Emalani Case: Standing on left
Grounded in strong Waimea roots, Emalani Case has branched out to reach across the Pacific and will be returning home in December after finishing four and a half years at Victoria University in Wellington New Zealand, completing a Ph.D. in Pacific Studies and a teaching fellowship.
Case’s story begins in Waimea, her tap root an immersion in Hawaiian culture and language. “I've always had a strong cultural foundation. I grew up dancing hula with Pua (Case) before I ever went to school. So that really set the foundation for me,” says Case.
Those strong roots have nourished Case as she engaged in an odyssey of story and an exploration of Pacific Islander culture. “Hula taught me how to see the world as being storied. It doesn't allow you to step into the world as an unconscious traveler. Every rock, every mountain, every river, has a story that is connected to people. It set that foundation for wherever I go in the world. You have to understand story and you have to understand your place within that story. It's humbling,” says Case.
Hawaiian language has always been at the center of Case’s educational endeavors. Born in 1983, Aha Punanaleo o Waimea, whose original director was her mother, Keomailani Case, came too late for her to attend. But her Hawaiian language roots were nourished by the burgeoning efforts of Ku and Nalei Kahakalau, founders of Kanu o ka Aina New Century Public Charter School.
“Kanu o ka Aina definitely played a big role in everything that I did. I can’t even express how thankful I am that Aunty Ku was able to show me at a young age that our histories, our stories truly mattered. We could really acknowledge who we are and who our ancestors were at every point of the day and that our education can revolve around that. She truly set me on my path,” says Case.
Her love of story led Case to earn a B.A. in English at U.H. Hilo. “I initially went into English because that was where I could really learn about the craft and engage in reading stories from all over the world. I'm a lover of words and language. I wanted to learn about writing and telling stories from different perspectives and languages,” says Case.
After completing her B.A. Case continued in English receiving an M.A. in English from U.H. Manoa, interweaving her cultural and academic experiences. “I took everything I had with the bachelor's degree and everything that I had growing up in hula and that's where I to started to explore literature about Hawaii and the Pacific,” says Case.
When she completed her master’s degree and needing to work and take a break from studies, Case began a teaching position at U.H. Hilo. “I was blessed to be offered an instructor position in the English department at U.H. Hilo. I taught there for a couple of years and then I was offered an amazing assistant professor position in Hawaiian studies. For four years I taught a mix of English and Hawaiian language and Hawaiian studies courses,” says Case.
Her roots and varied experiences were pushing her to reach further, which she did by pursuing a Ph.D. in Pacific Studies. “While I was teaching I was definitely continuing to learn from my students at U.H. Hilo. I decided I wanted to go into Pacific studies. It's interdisciplinary. You can pull from history, from English, from languages, Hawaiian studies and bring that all together,” says Case.
Because Pacific Studies is a relatively new field, there were no Ph.D. programs at home. Case found herself reaching across the Pacific seeking the knowledge and wisdom from the S.W. corner of the Polynesian Triangle. “I knew right away that I wanted to come to New Zealand because it has some of the best Pacific Studies programs. I looked into the program at Victoria University in Wellington and I saw that the director of the program was a woman named Teresia Teaiwa. I had read some of her work and have always loved her scholarship,” says Case.
Not only was Case accepted to the program, but was given a full scholarship and in June 2012 began a three year program. “I left Hawaii’s summer and moved to the middle of New Zealand's winter. I quickly learned Wellington has some of the harshest wind in New Zealand. In the first couple of months I struggled with trying to find my grounding on multiple levels and that was rough,” says Case.
Submitted in July 2015, Case’s Ph.D. thesis, I Kahiki ke Ola: In Kahiki there is Life, Ancestral Memories and Migrations in the New Pacific, explores the concept of Kahiki as it encapsulates, “our ancestral memories of migration,” says Case.
Through her Ph.D. work and a teaching fellowship, with a range of Pacific Islander students, Case has explored first hand, issues facing many indigenous people, “Here I am considered a Pacific Islander not in my homeland. What does that mean? I was able to open up that space for those conversations,” says Case.
A grounding in personalized learning, a hall mark of Kanu o ka Aina education, was something that Case was able to pass on to students in an art and activism course she taught. “This class on art and activism was such an emotional one for me and I think for many of my students because we definitely pushed that personal connection. They're essentially given the opportunity to challenge the way that their people, their families, and their cultures and communities have been represented by outsiders. They're given the space to voice their opinions about that,” says Case.
So what’s next for Case? “I was offered a position in Hawaiian and Pacific studies at U.H. West Oahu. I start there in January. While we honor our culture, our histories in Hawaii, we have to also see them in relationship to the rest of the Pacific and build on those ancestral connections. There are so many exciting opportunities there and who knows what we can build there?” says Case.
