Global Breadfruit Heritage Council
The purpose of the Global Breadfruit Heritage Council is to honor and protect the genetic, cultural/spiritual, environmental, and product integrity of breadfruit.
Olohana is supporting the formation of the GBHC as a mechanism to promote local and regionally correct agroforesty practices in the formation of breadfruit as a leading gluten free food on the world market.
Ulu Initiative: Empowering Communities through Food and Renewable Energy Micro-Hubs
Olohana partners with experts from indigenous communities around the world to develop food and energy systems for their communities in ways that strengthen their communities, cultural ties, and collaboration with other native peoples.
Partnerships with Shidler School of Business, Agroforestry Net, and Intertribal Council on Utilities Policy (COUP) allows Olohana to work with communities and small farms to create local food and renewable energy micro-hubs. For instance, Olohana is currently working with Shidler School of Business to grow the Pacific Ulu (Breadfruit) Initiative and explore opportunities for setting up micr-hubs to produce and process ulu into value-addejd products. This social enterprise opportunity will benefit communities throughout Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia.
Native Expert Advisory Council (NEAC)
Olohana works with our partners, such as the NOAA Pacific Services Center and the PRiMO Indigenous Knowledge and Environment (IKE) Hui, to organize and support an native expert advisory council (NEAC) comprised of Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islanders, and Native Alaskans committed to forwarding our society’s understanding of climate change and variability through multi-generational knowledge systems and modern science. The native expert advisory council (NEAC) contributed to the National Climate Assessment and the Rising Voices Rising Voices National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Workshop in partnership with the Indigenous Peoples Climate Change Working Group and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.
Community Resilience Training
Olohana partners with the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail and the Makali’i Polynesian Voyaging Society to offer community resilience and climate adaptation planning.
The ITK™ Resilience Training Program uses a place-based learning model comprised of a land-based component (maha’ai) and a nearshore-based component (‘aukai) aimed at helping to increase a community’s capacity to impart critical skills and knowledge to initiate their youth as key players in addressing natural disaster and climate-related challenges anticipated to increase over the coming generations.
International Native Science Research Center
The Native Science Research Center (NSRC) enables professors, students and communities from around the world to work together to advance indigenous and local knowledge and scientific research around climate change and weather systems. All knowledge systems and knowledge generated are developed for the purpose of serving and advancing tribal, indigenous and native peoples. Haskell Foundation (501.c.3) in partnership with Haskell Native American University houses and administers NSRC. Olohana Foundation and our partners, such as Pasifika Foundation and the University of Hawaii Shidler Business College Pacific Business Programs, support the center by coordinating the participation of a native advisory council and assisting with solicitation of grant and social enterprise opportunities to support the research center’s activities as they benefit local communities.
Inter-generational Transfer of Knowledge (ITK)
Olohana works with communities to help them pass on knowledge between the generations using the ITK™ process. Olohana also works through the PRiMO Indigenous Knowledge and Environment Hui to help bring an indigenous voice to efforts such as the National Climate Assessment.
The Primo 2014 conference and Reflecting on A decade of PRiMO
Produced for the Pacific Risk Management Ohana (PRiMO) 2014 Conference: Building Communities of Practice for Resilience and reflecting on the past 10 years:
Our Voice in the National Climate Assessment
After welcoming protocols at Pu’u Kohala, indigenous elders share their people’s observations about climate change and what to do about it. Scientists and writers from many walks of life listen, absorb, and ponder.