ERIC Number: EJ1451624
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1443-9883
EISSN: EISSN-1448-0980
Available Date: N/A
Mele as Methodology: Crafting (K)new Tools for Indigenous Research
Qualitative Research Journal, v24 n5 p510-523 2024
Purpose: In "Decolonizing Methodologies" (1999), Linda Tuhiwai Smith asserted that "the master's tools of colonization will not work to decolonize what the master built." Smith challenged Indigenous researchers to fashion "new tools for the purpose of decolonizing and Indigenous tools that can revitalize Indigenous knowledge" (p. 22). A quarter of a century later, this paper reflects on the powerful impact that Smith's call to action has had upon recent generations of bright, politically active and culturally grounded Native Hawaiian researchers, many of whom are innovatively turning to the Native epistemologies embedded in our traditional cultural practices to craft (k)new research tools and methodologies. Design/methodology/approach: This paper features three Native Hawaiian scholars who are simultaneously hula and mele (traditional Hawaiian dance and song) practitioners and who instinctively turned to their hula training to guide and indigenize their research practice. Findings: Each of these three scholars describes how they creatively applied the Hawaiian epistemologies embedded in their hula and mele training to fashion (k)new, Indigenous methodologies to guide (1) their research conduct, (2) their data analyses or interpretations and (3) the presentation of their research findings, respectively. Originality/value: These three Hawaiian scholars and hula practitioners represent a larger groundswell of Native Hawaiian researchers who are bravely and creatively drawing upon the traditional wisdom and sensitivities embedded in our cultural practices to craft and wield (k)new research tools to "dismantle the master's house" (Lorde, 1981) and build an Indigenous hale (house) of our own.
Descriptors: Indigenous Knowledge, Indigenous Personnel, Indigenous Populations, Decolonization, Dance, Singing, Research Design, Research Methodology, Researchers, Cultural Awareness, Cultural Background, Culturally Relevant Education
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Hawaii
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A