Conceptualizing Relational Technologies for Native Hawaiian (HI)stories and Contemporary Realities in the Pacific Northwest

Abstract

In the present research note, we share our ongoing research project, which conceptualizes relational technologies in an effort to document the (hi)stories and contemporary realities of Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) in the Pacific Northwest. In the late 18th through the mid-19th centuries, Kānaka Maoli voyaged to the region, employed primarily as seamen or fur trade laborers. This was at a time when foreigners from distant lands happened upon Hawaiʻi in the Pacific Ocean, imposing their own ideologies to a people and culture that was very much an independent and self-sufficient Nation. Some Kānaka Maoli remained in the Pacific Northwest, settling and starting families of their own. This Hawaiian (hi)story is seen in geographic names and heritage festivals, and passed down through familial stories, but remains relatively outside of the general public’s view, leading us to wonder about the possibilities of creating a digital archive/repository for this (hi)story. Here, we reflect on Indigenous Hawaiian diaspora and discuss how digital tools and processes in documentation, mapping, and archiving can provide rich opportunities to preserve, explore, and share such (hi)stories. We conclude that building a relational digital archive with and for Indigenous diaporic communities is a complex and intricate undertaking that requires critical thought and deep, community-aided relfection.