A powerful campus tour at the University of Hawai?i at 惭ā苍辞补 is encouraging students, faculty and visitors to look at the beneath them with fresh eyes?and deeper understanding.
The tour, , is more than just a walk through campus—it’s an immersive experience that brings to light the layered, often overlooked, stories of the ?ili ?ā颈苍补, or traditional land divisions, that make up the valley of 惭ā苍辞补. Participants explore not only Hawaiian geography and ?ōlelo Hawai?i (Hawaiian language), but also untold histories of displacement, resilience and renewal.
“The hope is to recognize the uniqueness of our location, and to feel welcome to learn more about that together,” said Christina Higgins, professor of Second Language Studies (SLS) and one of the tour’s co-creators. “It’s really an invitation to lean into the unique history and opportunities to learn in Hawai?i 迟辞驳别迟丑别谤.”
The project is sponsored by the and the .
?Ike Hawai?i center, Lunalilo lands
The tour begins in the ?ili ?ā颈苍补 of Kānewai at the —one of the few buildings on campus named in honor of a kanaka ?ōiwi (Native Hawaiian). The center stands as a tribute to the legacy of Native Hawaiian educator Gladys Kamakakūokalani ?Ainoa Brandt, and the decades-long effort to elevate Hawaiian ?ike (knowledge) and language within higher education.
From there, the huaka?i continues through Pa?akea, the land division where Legacy Path and Andrews Amphitheatre now sit. This section of ?ā颈苍补 was once owned by King William Lunalilo. The land was known for its fresh water springs and kalo patches. Later, Chinese and Japanese families cultivated rice and raised ducks and chickens here. Participants also venture to the area fronting Bachman Hall where ahu stand. Among them is a stone altar built in 2006 to remind 东精影业 leadership of their responsibility to .
Founder’s gate, Saunders Hall
The next stop is at Founder’s Gate, at the intersection of University Avenue and Dole Street. On the concrete bench is the University motto, and is one of the few places on campus where ?ōlelo Hawai?i can be found. It reads, “Maluna a?e o nā lāhui a pau ke ola ke kanaka” (Above all nations is humanity). Rather than expressing a Hawaiian perspective, these words were simply translated from the motto of Cornell University, a land-grant university that served as a blueprint for 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补. Participants are invited to reflect on where the Hawaiian language is seen and heard on campus, and to imagine spaces where it could be more prominent.
In the Pilipili land division, Saunders Hall is another stop with a painful past. Once named after psychologist Stanley Porteus, who promoted eugenics, the building was renamed in 1998 after students and faculty pushed back. It now honors Allan Saunders, a champion of civil rights and political science education.
Remembering Hawai?i leaders
Stories of strength also emerge. Fronting Bachman Hall, John Henry Wise lawn honors the former Native Hawaiian senator and language advocate who helped pass the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act in 1921.
Campus eatery hotspot, Paradise Palms is located within the ?ili ?ā颈苍补 of Wailele where participants learn about Chief Boki and the legacy of the Beckley family—including Frederick William Kahapula Beckley Jr., the university’s first ?ōlelo Hawai?i instructor, and his mother, Emma Metcalf Beckley Nakuina, a judge, water rights expert, and author of Hawaiian history.
“This tour is so great because it invites folx to get curious about their spaces and thus to get curious about themselves: what is the story of this place? This tree? This rain? What are their names? What are the stories that I bring? That my peers bring?” said Punihei Lipe, director of Ka Papa O Ke Ao Native Hawaiian Learning Advancement Office. “This is the work of exploring and getting to know the many genealogies that shape our campus and to do so is very reflective of Hawai?i.”
From left: Chief Boki (Credit: John Hayter – National Library of New Zealand), Emma Metcalf Beckley Nakuina (Credit: Hawai?i State Archives)
Decolonizing through dialogue
The campus huaka?i (journey) inspired former 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 doctoral student Ha Nguyen to write her dissertation on how students responded to the tour. Nguyen earned a PhD in SLS and graduated in fall 2024. Her research, co-authored with Higgins and Lipe, which was recently published in the , found that participants began reflecting deeply on colonization and developing a deeper interest in the histories of Hawai?i, their homelands and other ?ā颈苍补.
Guided by ?ā颈苍补
To build on this momentum, Higgins and her team proposed multilingual wayfinding signs and a campus timeline in 2018 to highlight the multicultural and Indigenous history of 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补. At present, two signs have been added to campus that feature the ?ili ?ā颈苍补 names of Pilipili (Bilger) and Kauwala?a (Life Sciences). Recognizing these ?ili ?ā颈苍补 creates an opportunity to learn about the Hawaiian principle of through reflecting on the interdependence of land, water, nature and people in 惭ā苍辞补.
The signs await further details that could allow passersby to learn about the meanings and the land that is now 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补. These efforts aim to map kuleana, connect campus areas to their traditional ?ili ?ā颈苍补, and support 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 as it strives to become a Hawaiian place of learning.
In 2022, 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 received a full 10-year reaffirmation of accreditation from the Senior College & University Commission of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges or WASC. The commission praised the university’s continued efforts to develop wayfinding signage that honors its identity as a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning, recognizing the project as a meaningful step in grounding the campus in place, language and culture.
“My hope is that we’ll have more opportunities to design signage that celebrates ?ike Hawai?i and helps all who step on campus understand the stories of this place and connect people more deeply to the ?ā颈苍补 and its history,” said Higgins.
The campus huaka?i tour is conducted by faculty and students and is offered by request.
For more information go to the website.