No ka Hīpuʻu
About Hīpuʻu
Our Name
Hīpuʻu: the Native Hawaiian Education Data Clearinghouse (hipuu.org) is inspired by the art and practice of lei hīpuʻu (also referred to as kīpuʻu or nīpuʻu). This method of lei-making uses hīpuʻu (knots) and is often made with lau kukui (kukui leaves) with its long and flexible leaf stems. The symbolism of hīpuʻu reflects the bonding or fastening of knowledge while the lau kukui is representative of enlightenment.
Symbolic of the hīpuʻu practice is the moʻokūʻauhau (genealogy) of knowledge and data. Within data live the accounts and lineage of how it was collected, the purpose of its origins, and the stories of the individuals and communities involved. The relationship we have with data is our ability to examine, analyze, and interpret the world around us for collective benefit.
Our Commitment
Hīpuʻu is our commitment to share research resources and foster relevant and ethical data governance.
Who created hipuu.org?
Hipuu.org was initiated by the Native Hawaiian Education Council (NHEC).
NHEC was established in 1994 under the terms of the Native Hawaiian Education Act (NHEA) and is responsible for assessing, coordinating, reporting and making recommendations to the United States Department of Education (ED) and to the United States Congress on the status of Native Hawaiian education.
Why was hipuu.org created?
NHEA Sec. 6204(c) states that NHEC’s use of funds for coordinating activities includes serving as a data clearinghouse that provides advice about the educational and related services and programs available to Native Hawaiians.
Hipuu.org was created as a coordinating activity which offers an online data clearinghouse providing advice about the educational and related services and programs available to Native Hawaiians and the people of Hawai'i. The research, studies, assessments, and data provided here are direct works or data contributions of NHEC.
Our goal is for hipuu.org to be a resource that:
Amplifies narratives of impactful and culturally relevant outcomes beyond test scores;
Supports a kākou (inclusive of everyone) approach to system-level changes in scaling coordinated efforts across the education spectrum; and
Activates inquiry to encourage sustainable support for Native Hawaiian education.
