Preservation of Hawaii Indigenous Culture

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1		Ming Hu	--	1254	2023-05-16 14:17:45	\|
2	format correction	Dean Liu	-2 word(s)	1252	2023-05-17 02:39:32	\|

This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/buildings13051190

Vernacular architecture represents the traditional architecture that developed over time within a particular culture or region that embodied indigenous knowledge. These buildings provide an invaluable cultural heritage, and learning from them is an important way to preserve indigenous culture.

vernacular architecture indigenous knowledge native Hawaii

1. Introduction

Hawaii is an archipelago located in the Pacific Ocean and is the only U.S. state that is not located in North America. It is a territory composed of eight major islands and numerous smaller islands and atolls. The state has a diverse population, with Native Hawaiians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders being the largest ethnic groups. Hawaii’s culture is a unique blend of Native Hawaiian, Asian, and Western influences, which is reflected in its art, music, food, and traditions. However, despite the state’s rich cultural heritage, Hawaii faces significant challenges in preserving its historic sites and cultural resources ^[1]. The state is home to many historic buildings, landmarks, and archaeological sites that provide a window into Hawaii’s past. Unfortunately, many of these sites are under threat from natural disasters, urban development, and human activities such as vandalism and looting. As a result, efforts are being made to protect and preserve Hawaii’s cultural heritage by documenting and conserving historic sites and educating the public about the importance of preserving the state’s cultural resources ^[2].

2. Global Cultural Diversity and Vernacular Architecture

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) defines cultural biodiversity as “the wide range of knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, customs, laws, and other capabilities and habits acquired by humans as members of society” (UNESCO, 2002). UNESCO emphasizes the importance of preserving and promoting cultural diversity as it plays a significant role in promoting social cohesion, sustainable development, and peaceful coexistence among different cultures and communities.

The term “cultural biodiversity” is often used when it comes to indigenous or traditional knowledge; that is, the knowledge, practice, and belief of indigenous communities that have passed down through generations ^[3]. In recent decades, there has been a growing awareness of the negative impact of cultural homogenization resulting from globalization ^[4]. This awareness has sparked increased interest in promoting and preserving local cultures, leading to the emergence of studies and research on architecture that is recognized internationally as “vernacular” or traditional. The rapid pace of industrialization has resulted in the introduction of standardized urban, architectural, and technological solutions, which have replaced traditional models and eroded the link between the environment, socio-cultural context, and territory. This loss of the link between territory, the environment, and socio-cultural context has been attributed to the progressive introduction of standardized solutions resulting from industrialization phenomena.

The preservation and recovery of cultural diversity has the potential to foster cultural identity within societies, thereby providing a sense of belonging and pride for individuals and promoting cultural continuity across generations. Moreover, it may lead to social cohesion by engendering mutual understanding and respect among different groups, preventing social exclusion, and encouraging cooperation and dialogue among diverse communities. Furthermore, the environmental benefit of preserving cultural diversity is a critical yet often overlooked aspect. Cultural diversity is closely linked to environmental sustainability as it often involves traditional knowledge and practices that promote sustainable resource use and conservation. Thus, preserving cultural diversity may also serve to protect the natural environment.

The role of vernacular architecture In perceiving cultural diversity is significant. Vernacular architecture can be seen as a form of tangible cultural heritage that represents the knowledge, skills, and beliefs of a particular community. The author of ^[5] pointed out that vernacular architecture shows the various, distinctive, and often beautiful and ingenious ways in which people, throughout the world and over time, have imagined, designed, used, and maintained their built environments. In the following section, the proposed framework for learning about vernacular architecture is outlined.

3. Indigenous Knowledge, Biodiversity, and Sustainable Development

The theoretic foundation of this integrated framework is based on the notion “Conservation of indigenous knowledge serves conservation of biodiversity” proposed by Dr. Dennis Michael Warren in a keynote address at the International Conference on Conservation of Biodiversity in Africa in 1992 ^[6]. Indigenous knowledge encompass a wide range of fields such as agriculture, medicine, and construction. Studies that depicted indigenous communities and their knowledge as primitive, simple, and static are countered by rapidly expanding empirical evidence and datasets generated in a wide array of disciplines, such as agriculture ^[7], biology ^[8], medicine ^[9], and social science. Those emerging research studies describe the complexity and sophistication of many indigenous natural resource management systems.

International and national development agencies have recognized the value of integrating indigenous knowledge in decision making with regard to sustainable development. Posey (1985) ^[10] pointed out that despite the rareness of a serious investigation of indigenous ethnobiological and ethnoecological knowledge, a few studies have shown the indigenous knowledge of ecological zones, natural resources, agriculture, aquaculture, and forest management to be far more sophisticated than previously assumed. Especially in the field of agriculture, as early as 1992, the U.S. National Research Council stated “If indigenous knowledge has not been documented and compiled, doing so should be a research priority of the highest order. Indigenous knowledge is being lost at an unprecedented rate, and its preservation, preferably in data base form, must take place as quickly as possible”.

