Senior, others
learning more
about themselves

Complaints against a geography
professor are an example
of rising activism

Indigenous students silent no more

By Susan Kreifels
Star-Bulletin

SARAH Daniels always had walked through life "thinking I'm white." A Punahou grad who grew up in Kailua, she never really considered the Hawaiian mix of her blood, nor did she dare to question what professors taught about her Hawaiian ancestry.

"I never wanted to notice before," said Daniels, a 22-year-old senior at the University of Hawaii-Manoa.

Then Daniels enrolled in Hawaiian studies, where activists like Haunani-Kay Trask required heavy reading about the islands' indigenous people. Daniels began to question her professors' teachings about native Hawaiians. Last semester she filed a complaint about a Hawaii geography class that no longer is required for Hawaiian studies majors.

"When classes are taught by mainlanders, they don't understand where we're coming from," Daniels said. "They analyze and conceptualize in terms of Western culture."

Counselor sees pattern

Daniels is one of a growing number of native Hawaiian student activists on the UH-Manoa campus. Many of them visit Jill Nunokawa, UH-Manoa's civil rights counselor, who sees "a pattern emerging out of certain departments and colleges, basically denial into the graduate programs, or treatment of native Hawaiians once they do get into certain programs."

One problem is heavy reliance on standardized admission tests, which mainland schools are using less, according to Nunokawa. She said scores show a definite racial bias, and she's planning a spring forum on the topic.

Nunokawa works 80-100 cases a year, including complaints about treatment by student services, denial into program, and offensive course material and lectures. Most complaints come from native Hawaiians. In fact, Nunokawa said, her office, which handles informal mediation and dispute resolution, opened after two part-Hawaiian sisters complained that a geography instructor kicked them out of class because of an alleged grudge.

Nunokawa is concerned about the "clash of cultures" between a faculty and staff that's 70 percent white -- 73 percent of those male -- and a student body that is 85 percent nonwhite.

"There are inherent tensions and clashes about what's being done to merge indigenous and immigrant and American cultures," she said. "The answer is whatever the dominant culture says. They dictate until the other cultures complain. I get the fallout."

In Daniels' case, she complained that her Hawaii geography professor, Joseph Morgan, said native Hawaiians were themselves the ones who fostered racism here. She also criticized the class textbook -- his own -- concerning the ethnic segregation of Hawaii's past; while other ethnic groups and races are described as "living" in certain areas, native Hawaiians "squatted."

"The passage speaks for itself, it's clearly racist," Daniels said.

Called a misunderstanding

Morgan, a lecturer who retired from UH as an assistant professor after 20 years, and who earned his doctoral degree in geography at UH-Manoa, disagreed that he called Hawaiians racist. He called the complaint a misunderstanding during an "amicable" conversation between the two.

As for the reference to "squatting" in the textbook, Morgan said it was a "strictly historical" description written by guest contributors, and that it wasn't meant to be derogatory.

The assistant dean of student services, Lori Igeta, spoke to him about Daniels' complaint, which was handled informally. Igeta, according to Morgan, determined that it was healthy to encourage a difference of opinions and no further action was taken.

Igeta said she could not comment on student complaints.

Morgan believes eliminating his course as a requirement was a "bum rap."

"I'm one of the haoles who is very supportive of Hawaiian sovereignty causes," Morgan said. "Hawaiian studies people should welcome me rather than automatically think everyone is against them."

Lilikala Kame'eleihiwa, director of the Center for Hawaiian Studies, said the required course materials could be picked up in other classes. "I decided we didn't need any more anti-Hawaiian, racist attacks on our students by forcing them to take this class," she said.

Addressing problems

The administration agrees that more needs to be done to train faculty "who don't even know how offensive they are," said Amefil Agbayani, who heads UH-Manoa's programs on equity and diversity. UH President Kenneth Mortimer has set aside $100,000 for small grants to develop curriculum and workshops for diversity training. Agbayani also believes too much reliance is placed on standardized test scores for admission into programs.

"This institution and each member of it has to learn more about Hawaiian history, and the role of Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians, so they understand the context of where they are," Agbayani said. "Unfortunately, even Hawaii-born people do not learn much about their own history."

Nunokawa encourages students to speak out about class content and all campus concerns.

"I see the code of silence alive and well, which is, 'Don't make waves. Don't say anything. Just get your degree and get your job.'

"If you go through the University of Hawaii and you've never found or used your voice, then we as an institution have failed you."

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