Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Hawaiian Studies Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

127 Full-Text Articles 112 Authors 54,328 Downloads 32 Institutions

All Articles in Hawaiian Studies

Faceted Search

127 full-text articles. Page 1 of 2.

Chinese Communist Party Infiltration Of U.S. Pacific Islands: Protecting American National Security Through Defending Strategic Pacific Assets, Contessa Amedore 2025 Liberty University

Chinese Communist Party Infiltration Of U.S. Pacific Islands: Protecting American National Security Through Defending Strategic Pacific Assets, Contessa Amedore

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

Many Americans picture the U.S.’s Western most border to be the coast of California. However, when threats have historically formed in the Pacific, U.S. Pacific Island territories have served as the nation’s first line of defense. Today, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have slowly but ambitiously deployed new age or ‘unrestricted’ warfare tactics against the United States and allies in their long awaited plan to assume global hegemony. Their illegal infiltration and psychological operations have gone past Taipei and reached American soil in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. This paper examines how the (CCP) uses unrestricted warfare …


Re-Imagine Paradise: The Impacts Of The Illegal Annexation Of Hawai'i & Tourism On Native Hawaiians, Paige Edwards 2025 Southern Methodist University

Re-Imagine Paradise: The Impacts Of The Illegal Annexation Of Hawai'i & Tourism On Native Hawaiians, Paige Edwards

SMU Journal of Undergraduate Research

This literature review presents a vital exploration of colonialism, the illegal annexation of Hawai’i, and the subsequent emergence of the tourism industry as a neocolonial enterprise. Neocolonialism is the process of colonial dominance through modern exploitation, which is masked through economic opportunities and has left territories and their native people dependent on it. By tracing the major historical events in Hawai’i highlights how education was a vital aspect of Native Hawaiian culture, empowering its people - a stark contrast to the current education system where the education system perpetuates the commodification of Native Hawaiian culture. Education has played a pivotal …


E Ho’Omau Mākau, We Will Continue: The Living Sovereign Entities Of Contemporary Hawaiian Songs, Kēhaulani Lagunero 2025 University of Denver

E Ho’Omau Mākau, We Will Continue: The Living Sovereign Entities Of Contemporary Hawaiian Songs, Kēhaulani Lagunero

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the relationship between contemporary Hawaiian mele (songs) and Hawaiian ea (sovereignty), focusing on how mele acts as sovereign living entities representing cultural resilience, identity, and resistance to settler-colonial influences. Through semi-structured interviews with Kānaka Maoli, participant observation at cultural events, and close analysis of mele, I identify that these songs are not only expressions of cultural memory, but also living embodiments of ea—sovereignty because they are alive, and they are alive because they are ea. Drawing from the frameworks of cultural survival, survivance, symbolic power, and defiant indigeneity, I explore how mele actively engage …


The Curse Of El Dorado: How The Californnia Gold Rush Shaped The History Of Hawai'i, Ernesto Coronado 2025 Texas A&M International University

The Curse Of El Dorado: How The Californnia Gold Rush Shaped The History Of Hawai'i, Ernesto Coronado

Theses and Dissertations

In the discourse of Western historiography, we fail to account for the importance of the Hawai’ian Islands. American imperialism did not stop with the occupation of the Pacific Coast but continued into the Pacific. In the mid-nineteenth century, Hawai’i and its monarch, King Kamehameha III, stood at the center of a dispute between Britain, France, and the United States. King Kamehameha III used the California Gold Rush and Hawai’i’s location to his advantage to garner capital and prevent the imperial powers from annexing his kingdom. However, even he knew he could not stop the mass wave of Hawai’ians leaving the …


Dividing Paradise: A History Of Land In Hawai'i, Lacy Nicholas 2025 The University of Akron

Dividing Paradise: A History Of Land In Hawai'i, Lacy Nicholas

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This paper acts as a biography of Hawaiian land, using multidisciplinary sources to construct a timeline of how land has been conceptualized and used by the people who live there. It analyzes Hawai'i as a settler colony. I begin with the first Polynesian settlers in Hawai'i, focusing on the feudal-like division and redistribution of land by the king in the pre-colonial era. Then, I discuss the attitude of the American settlers in Hawai'i and how those ideas were manifested in the privatization of land and the age of sugarcane plantations. Next, I focus on how the United States military has …


