Revelations about the seeds we planted: huikau, kū̒ē, and the Lāhui

Abstract

Although emerging research on families of color explores internalized oppression and resistance, there is a gap in the literature on these phenomena’s incidence among Kanaka ̒Ōiwi (Native Hawaiian) ̒ohana (families) and the Lāhui (Hawaiian people, nation). Furthermore, scholars have yet to contextualize internalized oppression and resistance as huikau (confusion) and kū̒ē (to oppose, protest, resist), respectively. This conceptual article thus addresses this research gap while interweaving metaphors from Black feminist and Indigenous literature. This article provides a historical analysis of how internalized oppression and huikau came to afflict Kanaka ̒Ōiwi (Native Hawaiians) and conceptualizes the potentiality for kū̒ē at the ̒ohana dimension to generate a widespread disruption of huikau in communities and the Lāhui for collective social change. This conceptualization is offered as a culturally responsive intervention for educators, social workers, and health practitioners who engage with Kanaka ̒Ōiwi ̒ohana.