Science, Culture, Education, and Social–Ecological Systems: A Study of Transdisciplinary Literacies in Student Discourse During a Place-Based and Culture-Based Polynesian Voyaging Program

Abstract

As the world’s most isolated islands with the highest number of endangered species per square mile anywhere on earth (Bishop Museum 2003), Hawai’i provides a unique setting for exploring questions concerning science, technology, and society. For reasons ranging from issues of health, safety, and schedules to adoption of science curricula developed for national audiences to science teacher education, relatively little of the science students learn in school relates to Hawai’i or connects to students’ familiar environmental experiences and knowledge. Conventionally presented as a body of universal knowledge discovered through objective, impersonal, and culture-free experimentation, students perceive school science as largely unrelated to their places, practices, and personal knowledge.

Appendix: Transcript of Na Pua O Maunalua Videotape

Completed in May 2006, the student videotape won a second place award in a high school environmental video competition and has been broadcast on public access cable television. The following narrative, divided into stanzas read by various students, was compiled from student journal entries.

• 1. In October the Kaiser HS Ho‘olakahi Voyaging class began a series of 24 immersion sails with Hokulea master navigator Nainoa Thompson.

• 2. The purpose of this immersion was to help us become environmental stewards who mālama i ke kai o Maunalua. The haumana met at the Hui Nalu Canoe Club’s hālau to begin this experiential learning.

• 3. The first activity of the day was to learn how to use a GPS, or Global Positioning System. Aunty Annie taught us how to track points on a map so that later on we would be able to tell others exactly where we had worked on the reef. The GPS sends a signal out every 5 s to a satellite that tells us where we are in the world.

• 4. We paddled out to a sandbar about 100 yards from shore to do a limu cleanup, continuing the work we had begun last year. We placed our quadrate on a big patch of alien limu. Our kuleana was to clear the limu in our quadrate. It was amazing how much there was in one square meter. We used the scoop net to catch floating fragments of limu because the smallest piece could generate a whole colony of alien limu.

• 5. Aunty Kim and Aunty Dawn helped us to identify the different types of limu.One of the major limu that we had to get rid of was gorilla ogo, or Gracilaria salicornia. Another is leather mudweed, or Avrainvillea amadelpha, and Acanthophora spicifera. These are the alien limus in Maunalua Bay.

• 6. We also had to chart the fish and invertebrates. We found opa‘e, mantis shrimp, and fire worms. Fire worms are the centipedes of the sea because when they sting you it feels like fire. We also looked for crabs and sea cucumbers. We recorded the data of all the fishes and invertebrates that we found.

• 7. It was awesome to do something that was good and benefited nature. Our class collected over 450 lb of alien limu. It felt great to clean up Maunalua Bay. The spaces that we cleared will become homes to native species of limu that we will plant in the future.

• 8. Then we paddled out to Blue Hole to do a reef check. The paddling experience was hard work and brought many of us back to the routes traveled by our ancestors in ancient Hawai’i. Blue hole is truly a big hole of sand surrounded by a reef of very beautiful, low coral.

• 9. Uncle Dave taught us how to identify the fish, and it was neat to actually know their names. Like manini, yellow tang, Moorish idol, surgeon fish, goat fish, and baby saddle wrasse. We also saw a spotted puffer fish.

• 10. After lunch back at the halau we tested for water quality at three different locations at the canoe site. Uncle Eric turned the halau into a science lab. The tests showed that the salinity, dissolved oxygen, and nitrates were at safe levels.

• 11. Bright green dye showed us which way the current was flowing since this can affect the growth of limu. We discovered that there were more than five different currents all flowing into one area of the bay.

• 12. The reward for all this hard work is that we got to sail on the Hokulea. It truly was an honor.

• 13. Aunty Catherine taught us the safety procedures before we sailed. Experienced crew members provided hands-on training on how to open and close the jib and mainsail. As we worked with the ropes, we learned about the bronco lines for the sails.

• 14. Uncle Nainoa taught us how to steer the canoe. If you pull to the left the boat goes to the right and vice versa. It was very challenging to keep control of the large steering sweep, which weighs over 500 pounds.

• 15. We could see all the different ahupua‘a on shore. After Niu Valley we made a port tack and threw the escort boat a towline, which took us back to Maunalua Bay.

• 16. By working together we developed a memorable experience that will last a lifetime. We are grateful to our leaders who planned this immersion and were willing to share their mana‘o to mālama i ke kai a me ‘āina. This was one day that we all wished would never end.