource of water, but where are the
lines drawn? This is a heated issue that will continue to be debated
in the Aotearoa community, but the fellows were able to bring the
differing sides to the same table. Unprecedented. A grand step in the
right direction to opening up communication channels was obtained. A
video clip of a respected Maori expressed: You've got to speak up;
you're not going to be called to the table.
In a change of
emotions of stress (in presenting the project) to sadness (in realizing
a coming of the end to the project and saying goodbye), the fellows
expressed their emotions eloquently in words of appreciation towards
the program and the individuals that made it happen. Mawae Morton,
program facilitator, kept his "gushi-ness" to a minimum but made notes
of the successes achieved thus far. "Gushi-ness" broke loose when it
was Uncle Neil's, fellow program facilitator, turn to express his
ending thoughts - a couple to highlight:
1. "This isn't a relay. I'm not going to pass the baton to you when I'm done. I'm inviting you to the table now."
2. Anybody can plant. Who's going to take care of it?
3. "Now, it's about IMUA, and going forward -- take it forward."
The
fellows successfully completed the Hawai'i project, and for the
record: all received a passing score on the pass/no pass scale.
The
fellows look forward to engaging their communities with the leadership
skills they've acquired. "Gigs" are set up to spread the word of the
work done so far. There is much left to be done. The next tour of
duty for this class of fellows will be to prepare for the next FNFP
Stanford Institute, where the next FNFP class of fellows will embark on
their own projects/challenges.
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Upcoming ...
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Not much news or happenings have been going 'round FNFP during these summer months for the first year fellows (following the conclusion of the Hawai'i Project). However, much preparation has been taking place to build on year one's success. Soon, FNFP will welcome a new cohort of fellows for year two. Final acceptance notification letters will be mailed by September 30, 2007 to five individuals who exude what the program represents.
The second First Nations' Futures Institute (FNFI) will once again take place at Stanford University from October 21 to November 3, 2007. There, the incoming fellows will be prepared to take on the rigors and academic demands of the place-based projects that they'll have to look forward to. An advantage this year's class will have over last year's is they'll have the opportunity to learn from the experiences of the first year fellows (as all first year fellows will give a presentation and reflect on the past year as they fulfill their final requirement for their program).
As the title of our Newsletter: Ke Alaula -- these next coming months will represent a sunset and sunrise, dawning of a new day. We look forward to starting a new journey together again.
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Mawae Morton B.J. Awa
First Nations' Futures Program Editor
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First Nations' Futures Program | Attn. Mawae Morton | 567 S.King Street | Honolulu | HI | 96813
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