| This dissertation explores hei, the act of string figure making and its role in the documentation of traditional knowledge and ways of knowing and doing. Unlike traditional dissertations that are organized by chapter, the following is organized by stand-alone articles.;Article 1, “Mai pa'a i ka leo: Don‘t hold back the voice,”. talks about developing leo or voice as well as silencing. It proposes ways to restore voice through authentic texts and experiences, especially through manaleo, our native speakers of Hawaiian and traditional holders of knowledge and teachers of the Hawaiian voice.;Article 2, &;Article 3, “Indigenous Learning and Hei,” explores how spiritual instruction through dreams, prophecies, cellular memory, and intuition can assist the indigenous researcher in the quest to reclaim and revitalize performances such as hei.;Article 4, “Hei: Hawaiian String Figures: Hawaiian Memory Culture and Mnemonic Practice,” explores the question, “How did my kūpuna (ancestors) remember long texts and performances?” and examines Hawaiian memory culture via a case study of hei. However, this is not an article on forgetting but on remembering.;Article 5, “Performance Cartography of Kaua'i,” concludes the dissertation with a complete program of performances for Kaua'i, the kulāiwi or homeland of my Akana family. It looks at mele (chant), hula (dance), 'ōlelo no'eau (wise sayings), mo'okū'auhau (genealogy), mo'oleo (story), mahele 'āina (land divisions), inoa 'āina (land names), and, finally, hei performances of Kaua'i as evidence of the rich cartographic tradition that existed throughout Hawai'i prior to contact. |
