The Kūpuna Project
Learning the old ways of Hawai’i from those who know it best
Conservation through storytelling.
The Kūpuna Project is a multimedia journalism project featuring interviews and stories that capture the lives and memories of Native Hawaiian (Kānaka Maoli) elders over the age of 60.
These individuals have a unique historic perspective and they’re dying. Their experience speaks to the societal ills of Native Hawaiians and if we don’t do this now, we will lose these memories and stories.
This underserved population represents only 12.6% of the state of Hawaii’s older adults. According to a research article published in a medical journal, Native Hawaiian elders are more likely to live within or below 100% of the poverty level. Kūpuna have some of the nation’s shortest life expectancies, and are more likely to be impoverished, have greater problems with self-care, and underutilize health care services compared to their non-native elder counterparts in their home of Hawai`i.
If this is true, then it is also true their voices are being marginalized. An in-depth, multimedia project highlighting the personal, individual history of Hawai'i kūpuna using audio, visual and written journalism techniques will bring these issues and their voices to the forefront.
The media often forget to put a face to topics of inequality, making it difficult for readers to empathize and imagine the details of daily life in impoverished communities. The Kūpuna Project breaks this cycle by providing in-depth coverage of individual kūpuna, humanizing them and unearthing the root causes of these issues.
These stories matter because they are impactful, rich with history, and cannot be ignored.
One story at a time.
Follow the link to learn more..
