Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 11, 1 November 2023 — Continuing a Tradition of Indigenous Innovation [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Continuing a Tradition of Indigenous Innovation

A pair of OHA grants are helping Purple Mai'a inspire and educate the next generatien of culturally grounded, community-serving technology makers By Ed Kalama He mai'a ke kanaka a ka lā e hua ai. Aperson is like a hanana tree on the day it bearsfruit. One ean tell what kind of a person they are by their deeds. They honor the past by looking to the future. Their goal is to build an innovation and technology ecosystem in Hawai'i that's loeally grown and based in Hawaiian culture. Their hope is to stand as a world class Hawaiian institution that sets the standard for excellence in education, innovation, and entrepreneurship in service of land and people. Purple Mai'a Foundation is a technology education nonprofit that was founded in 2013. Its programs started with a single afterschool technology class at Jarrett Middle School that taught Native Hawaiian and loeal kids to code. Since then, the organization has grown to work with hundreds of learners annually in three distinct programs: Youth Education (Kaikaina), Entrepreneurship (Mālama Design Studios), and Workforce Development and Training (Hiapo). The Ofhce of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) recently awarded a pair of community grants to Purple Mai'a, joining a host of major funders that support their work including Kamehameha Schools, the U.S. Department of Education's Native Hawaiian Education Program, the National Oeeanie and Atmospheric Administration, Castle Foundation, Kosasa Foundation, Stupski Foundation, Nakapuna Foundation, and many others. "Hawaiians have always been innovators. From navigating our oceans to creating a thriving culture in one of the most isolated places in the world, Hawaiians have always been technology forward," said Co-CEO Kelsey Amos, who co-founded the nonprofit along with Co-CEO Donavan Kealoha and Advisor Olin Lagon. "Through our grants from OHA, Purple Mai'a has been enabled to continue this tradition of Indigenous innovation by pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a modern-day Hawaiian." A $498,660 OHA eeonomie grant has been awarded for the company's Mālama Design Studio initiative, an incubator program that supports Native Hawaiian businesses. The grant project entails educating 20 Native Hawaiian business owners through a collaborative design research process that results in the implementation of a technology solution that ean improve their business, and ultimately cultivate eeonomie development in and for Hawaiian communities. A first cohort for the grant has already been selected.

"We received 85 applications from Native Hawaiian businesses across Hawai'i and selected 10 exceptional partner businesses, representing eaeh island, with owners of Hawaiian ancestry," Amos said. "With this selection, plus ongoing relationships with businesses we've formerly worked with, we've established a wide-rang-ing coalition of Native Hawaiian businesses from a diverse set of industries committed to attaining eeonomie self-sufhciency." "We've established a wide network of skilled Native Hawaiian web, digital marketing and graphic design contractors to assist our project team in serving partner businesses," said Keoni Defranco, managing director of the Mālama Design Studio. "We've begun to assist these companies with technological implementations, and provided resources for their business operations, and seen both revenue and social media marketing footprints dramatically increase. "We chose companies that believe in the importance of a regenerative, circular Hawai'i economy that prioritizes environmental sustainability and social justice and it's really been paying off. To us, this is the definition of waiwai - community abundance and weahh." Defranco said Purple Mai'a is dedicated to supporting the development of a self-sufhcient economy for Hawai'i. 'As an entrepreneur with 10 years of experience running a venture-funded technology company in the Healthcare IT space, I personally understand that early stage companies need more than advice, they need a community supporting them, directly adding value to their roadmap and working alongside them," he said. "We view the Mālama Design Studio as an opportunity to add firepower into a company for the duration of the program and beyond. Working across our pae aina allows us to have a better vantage point into the needs of the community, and we have identified where eommercial kitchens, value add centers, distribution hubs, manufacturing facilities and other aspects of the supply

ehain are needed to truly scale our loeal economy. We understand this requires Kānaka ownership of aina and infrastructure. "Our goal is to develop a coalition of Native Hawaiian social entrepreneurs focused on aloha aina, sustainability and regenerative business models to cultivate waiwai and uplift our lāhui," Defranco added. "We've taken a systemic approach assisting social enterprises and industry leaders in target areas that include food security, land stewardship, heahh and wellness, renewable energy, housing solutions, and biocultural restoration, all aeeelerated by innovative technologies." A $200,000 OHA education grant will go toward the "Waiw.AI: Building a Flourishing Future for Kanaka with AI" project that will equip Native Hawaiian students and kumu with AI (artificial intelligence) knowledge and skills. Waiw.AI Studios will focus on introducing students and teachers in Hawai'i to AI through a variety of activities, such as workshops, training sessions and mentorship programs. "By equipping Native Hawaiian students with AI knowledge and skills, we aim to increase their college, career, and community readiness, and ensure they are prepared to participate in the rapidly evolving field of AI," Amos said. "Moreover, by increasing the number of Native Hawaiian professionals in AI-related fields, we hope to contribute to the development and innovation of AI in Hawai'i and ensure that Hawaiian perspectives and values are integrated into the field. Waiw.AI encourages a multigenerational perspective that engages students in the problems of the present with an eye towards a flourishing future." Vice President of Educational Design Mike Sarmiento said Purple Mai'a is thankful for OHA's belief in their skillset. "For Waiw.AI studios, we have appreciated OHA's commitment to taking a ehanee on our ability to amplify our cultural values and 'ike using an emerging technology. The flexibility to work with both haumāna and kumu will enahle this studio to have the most impact and to grow our communities' understanding and capacity to utilize these new tools for the betterment of our lāhui," he said. Sarmiento said that innovative Native Hawaiian organizations like Purple Mai'a need the support of innovative funders like OHA. "Sometimes when you are pushing the edge of what it means to be a Hawaiian today it ean feel risky and eontroversial for funders. We believe that although it ean be scary, there is waiwai to be found at the outer edges where the known meets the unknown," he said. "Organizations and funders must find courage. The same courage that it took for our ancestors to venture out on their wa'a to discover Hawai'i, is the same courage we need today as modern Hawaiians to rediscover Hawai'i. This ean only be done together." ■

Purple Mūi'ū Foundotion's Mālomo īeom includes: Back row (l-r) Angel Permi-to-Kaheaku (FoundHer progrom coordinotor), Keoni DeFronco (Mōlomo Studios monoging director), Ikoiko Bishop (educotionol speciolist) ond Zoch Pilien (technology and educotion opprentice); Middle (l-r) Keo'o Dovis (leod design ond product strotegist), Jozzy Keoloho (Mōlomo Design Studio program monoger), ond Pōhoi Ponoke (creotive developer); Front row (l-r) Cheyenne Diehl (designer) ond Dorien Siguenzo (FoundHer progrom director).- Courtesy Photo