Chanderlynn Kahananui

The goal of this project is to give the students (all of whom are Native Hawaiian) in Chanderlynn Kahananui’s class at this Hawaiian immersion school where students are primarily taught in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language) to learn through reading grade level books about the daily life of their ancestors, building their understanding of why the land and nature played such an important role in their lives, and learning the name of certain Hawaiian artifacts. The project will culminate with a trip for the students to Bishop Museum in Honolulu where they will be able to immerse themselves in sensory activities and see in person artifacts that their ancestors used in daily life. In addition to expanding children’s knowledge about their culture, Chanderlynn seeks for this project to encourage other native Hawaiian educators to create relationships that connect history, genealogy, language and culture for the school’s students.