Theorizing Diasporic Hawaiian Indigeneity: Wellbeing Practices in Diaspora-based Halau Hula
Location
PANEL: Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Seniors
Wilder 101
Moderator: Kathryn Metz
Document Type
Presentation - Open Access
Start Date
5-1-2026 11:00 AM
End Date
5-1-2026 12:15 PM
Abstract
Within the Continental US Hawaiian Diaspora, Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) commonly struggle to find belonging and maintain connection to the Hawaiian community. Hawaiian scholar Stephanie Nohelani Teves argues that this phenomenon stems from colonial patriarchal definitions of Indigeneity, which insists on ideas about Native Hawaiian authenticity that do not account for Kānaka living off-island. Instead, Teves argues for queer diasporas as methodology, basing Hawaiian Indigeneity and belonging on “relationships based in aloha,” defying settler state logics through Hawaiian performance and nurturing relationships with each other and the natural world around us. Thus, how does Teves’ theory manifest in contemporary Hawaiian Diaspora spaces and Indigenous wellbeing and sovereignty scholarship? In this paper I will analyze practices in Halau Hula (hula schools), uncovering the ways that relationship building happens through community building, event programming, and cultural education. I argue that hubs for culture and community, like Halau Hula, crucially house and encourage these relationship building practices that address belonging struggles in the Hawaiian Diaspora. Through my work I wish to promote Hawaiian wellbeing and sovereignty, create representation for belonging issues in the Hawaiian Diaspora, and advocate for the resourcing of Hawaiian cultural and educational support in the Diaspora.
Keywords:
Diaspora, Sovereignty, Indigeneity
Recommended Citation
Handa, Isabel Kanoelani, "Theorizing Diasporic Hawaiian Indigeneity: Wellbeing Practices in Diaspora-based Halau Hula" (2026). Research Symposium. 15.
https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/researchsymp/2026/presentations/15
Major
Art History
Award
Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship
Project Mentor(s)
Jess Arnett, Comparative American Studies and Environmental Studies
Kathryn Metz, Musical Studies and Comparative American Studies
Sergio Gutiérrez Negrón, Hispanic Studies
Emily Spezia-Shwiff, Office of Undergraduate Research
2026
Theorizing Diasporic Hawaiian Indigeneity: Wellbeing Practices in Diaspora-based Halau Hula
PANEL: Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Seniors
Wilder 101
Moderator: Kathryn Metz
Within the Continental US Hawaiian Diaspora, Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) commonly struggle to find belonging and maintain connection to the Hawaiian community. Hawaiian scholar Stephanie Nohelani Teves argues that this phenomenon stems from colonial patriarchal definitions of Indigeneity, which insists on ideas about Native Hawaiian authenticity that do not account for Kānaka living off-island. Instead, Teves argues for queer diasporas as methodology, basing Hawaiian Indigeneity and belonging on “relationships based in aloha,” defying settler state logics through Hawaiian performance and nurturing relationships with each other and the natural world around us. Thus, how does Teves’ theory manifest in contemporary Hawaiian Diaspora spaces and Indigenous wellbeing and sovereignty scholarship? In this paper I will analyze practices in Halau Hula (hula schools), uncovering the ways that relationship building happens through community building, event programming, and cultural education. I argue that hubs for culture and community, like Halau Hula, crucially house and encourage these relationship building practices that address belonging struggles in the Hawaiian Diaspora. Through my work I wish to promote Hawaiian wellbeing and sovereignty, create representation for belonging issues in the Hawaiian Diaspora, and advocate for the resourcing of Hawaiian cultural and educational support in the Diaspora.