The Heart Of The University: Student Clubs And The American Colonization Of The Pacific, Eli Arnold 2025 University of Montana

The Heart Of The University: Student Clubs And The American Colonization Of The Pacific, Eli Arnold

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Students have travelled across the Pacific Ocean to study at the University of Montana for over a century, and the contributions of these students deserve to be studied. This thesis explores the educational and community building roles that the historic International Club and Filipino Club, as well as the contemporary Pacific Islanders Club fulfilled. Students from the Philippines and Hawaiʻi provide clear examples of the potential for college campuses to be gathering places for broader community. This thesis is also a study of the global phenomenon of colonialism as seen from Filipino and Native Hawaiian students who travelled to Missoula …


The Conservation Treatment And Technical Study Of Two Marisol Sculptures, Ruthie Rolfsmeyer 2024 Buffalo State College

The Conservation Treatment And Technical Study Of Two Marisol Sculptures, Ruthie Rolfsmeyer

Art Conservation Master's Projects

ABCDEFG & Hi (1961-62) and Father Damien (1966-67) are both painted wooden sculptures created by Marisol during the height of her fame. Although Marisol is a well-known artist, whose fame has been rekindling since her death in 2016, there have been few technical studies of her works. Multimodal imaging and scientific analysis of these two sculptures provide insight into their structure and materials. Techniques include x-ray radiography, reflectance transformation imaging, x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Key findings include the identification of toolmarks, nitrocellulose, alkyd, and acrylic paints, and a genuine diamond and pearl in …


The Intersection Of Law And Culture: Native Hawaiian Rights And The Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, Kiana Cablayan-Kennedy, Leia Hernandez 2024 Chapman University

The Intersection Of Law And Culture: Native Hawaiian Rights And The Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, Kiana Cablayan-Kennedy, Leia Hernandez

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The Hawaiian Homes Commission Act (HHCA) of 1920 is a crucial legislation for Native Hawaiian rights. The HHCA addresses the socio-economic disparities that Native Hawaiians face, especially after the overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy by the United States in 1893. The HHCA entails over 200,000 acres of land for homesteading to Native Hawaiians to preserve Native Hawaiian culture and self-sufficiency. Despite the purpose of the HHCA, multiple challenges have accumulated over the years - precisely the landmark case of Kalima v. State of Hawaii. Kalima v. State of Hawaii brought forth issues from 1959 through 1988 but became a civil …


Traumatic Consequences In Native Hawaiians After Colonization, Andrea Morland-Tellez, Elizabeth Drummond 2023 Loyal Marymount University

Traumatic Consequences In Native Hawaiians After Colonization, Andrea Morland-Tellez, Elizabeth Drummond

Honors Thesis

The Native Hawaiian population is a marginalized group that has endured cultural trauma due, in part, to their history of colonization by Europe in 1778. This colonization has contributed to the Native Hawaiian’s loss of cultural identity, land, native language, and their way of life. As a result, many Native Hawaiians are left questioning their cultural identity. This project sought to better understand the impact of colonization on the Native Hawaiian people, specifically on their experience of homelessness, substance use, and overall disempowerment over time. A systematic review of multiple literary and anecdotal sources was conducted including peer- reviewed articles …


Aloha Japan: Staging Hawaiian Culture, A. Anuheaokalani Noriko Breeden 2023 Connecticut College

Aloha Japan: Staging Hawaiian Culture, A. Anuheaokalani Noriko Breeden

East Asian Languages and Cultures Department Honors Papers

No abstract provided.


