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ABOUT
The North Shore Field School started as an archaeological endeavor working at historical sites in the Waialua moku. After a successful five years, the archaeological field school evolved into an ethnographic field school focused on documenting, preserving, and honoring the people of Waialua.
Working with the University of Hawaiʻi – Mānoa, Kamehameha Schools, and the Waialua Hawaiian Civic Club, the North Shore Field School offers a learning opportunity in the Spring that engages students and community volunteers in collecting ethnographic materials. Participants foster relationships with the community and ʻāina, and they learn how to conduct oral histories in order to collect stories from the narrators.
This program is ʻāina-based and focuses on the sustainable living practices of past and present residents of the Waialua community. We work with cultural practitioners and community volunteers in the North Shore area. They share their manaʻo and moʻolelo with the Field School at “talk story” events and hosted visits.
The COVID-19 Pandemic has changed a number of things for us–currently, we are not physically working in the Waialua moku as a way to protect ourselves and the community of Waialua. This, however, has not stopped our work. The Field School has moved onto its next phase: preservation of the histories we have collected. Our team, comprised of former NSFS haumāna, alakaʻi and kumu, are working diligently to compile and save all of the stories and memories that were shared with us over the years. Collecting the oral histories of the kūpuna was and is an important task, but preserving these stories is just as important so that future generations have the ability to learn from the voices of this special community.
If you would like to learn more about the North Shore Field School, please contact us at northshorefieldschool@gmail.com
We would like to thank the following groups for supporting our mission:
Department of Anthropology, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Department of Ethnic Studies, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Kamehameha Schools
Office of Hawaiian Affairs
Waialua Hawaiian Civic Club
The generous community of Waialua
And all past students, faculty, staff, & community members who have helped the North Shore Field School grow
To learn more about projects in partnership with Kamehameha Schools, please visit www.ksbe.edu/kaulu.
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