The methodology used in Ka Wai Hāpai is based on He Mele No Kāne. In this mele (Hawaiian poetry), our kūpuna (ancestors) display a detailed and nuanced approach to identifying and organizing the natural world, highlighting specifically the many forms of water. With He Mele No Kāne as the inspiration for our project methodology, our process forefronts:
- ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Native Hawaiian language)
- Kuanaʻike Hawaiʻi (Native Hawaiian perspectives)
- ʻIke Kūpuna (Ancestral wisdom)
Outlined below are the project phases comprising our methodology. You’ll notice that the name for each project phase is inspired by a phrase found in He Mele No Kāne. Visit the He Mele No Kāne page to learn more about this mele.
Phase I: He Ui, He Nīnau
“He ui, he nīnau” can be understood as “A question, a query.” The activities and outcomes produced in this phase ultimately shaped the direction of the remaining aspects of the project. The initiation of this phase was grounded in the Ao Framework (Matsuda 2021), a conceptual model of a Hawaiian research methodology. By the end of this phase, the project team and consultants co-created early drafts of foundational components of a Native Hawaiian knowledge organization system, including a meta-model of Hawaiian knowledge domains and a prioritized list of domain facets and fields.
Phase II: He Waipuna
“He Waipuna” can be understood as “A Spring of Water.” During this phase, with foundational components of an Indigenous Hawaiian knowledge organization system having taken shape, the controlled vocabularies can start to emerge. In the “Ideate” stage of the workflow, the project team, along with consultants, thought about the project approach and priorities, listening to valuable insights. This collaborative process set the stage for the emergence of controlled vocabularies. In the second stage, “Draft,” consultants and the team began to co-create templates for bi-lingual (ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi + English) authority records. We simultaneously engaged in drafting these templates, inviting feedback during this creative process. Next, the “Pilot” stage marked a significant step as the team filled out templates for a diverse group of terms, observing and noting issues and questions that arose during this initial application.
As part of the ongoing process, in the “Evaluate” stage, the team compared records and issues, carefully evaluating them in alignment with the project goals. This evaluation laid the foundation for the “Revise” step of our workflow, where the templates were adjusted based on feedback, and fields were prioritized. In the second “Draft” phase, the team created a new template and applied it to a select number of terms. This iterative approach allowed for continuous improvement.
Phase III: He Wai, E Inu
“He Wai, E Inu” can be understood as “Here is Water, Come Drink.” In this phase, the project team will attempt to carry, intergenerationally and in appropriate containers, Indigenous Hawaiian ways of knowing via the application of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi controlled vocabularies. After drafting for a second time, the “Enact” stage brought the workflow into action as the team created records for all terms, utilizing the updated template and incorporating natural language fields. This comprehensive process set the groundwork for an “Apply” stage, where individual resources were identified, and terms were systematically applied.
Phase IV: He Wai, E Mana
“He Wai, E Mana” can be understood as “Here is Water, Be Powerful.” In this phase, the project team will aim to reciprocate the generous gifts of time and energies shared by consultants and other members of the two target communities throughout the life of the project by sharing back final project findings. Ultimately, these activities and resulting outcomes are intended to increase equity for, and improve the well-being of, the target communities. The workflow concludes with the final step where we “Evaluate”; here, the team assessed the connection between terms and resources, offering a holistic evaluation of the entire record creation process.