Presentation

Namelehuapono:
A Native Hawaiian
Cultural Intervention
Val Kalei Kanuha, Ph.D., MSW
Kata Issari, MSW
Opening Chant
E Hō Mai
by Edith Kanaka῾ole
E hō mai ka ‘ike mai luna mai e
‘O nā mea huna no‘eau o nā mele e
E hō mai, e hō mai, e hō mai e…
Grant us the knowledge from above
The knowledge hidden in the chants
Grant us these things
῾A῾ohe pau ka ῾ike i ka
hālau ho῾okāhi.
All knowledge is not taught
in the same school.
One can learn from
many sources.
Pukui, ῾Ōlelo No῾eau, #203
All wood block images from
Dietrich Varez, Volcano, Hawai ῾i
Workshop Agenda
Welcome & Agenda Review
 Introductions
 Background of project
 Group structure
 Nā Loina o Ka Po῾e Hawai῾i
 Activity
 Common Themes
 “Tiling”

Group Exercise: Kukulu Kumuhana
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Your name
Where you were born & raised?
Where are your ancestors from?
Names of family (biological or by
association) you’d like to invite
here
“Pehea ῾oe?” How are you?
What type of plant
describes how you are right now?
Background of Project

2000: Ke Ala Lōkahi (Hawaiʻi Island)

Culturally-specific curriculum for
abusers & survivors

Few ethnic-specific domestic
violence interventions in U.S. or
internationally

Expanded to Oʻahu in 2008
 2008: Oʻahu women’s groups
 2010: Oʻahu men’s groups
Project Overview
Based in specific cultural
history, peoples, gods,
sacred sites, settings
 Use of metaphors
 Hope-giving; positive
change
 Focus:
 Accountability for men
 Empowerment/healing
for women

Namelehuapono
Project name gifted by
Kahu David Kaupu
Working in a culturally pono manner to
plant the seeds that will guide our men to
do what is right culturally & spiritually,
while supporting the spiritual healing of
our women.
Namelehuapono
Mele:
 Yellow
 ʻIlima, flower of island of Oʻahu
 Male & female twin stars in the
constellation Orion
 “Your story”
Hua is coming to fruition
Pono means right, truthful, just, in
balance
Project Guiding Principles

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Promote the value of Hawaiian &
indigenous approaches
Address how violence affects individuals,
families and communities
Cultural ways of thinking and acting will
more than stop the violence; it will allow
communities to thrive & live peacefully
Project Guiding Principles


Intersection of colonization, sexism &
racism must be acknowledged
Stopping violence against women
necessitates learning & living Hawaiian
culture
Project Guiding Principles


Approach must be embraced by entire
organization
Developing a body of evidence replicable &
accessible to other islands, cultures,
communities
Na Loina o Ka Poʻe Hawaiʻi
“Traditional Hawaiian values”
 Central organizing concepts of curriculum
 6 core themes & 10 core values

Namelehuapono Core Themes
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Aloha ῾āina: interconnectedness &
interdependence of all things
Lōkahi: harmony; balance; unity
Pono: good; truthful; righteous; just;
respectful
Kuleana: responsibility; accountability
῾Ike e ho῾omaopopo῾ai: identity grounded
in place, ancestral family & name
Na῾au: instinct
[Ho῾omaluhia: to give peace, protect, be safe]
Namelehuapono Core Values
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Aloha: love; affection; regard
῾Ohana: family
Hō῾ihi: respect
Hanohano: dignity
Kūpono: upright; truthful
Ho῾olono: listen; attend
Laulima: work together
Ho῾omanawanui: patience
Ha῾aha῾a: humility
῾Ike E Ho῾omaopopo ῾Ai


