Trees, Trails, Culture, and History of the Palamanui Preserve: Using Experiential Learning and Storytelling to Connect to the Place

FAIN: AE-290064-23

Hawaii Community College (Hilo, HI 96720-4075)
Ruria Namba (Project Director: May 2022 to present)
Yuki Ka?ea Lyons (Co Project Director: December 2022 to July 2023)
No'el Tagab-Cruz (Co Project Director: July 2023 to present)

A three-year project focused on curriculum development and the creation of an archive combined with campus and community activities exploring a natural and cultural heritage site adjacent to the college’s Palamanui campus.

In keeping with the National Endowment for the Humanities’ “Protecting Our Cultural Heritage” and “Providing access to NEH-funded products” priority areas, Hawai’i Community College will engage students, faculty, and the community in a project that utilize a wide array of humanities-based activities in a newly formed Palamanui Forest Preserve adjacent to our campus. Combining experiential learning, we plan to study, teach, and share the rich cultural heritage of indigenous Hawaiian people in a region containing an important remnant of the world’s most endangered ecosystem, the lowland tropical dry forest. The project includes creating a map and digital archives of the ancient and modern trails and rich cultural heritage of the forest, establishing a cultural speaker series and workday for the community, and faculty professional development opportunities to develop curriculum that recognizes the region as a cultural heritage.