Page 263 - Cultural Studies of Science Education

18 A Case Study of David, a Native Hawaiian Science Teacher 237

a teacher in the public school system. The connection between educators and ministers was
strong in the 1900s. My father’s paternal great-grandfather went to Lahainaluna Seminary
School where he was ordained a minister and doubled as the Assistant Principal.
My mother stayed home during my childhood, and did not work until all of her children
were graduated from college. Throughout my elementary years, my mother was a strong
factor in my excellence in education, being home everyday to assist in our studies in math
and science. My father’s expertise in language arts was extremely beneficial in my studies
of reading and writing. Nightly review of my writing was commonplace in our household.
My father made sure that all work was done before television was allowed. There was little
left unattended when it came to education in our household.
I attended [a public elementary school] and later [a private school for Native Hawaiians]
from grade seven to twelve. My course work led me into the gifted/talented track, and I
excelled in mathematics and science. I attended _____ High School in Hinsdale, Illinois as
an exchange student sponsored by [both schools]. Being chosen to travel abroad was my
family’s way to broaden my educational experience. I went on to Willamette University in
Salem, Oregon and majored in Biology/Pre-Med. Throughout my four years at Willamette,
I was fortunate to have strong influences promoting success in my life. An alumna of
Willamette University and a retired school teacher and principal, my grandmother mentored
me through some tough times while away from Hawai’i.

How Did You Develop Your Cultural Knowledge?

I asked David this question when I noticed his genealogy of early learning completely
omitted Hawaiian cultural knowledge. He told me that his parents stressed high
academic performance and that his Hawaiian-Chinese father told him to keep his
cultural and school knowledge separate. David said he learned cultural uses of
plants while staying with his paternal grandfather and Chinese step-grandmother
after school. He was punahele, their favorite, as the first grandchild born after the
family returned from Oregon.
Though the 1970s were a time of cultural awakening and indigenous activism,
David’s formal education, even in a high school dedicated to Native Hawaiians did
not provide opportunities to study Hawaiian culture or language. He said he
received his Hawaiian middle name when he was 18 and had developed enough so
his Hawaiian grandfather could give a middle name that would fit him as an adult.
David received the name Maika‘i, a word with multiple meanings. Maika‘i means
“good” in terms of moral character as well as good health and good appearance,
beautiful. The name also connected him to his maternal grandmother’s Maui lin-
eage. His grandfather’s name thus gave him a worthy and meaningful Hawaiian
name to live up to.
But only after returning to Hawaii after college and seeing his high-school peers
engaged in language and cultural activities, did he actively begin learning about his cul-
ture. He attended community college classes to learn Hawaiian language and studied hula.
He kept his cultural learning apart from his professional life until teaching provided oppor-
tunities to view indigenous culture as a resource for learning and a source of professional
identity. Even there, his indigeneity took several years to enter his instruction and become
an integral component of his identity and practices as a Hawaiian science teacher.