Case’s story begins in Waimea, her tap root an immersion in Hawaiian culture and language. “I've always had a strong cultural foundation. I grew up dancing hula with Pua (Case) before I ever went to school. So that really set the foundation for me,” says Case.
Those strong roots have nourished Case as she engaged in an odyssey of story and an exploration of Pacific Islander culture. “Hula taught me how to see the world as being storied. It doesn't allow you to step into the world as an unconscious traveler. Every rock, every mountain, every river, has a story that is connected to people. It set that foundation for wherever I go in the world. You have to understand story and you have to understand your place within that story. It's humbling,” says Case.
Hawaiian language has always been at the center of Case’s educational endeavors. Born in 1983, Aha Punanaleo o Waimea, whose original director was her mother, Keomailani Case, came too late for her to attend. But her Hawaiian language roots were nourished by the burgeoning efforts of Ku and Nalei Kahakalau, founders of Kanu o ka Aina New Century Public Charter School.
“Kanu o ka Aina definitely played a big role in everything that I did. I can’t even express how thankful I am that Aunty Ku was able to show me at a young age that our histories, our stories truly mattered. We could really acknowledge who we are and who our ancestors were at every point of the day and that our education can revolve around that. She truly set me on my path,” says Case.
Her love of story led Case to earn a B.A. in English at U.H. Hilo. “I initially went into English because that was where I could really learn about the craft and engage in reading stories from all over the world. I'm a lover of words and language. I wanted to learn about writing and telling stories from different perspectives and languages,” says Case.
After completing her B.A. Case continued in English receiving an M.A. in English from U.H. Manoa, interweaving her cultural and academic experiences. “I took everything I had with the bachelor's degree and everything that I had growing up in hula and that's where I to started to explore literature about Hawaii and the Pacific,” says Case.
When she completed her master’s degree and needing to work and take a break from studies, Case began a teaching position at U.H. Hilo. “I was blessed to be offered an instructor position in the English department at U.H. Hilo. I taught there for a couple of years and then I was offered an amazing assistant professor position in Hawaiian studies. For four years I taught a mix of English and Hawaiian language and Hawaiian studies courses,” says Case.
Her roots and varied experiences were pushing her to reach further, which she did by pursuing a Ph.D. in Pacific Studies. “While I was teaching I was definitely continuing to learn from my students at U.H. Hilo. I decided I wanted to go into Pacific studies. It's interdisciplinary. You can pull from history, from English, from languages, Hawaiian studies and bring that all together,” says Case.
Because Pacific Studies is a relatively new field, there were no Ph.D. programs at home. Case found herself reaching across the Pacific seeking the knowledge and wisdom from the S.W. corner of the Polynesian Triangle. “I knew right away that I wanted to come to New Zealand because it has some of the best Pacific Studies programs. I looked into the program at Victoria University in Wellington and I saw that the director of the program was a woman named Teresia Teaiwa. I had read some of her work and have always loved her scholarship,” says Case.
Not only was Case accepted to the program, but was given a full scholarship and in June 2012 began a three year program. “I left Hawaii’s summer and moved to the middle of New Zealand's winter. I quickly learned Wellington has some of the harshest wind in New Zealand. In the first couple of months I struggled with trying to find my grounding on multiple levels and that was rough,” says Case.
Submitted in July 2015, Case’s Ph.D. thesis, I Kahiki ke Ola: In Kahiki there is Life, Ancestral Memories and Migrations in the New Pacific, explores the concept of Kahiki as it encapsulates, “our ancestral memories of migration,” says Case.
Through her Ph.D. work and a teaching fellowship, with a range of Pacific Islander students, Case has explored first hand, issues facing many indigenous people, “Here I am considered a Pacific Islander not in my homeland. What does that mean? I was able to open up that space for those conversations,” says Case.
A grounding in personalized learning, a hall mark of Kanu o ka Aina education, was something that Case was able to pass on to students in an art and activism course she taught. “This class on art and activism was such an emotional one for me and I think for many of my students because we definitely pushed that personal connection. They're essentially given the opportunity to challenge the way that their people, their families, and their cultures and communities have been represented by outsiders. They're given the space to voice their opinions about that,” says Case.
So what’s next for Case? “I was offered a position in Hawaiian and Pacific studies at U.H. West Oahu. I start there in January. While we honor our culture, our histories in Hawaii, we have to also see them in relationship to the rest of the Pacific and build on those ancestral connections. There are so many exciting opportunities there and who knows what we can build there?” says Case.
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