The Case of Kahewai: Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Kānaka ‘Ōiwi Well-Being

The purpose of this study is to illustrate an Indigenous,1 Native Hawaiian (Kānaka ‘Ōiwi) framework for understanding well-being with a qualitative case study of a man, Kānaka ‘Ōiwi, Kahewai. We have our ‘Ōlelo Makuahine (Mother language) to tell our mo‘olelo or stories. The case study of Kahewai demonstrates the interconnection between ‘āina (land), kūpuna (elders/ ancestors), and lōkahi (harmony/ unity). Similar to woven lauhala (Pandanus leaves), our ‘ike kūpuna (knowledge from our ancestors) is the intertwined narratives of our land and culture. We hope to share one kāne (man) Kānaka ‘Ōiwi narrative to help illustrate Indigenous ways of being in particular, ways of healing, adapting, and creating a sense of well-being through social justice and reflection. With the use of his mo‘olelo, we demonstrate an alternative perspective of Kānaka ‘Ōiwi well-being that is embedded in Meyer’s (2001, 2003, 2013) work on Kānaka ‘Ōiwi epistemology and McGregor et al.’s (2003) Kānaka ‘Ōiwi ecological model of well-being. This mo‘olelo is through the eyes of a wayfarer and a caretaker of the ocean with his family and faith. This narrative case study demonstrates how Indigenous knowledge and well-being of Kānaka ‘Ōiwi can be seen, not through the gaze of the “foreigner,” but from the mo‘olelo of our people (Kamakau, 1865).