Kailua Canoe Club: A Values-Based Holistic Approach To Leadership, Peggy Peattie, Cristina Padilla, Maile Villablanca 2022 University of San Diego

Kailua Canoe Club: A Values-Based Holistic Approach To Leadership, Peggy Peattie, Cristina Padilla, Maile Villablanca

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

This qualitative case study of Kailua Canoe Club (KCC) on the island of O’ahu investigated the nature of leadership in a Hawaiian outrigger paddling community. Conversations with paddlers, coaches, and board members revealed a values-based holistic approach to leadership (Best, 2011). Those values were scribed into the club’s mission statement 50 years ago with the intention of establishing KCC as a space to connect with kupuna (respected elder) wisdom, develop paddling skills, and to honor the canoe, the ocean, and each other. A component of leadership kuleana (responsibility) is constant reflection on those values, and the mentoring of the younger …


A Theoretical And Performer’S Analysis Of Todd Goodman’S Tuba Concerto And Extended Program Notes Of Recital Pieces, Johnathan De Soto Jr. 2022 Pittsburg State University

A Theoretical And Performer’S Analysis Of Todd Goodman’S Tuba Concerto And Extended Program Notes Of Recital Pieces, Johnathan De Soto Jr.

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

This document analyzes American composer Todd Goodman's 2012 work for solo tuba titled Tuba Concerto. It contains 10 chapters, including one for each of the three movements of the work: an introduction providing biographical information on the composer and context for the work within the late twentieth century and early twenty-first century; a performer’s analysis on the solo tuba part; and the biographical and performance information of composers also performed on the accompanying recital. Each of the four chapters includes theoretical analyses regarding each of Goodman's movements and practical considerations for performers of the work to observe. The thesis also …


The Role Of Native Hawaiian Spiritual Practices In Social Systems And Environmental Stewardship, Christina A. Hornbaker 2022 California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

The Role Of Native Hawaiian Spiritual Practices In Social Systems And Environmental Stewardship, Christina A. Hornbaker

Social Sciences

The purpose of this paper is to examine how Native Hawaiian spiritual practices played a role in social systems and stewardship practices. Lightfoot and colleagues (2013) suggest that more archaeological research is needed on traditional resources and environmental management practices. The authors point out that “landscape management practices… are subtle and not prone to leaving smoking guns in the archaeological record” (Lightfoot et al. 2013), which makes such sites difficult to document without ethnographic accounts. Due to this subtlety, I will mainly be pulling information from interviews or oral histories from Hawaiian descendants, early explorers and missionary accounts, ethnographers, and …


Property Laws, White Settler Power And The Kingdom Of Hawai’I, Martin Rakowszczyk 2022 Swarthmore College

Property Laws, White Settler Power And The Kingdom Of Hawai’I, Martin Rakowszczyk

Swarthmore Undergraduate History Journal

Hawai’ian property laws in the 19th century, while intended to provide for the transition of the islands to a European mode of commerce and allow for greater prosperity, weakened the power of Native Hawai`ian subjects and ultimately contributed to European planter power and the eventual annexation of the islands. Prior to European contact, land in the Kingdom of Hawai`i was communally owned and not treated as a tradable commodity. However, forced to settle foreign debts, the Hawai’ian government instituted land reform intended to raise money and maintain Hawai’ian sovereignty. Given the constant threat of annexation by Western powers and …


Representing The Ali'i And Monarchy: Dress, Diplomacy, And Featherwork In Hawai'i, Tess Anderson 2022 Claremont Colleges

Representing The Ali'i And Monarchy: Dress, Diplomacy, And Featherwork In Hawai'i, Tess Anderson

Scripps Senior Theses

When Native Hawaiians and haole (foreigners) first met, both participants belonged to fashion systems unknown to the other, composed of different materials, styles, tastes, standards, and construction techniques. As the outside world was introduced to the cultural heritage of Hawaiian hulu manu (featherwork), kūkaulani (chiefly fashion), and European skewed conceptions of Hawaiian indigeneity; the ali‘i (chiefs) and kama‘āina (commoners) received and adapted to incoming materials, technologies, and information. When these encounters transitioned into “prolonged contact” and settlement, dress and adornment proliferated in new ways. Analyzing the case studies of historic pā‘ū, holokū, ‘ahu'ula, and military uniforms shows the significance of …


The Economic Sustainability Of Culture In Hawai’I: Tourists’ Willingness To Pay For Hawaiian Cultural Experiences, Gabriella Andrade, Holly Itoga, Catherine Linnes, Jerome Agrusa, Joseph Lema 2021 University of Hawaii at Manoa

