Program Goals and Principles

To support the lāhui (Native Hawaiian Community) in preparing the Kō Hawaiʻi Paeʻāina (the Hawaiian archipelago) for enhanced resilience and stability in the face of extreme weather impacts such as drought, wildfires, invasive species, storm-related flooding, tidal inundation, and coastal erosion, ONHR has established the Kapapahuliau Grant Program.  The name "Kapapahuliau" evokes the imagery of a voyaging waʻa (canoe) and its crew navigating the changing winds and currents over time (au), adjusting their sails and course as needed while remaining focused on their destination. This concept embodies a process of learning and transformation, drawing on the ingenuity of Native Hawaiian ancestors in adapting to their environment.

Through this program, ONHR aims to empower the Native Hawaiian Community to learn from these ancestral practices, take proactive measures against threats and hazards, adapt to evolving conditions, and rapidly recover from adverse environmental events and disruptions.

The goal of ONHR’s Kapapahuliau Grant Program is to promote greater self-determination and self-sufficiency by the lāhui in their efforts to reduce the impacts of extreme environmental events on their people using Native Hawaiian traditional knowledge.  Thus, preserving the integrity of the Native Hawaiian people while enhancing their capacity for coping, adaptation, and transformation.

 

Program Guiding Principles 

Kapapahuliau is centered around the following five Guiding Principles for which actions are carried out to support the overall Program Goal.  Project proposals should look to meet all five of the following:

Aloha ʻĀina (love for the land): The Hawaiian Islands and its environment are essential to lāhui identity.

The Native Hawaiian people have lived in Hawaiʻi since time immemorial, developing an epistimology, culture, values, and society rooted by the distinct physical and spiritual relationships to ʻāina (the land, that which sustains) for which they are from.  The cosmogonic genealogy and creation chant, Kumulipo (source of primordial darkness), reflects this understanding and anchors Native Hawaiians to Hawaiʻi by emphasizing a familial and reciprocal relationship to this land and its environment - where “Hawaiʻi cares for us as we take care of Hawaiʻi”.  For the Native Hawaiian people, ʻāina is the lifeblood and center of identity, way of life, and culture and, as such, cannot be replicated anywhere else on Earth. Therefore, preservation of the Hawaiian Islands in the face of significant environmental impacts is essential and vital to the identity of Native Hawaiian people and resilience of the Native Hawaiian Community.

Native Hawaiian Organizations (NHO) currently represent the collective lāhui.

The United States recognizes and respects that improved outcomes and resolution of challenges affecting the Native Hawaiian Community and its resources and interests are best achieved when informed and implemented by the Community itself. Through many statutes addressing vital functions, activities, needs, and concerns of a vibrant, self-determining community (e.g., health, cultural preservation, burials, economic development, education, etc.), Congress involved NHOs in their respective areas of expertise as the appropriate representatives of the Native Hawaiian Community.

For this funding opportunity, ONHR reinforces this principle of self-determination and values NHOs as best suited to strengthen Native Hawaiian Community resilience. It is further understood that there is considerable variation among NHOs with respect to their mission, location, relationships with others, and operational or administrative capacity.  Therefore, applicant eligibility is limited to NHOs (as defined in Section C below).

Extreme weather and related environmental impacts inevitably cause economic hardship to the Native Hawaiian Community.

The 2023 wildfire tragedy on Maui demonstrates that the human and economic impact of extreme environmental events on communities can be both rapid and severe. Communities require time to heal physically and emotionally, but the effects on basic needs and economic stability can quickly jeopardize livelihoods. To address these challenges, it is crucial to implement programs that not only provide immediate relief but also promote long-term recovery and actions to reduce the risk of severe damage and loss from future extreme environmental events.

In line with Secretarial Order 3419, Kapapahuliau projects should include a strong focus on capacity building efforts which enhances economic sustainability for the organization, and therefore the Native Hawaiian Community. This may include creating training, employment opportunities, or enhancing organizational or project activities that lay the groundwork for potential sustainable funding mechanisms that extend beyond the duration of the grant award. By investing in training and skill-building initiatives, we can empower Native Hawaiian Community members to adapt to changing economic conditions, fostering a resilient workforce that can thrive in the face of adversity. Additionally, collaboration with local businesses and organizations can help create a support network that strengthens the overall economic fabric of the Community.

Native Hawaiian Community resilience must incorporate Native Hawaiian traditional knowledge systems and ingenuity.

There is a Hawaiian proverb (ʻōlelo nōʻeau), “Ua lehulehu a manomano ka ʻikena a ka Hawaiʻi – Great and numerous is the knowledge of the Hawaiians”, that reflects the immense multitude of traditional knowledge that exists for Native Hawaiian ways of life. Native Hawaiian practices of kilo (observations), loea (ancestral ingenuity), and ‘ike kūpuna (traditional knowledge) are memorialized within moʻokūʻauhau (genealogies), oli (chants), moʻolelo and kaʻao (traditions, histories, and stories). These practices and Native Hawaiian traditional knowledge systems showcase the adaptability and innovation of the Native Hawaiian people and their ancestors. Therefore, NHO applicants are encouraged to incorporate these Native Hawaiian traditional knowledge systems into their project proposals as application and integration foster pilina (connection), continuity, and resilience of the Native Hawaiian Community.

Kuleana (Right & Responsibility) to advance Native Hawaiian Community resilience through dialog and shared learning.

Grant-funded projects are often conducted independently, and the results or outcomes of the activity have little dissemination beyond the grantor and grantee. Thus, knowledge gained and lessons learned by the grantee are not readily available to others facing similar circumstances.  The ʻōlelo nōʻeau  “E lauhoe mai nā waʻa; i ke kā, i ka hoe; i ka hoe, i ke kā; pae aku i ka ʻāina - Paddle the canoes together, bail and paddle, paddle and bail; and land will be reached , is a reminder that if everyone works together with a will, the destination or goal will be reached. Further, this Hawaiian proverb recognizes that the voyage is long and expresses a kuleana for applicants to include shared learning, youth engagement, and/or outreach as a part of their projects in order to increase Native Hawaiian Community resilience. Additionally, opportunities will be created by ONHR for dialog, reporting, and shared learning among Kapapahuliau financial assistance recipients and their participation in such convenings will be required as a condition of award. 
 

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