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Identity is grounded in place, ancestral
family & name
We always take with us who we are &
where we come from
Place (῾āina) has a strong spiritual
significance that links us to our past,
present & future
Group Exercise:
῾Ike E Ho῾omaopopo ῾Ai
Namelehuapono
Group Structure
Papa Hana (Group Lesson Plan)
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ʻŌlelo noʻeau (Hawaiian proverb)
Manaʻo paʻa (Essential question)
Ka hoʻike (Learner outcomes)
Kukulu kumuhana (Joining together)
Hoʻomaʻamaʻa hou (Review)
Haʻawina (New Lesson)
Hoʻomaʻa (Men: Practice )
Hoʻomalu (Women: Self-reflection)
Panina (Closing)
Namelehuapono Wahine Group
Women’s Group
 16 sessions
 Complete kihei (ceremonial cape)
 Closing ceremony at Hawaiian sacred site
35 women participated to date
19 or 68% completed
Namelehuapono Kāne Group
Completion Criteria
 30 sessions
 Acknowledge abusive behavior
 Complete 2 Nā Mele Logs (abusive incident log)
 Complete Papa Hana Hoʻolālā (non-violence
plan)
 Complete kihei
43 men participated to date
26 or 61% completed
Kahalaopuna:
Ka u῾i o Mānoa
The Beauty of Mānoa (Manoa Press, 2001)
James Rumford
J. Kimo Alama-Keaulana
Wa῾ahila Ridge
Men
Women
Kahalili:
anger expressed
due to sexual
jealousy
Ho̒olana
kaumaha:
to lighten or ease
deep grief
Participant Voices

Kimo: I’d like to thank this class for helping me
understand my faults...why I came to this class
and how to give me better tools so I can go out
and be a better, um, husband, better father, better
son and better person in the community. Um, it
brought me back to when I was little – um, it was
the best time in my life, when you had plenty
love – and it brought some memories that my
father and my mother brought me up and said
you never supposed to hit a woman or disrespect
a woman, which I did. And I shamed my
ancestors as well as my parents.

So I took this time to reflect on that and, um,
indulge in this class so I can get plenty out of it
and I met some good brothers in this class and I
only hope that, well, um, I know, through this
class, I don’t know when I left this class its more
peaceful, um, more humility, more compassion
towards others. It was always there, but I learned
how to utilize them again, and even my fiancé
even noticed the change, so that’s good. And, um,
just embracing this, ah, Hawaiian program, you
know, it was something that maybe I needed in
my life, thank you, thank you very much.

Matt: Well, some of the things that I appreciate
are being pono and haaheo, hoolono. One of the
things is that I listen more, I stop and try to
listen. Try to not just get the words but get the
meaning of the words. And um, you know,
accepting my kuleana, my taking responsibility
for the things I’ve done and for the words I say
and the words I speak. And, uh, making things
right, just being appreciative for the things that I
have, my family, my kids, um, my grandkids.
And just, um, trying to be a better person so this
class has taught me that. And the friendships
that I’ve gained here in this class have been good
for me as well. So I want to thank you both for
that.
“The words here carry such meaning.
You grow up with it, but it faded out as we
got older. And the words come back to you
when you hear them in Namele.
And it means a lot more now.
You understand better and feel connected;
a sense of power and responsibility to more
than just myself –
to my family, my partner and my ancestors.”
-- Namelehuapono Kāne participant
“…It was empowering to see the relevance of
each ‘ōlelo no‘eau (Hawaiian proverb) that
coincided with the topic at hand…
Collectively, we knew that we are not alone
in our suffering but that we were one in
mind, in body, in spirit & in ancestral blood.
It was so very empowering for me & I
continue to read from the lesson sheets when
I feel unbalanced.”
Namelehuapono Wahine participant
Common Themes
Connection to culture: source of
accountability, restoration and healing
 Use of stories & metaphors
 Belief that men can be accountable &
change
 The power of culture is something bigger
than self

Common Themes
Community emphasis
 Intersectionality
 Valuing our cultural ways
 Wholistic approach to accountability and
healing
 Working across/within cultures

Group Exercise:
Taking This Home
List practices from your culture(s)
and/or communities that you currently
do or can do in the future, to work
toward gender democracy/justice
in your community?
Nā mele mau a mau.
Our work, our stories go on forever.