The Economic Sustainability Of Culture In Hawai’I: Tourists’ Willingness To Pay For Hawaiian Cultural Experiences, Gabriella Andrade, Holly Itoga, Catherine Linnes, Jerome Agrusa, Joseph Lema

Hospitality Faculty Research

Given the current travel restrictions with the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an unprecedented opportunity for Hawai’i to reexamine its current tourism offerings and establish a new approach to support a more authentic, cultural, and sustainable tourism for the U.S. domestic tourist market. As tourists from the continental U.S. are the largest source market for visitors to Hawai’i, the purpose of this study is to examine the trend towards an “authentic cultural” tourism experience and evaluate whether U.S. visitors will be willing to pay for a deeper integration and representation of Hawaiian culture in tourism offerings. The contingent valuation method (CVM) …


Puhi In The Tree And Other Stories: Unlocking The Metaphor In Native And Indigenous Hawaiian Storytelling, Renuka M. de Silva, Joshua E. Hunter 2021 University of North Dakota

Puhi In The Tree And Other Stories: Unlocking The Metaphor In Native And Indigenous Hawaiian Storytelling, Renuka M. De Silva, Joshua E. Hunter

The Qualitative Report

Human beings live and tell stories for many reasons, and it is a way to not only understand one another but to give a time and place to events and experiences. Therefore, a narrational approach within the context of this research offers a frame of reference and a way to reflect during the entire process of gathering data and writing. This study examines the importance of storytelling among Native (Kānaka ‘Ōiwi) and Indigenous (Kānaka Maoli) women of Hawai ̒ i and their interconnectedness to land and spirituality through accessing [k]new knowledge. The main focus of this article is to illustrate …


Sovereignty, Statehood, And Subjugation: Native Hawaiian And Japanese American Discourse Over Hawaiian Statehood, Nicole Saito 2021 Chapman University

Sovereignty, Statehood, And Subjugation: Native Hawaiian And Japanese American Discourse Over Hawaiian Statehood, Nicole Saito

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Although discourse over Hawaiian statehood has increasingly been described by scholars as a racial conflict between Japanese Americans and Native Hawaiians, there existed a broad spectrum of interactions between the two groups. Both communities were forced to confront the prejudices they had against each other while recognizing their shared experiences with discrimination, creating a paradoxical political culture of competition and solidarity up until the conclusion of World War Two. From 1946 to 1950, however, the country’s collective understanding of Japanese American citizenship began to shift with recognition of the community’s military service record and an increased proportion of veterans elected …


Mauna Kea: Where The Cosmos Meet Settler Colonialism, Maria Encinosa 2021 University of North Florida

Mauna Kea: Where The Cosmos Meet Settler Colonialism, Maria Encinosa

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

International Research Symposium Exhibitor and Honorable Mention Abstract:

The proposed construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on Mauna Kea has sparked protests given the sacredness of the mountain to the Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians). The narratives that have arisen reignite familiar tropes, framing the conflict as one between indigenous religion and scientific progress. I deconstruct these narratives through an analysis of TMT International Observatory (TIO) affiliated websites paired with insights from secondary sources. Ultimately, I argue the TIO’s response and presentation of Ho’Omana Hawai’i religious views and ‘modern’ astronomy as antagonists extend settler-colonialist interests.


3rd Place Contest Entry: Sovereignty, Statehood, And Subjugation: Native Hawaiian And Japanese American Discourse Over Hawaiian Statehood, Nicole Saito 2021 Chapman University

3rd Place Contest Entry: Sovereignty, Statehood, And Subjugation: Native Hawaiian And Japanese American Discourse Over Hawaiian Statehood, Nicole Saito

Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize

This is Nicole Saito's submission for the 2021 Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize, which won first place. It contains her essay on using library resources, a three-page sample of her research project on the consequences that Japanese American advocacy for Hawaiian statehood had on Native Hawaiians, and her works cited list.

Nicole is a junior at Chapman University, majoring in Political Science, History, and Economics. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Robert Slayton.


Digital Commons powered by bepress