Despite the value of studying indigenous knowledge being acknowledged in other fields, the negative view commonly held about indigenous knowledge in architectural theory and history research during the colonial era has, however, not begun to change; the indigenous knowledge embedded in vernacular architecture has been ignored and downgraded as primitive.

4. The Loss of Indigenous Culture and Vernacular Knowledge in Hawaii

As explained in the previous sections, there is a common consensus that the role of vernacular architecture in preserving cultural diversity is significant. Vernacular architecture can be seen as a form of tangible cultural heritage that represents the knowledge, skills, and beliefs of a particular community. However, vernacular knowledge and indigenous culture is disappearing at a fast speed. Benham and Heck pointed out that since the early 1800s, “educational policy in Hawai’i emphasizing efficiency has resulted in institutional structures that have degenerated Hawaiian culture, self-image, and sovereignty.” ^[11]. The equitable dissemination of educational opportunities and its consequent enhancement of economic and social status has been impeded for indigenous Hawaiians. Moreover, the educational curriculum has historically disregarded the cultural practices and vernacular knowledge of the native community ^[12]^[13]. These education policies were often overtly, or covertly, racist and reflected wider cultural views prevalent across the United States regarding the assimilation of groups into the American mainstream culture ^[11].

Under the context described above, as a platform that embodied indigenous culture and vernacular knowledge, vernacular Hawaiian architecture was described by a non-native scholar as vulnerable to the local environment; hence contributing to its quick disappearance. In the report published in 1979 and commissioned by the U.S. National Park Service western regions, an architectural historian and an architect (both non-native) stated “Buildings of this type of indigenous architecture, found in plantation camps and in residential areas in Honolulu, Kalaupapa, and many other places throughout the islands, are rapidly disappearing. This type of architecture is declining, in part due to the main material used in construction—wood. The wood gets ravaged quickly by the climate and by termites. In other areas of the islands the structures are falling prey to the pressures of development.” ^[14]. In addition, in the current context of the globalization of construction techniques and the high requirements for comfortable dwellings, the vernacular Hawaiian architecture is almost non-existent in the current modernized community. These buildings can only be found in cultural heritage centers.

References

Kane, H.H.; Fletcher, C.H.; Romine, B.M.; Anderson, T.R.; Frazer, N.L.; Barbee, M.M. Vulnerability Assessment of Hawai‘i’s Cultural Assets Attributable to Erosion Using Shoreline Trend Analysis Techniques. J. Coast. Res. 2012, 28, 533–539.
Ziegler, A.C. Hawaiian Natural History, Ecology, and Evolution; University of Hawaii Press: Honolulu, HI, USA, 2017.
Dipasquale, L. Understanding Chefchaouen: Traditional Knowledge for a Sustainable Habitat; Firenze University Press: Florence, Italy, 2020.
Bhawuk, D.P. Globalization and indigenous cultures: Homogenization or differentiation? Int. J. Intercult. Relat. 2008, 32, 305–317.
Vellinga, M. Vernacular architecture and sustainability: Two or three lessons. In Vernacular Architecture: Towards a Sustainable Future; Taylor & Francis Group: London, UK, 2015; pp. 3–8.
Warren, D.M. Indigenous knowledge, biodiversity conservation and development. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Conservation of Biodiversity in Africa: Local Initiatives and Institutional Roles, Nairobi, Kenya, 30 August–3 September 1992.
DeWalt, B. Using indigenous knowledge to improve agriculture and natural resource management. Hum. Organ. 1994, 53, 123–131.
Ens, E.J.; Pert, P.; Clarke, P.A.; Budden, M.; Clubb, L.; Doran, B.; Douras, C.; Gaikwad, J.; Gott, B.; Leonard, S. Indigenous biocultural knowledge in ecosystem science and management: Review and insight from Australia. Biol. Conserv. 2015, 181, 133–149.
Rahal, A.; Deb, R.; Latheef, S.K.; Tiwari, R.; Verma, A.K.; Kumar, A.; Dhama, K. Immunomodulatory and therapeutic potentials of herbal, traditional/indigenous and ethnoveterinary medicines. Pak. J. Biol. Sci. PJBS 2012, 15, 754–774.
Posey, D.A. Indigenous management of tropical forest ecosystems: The case of the Kayapo Indians of the Brazilian Amazon. Agrofor. Syst. 1985, 3, 139–158.
Benham, M.K.A.; Heck, R.H. Culture and Educational Policy in Hawai’i: The Silencing of Native Voices; Routledge: New York, NY, USA, 2013.
Kauanui, J.K. Hawaiian Blood: Colonialism and the Politics of Sovereignty and Indigeneity; Duke University Press: Durham, NC, USA, 2008.
Ka‘anehe, R.J.I. Ke A‘o Mālamalama: Recognizing and Bridging Worlds with Hawaiian Pedagogies. Equity Excell. Educ. 2020, 53, 73–88.
Soulliere, L.E.; Law, H.G. Architectural Evaluation; NPS, Western Regional Office: Kalaupapa, HI, USA; San Francisco, CA, USA, 1979.

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