The Department of Anthropology Colloquium Series Presents

Anthropology and the Mauna: A Roundtable Discussion on Kuleana

Faculty and Graduate Students of the Department of Anthropology, UH Mānoa


Thursday, August 29, 3:00 pm, George Hall 227

The current movement to protect Mauna-a-Wākea (Mauna Kea/Maunakea) has led to new critiques of the University of Hawai‘i's aspirations to become a "model indigenous-serving institution," and for its flagship Mānoa campus to serve as a "Hawaiian place of learning."  This moment has created an important opportunity for self-reflection in the Department of Anthropology, which has acknowledged its own kuleana (relational responsibilities) to the Kanaka ‘Ōiwi (Native Hawaiian) community and all peoples and places of Hawai‘i.

This roundtable discussion will take up the question of kuleana in relation to debates over Mauna Kea and TMT (Thirty Meter Telescope), offering perspectives from faculty and graduate students representing different subfields and life experiences working in and for Hawai‘i. Where and with whom should anthropologists stand? What can anthropological understandings and practices contribute to the larger conversations on culture, science, and ethical research? How do we reconcile competing kuleana to university, community, and ‘āina?  Faculty and graduate students will facilitate on open dialogue on these questions and consider next steps as we move forward together.