Phase II

Cosmovisions Phase II will be a 2.5-day event that will take place February/March 2025 (date coming soon) at the Kahaluʻu ma Kai in Kona, Hawaii. Kahaluʻu ma Kai is a cultural and educational space that is also the home of several Heiau, or temples/spiritual sites. These sites include Hāpaialiʻi, a timekeeping and celestial observation heiau; Makoleʻā a women’s heiau and meeting space; Keʻekū, a heiau of high ceremony; and Kapuanoni, a heiau dedicated to farming and fishing abundance. It is the grounds that trained many Hawaiian chiefs and leaders, and is a place that has been rededicated to learning through cultural practices and ancestral connection. The location has been selected based on three criteria: proximity to indigenous communities, program and geographic location synergies and cost effectiveness for participants.

Progress to Date

Cosmovisions Phase 1 was a small pilot initiative that took place in January 2023 at Northwest Indian College including 30 Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers, educators, students and knowledge holders to explore the concept of Cosmovisions, and to establish a framework for the broader project proposed here. The event included various presentations, scenario exploration and deep discussion. Some examples of major ideas that emerged during the pilot gathering event include:

• We need more advocates that are trained in best practices in Indigenous–non-Indigenous collaboration, and this will require co-developed training programs.
• Indigenous persons often feel a deep-seated trauma from threat of losing their culture, language, etc., and this must be recognized/addressed as we build relationships.
• When addressing questions/problems, non-Indigenous persons tend to begin breaking down the problem into pieces and planning step-by-step solutions, whereas Indigenous knowledge holders tend to begin by asking the question, “How does this impact my culture, language, etc.”

 These and other findings from the pilot gathering have and will continue to inform Cosmovisions program and activities proposed here. Many of the concepts that emerged in the pilot will be probed more deeply.

High-Level Agenda

• Day 0 (Evening): Group welcome dinner including Indigenous opening ceremony and presentation on Cosmovisions (cultural respects, land acknowledgment, etc.)
• Day 1 (Full Day): Daily opening ceremony, Indigenous–non-Indigenous plenary presentation, breakout room discussion on different scenarios and “big” questions, networking
• Day 3 (Full Day): Daily opening ceremony, Indigenous–non-Indigenous plenary presentation, breakout room discussion on different scenarios and “big” questions, networking
• Day 4 (Morning Only): Co-create framework/outline for report, and identify next steps

Sessions that include only Indigenous persons will be moderated by an Indigenous co-lead, and those that include only non-Indigenous persons will be moderated by a non-Indigenous co-lead. Those sessions that include both Indigenous and non-Indigenous will include co-moderators, one who is Indigenous, and another who is non-Indigenous. In open discussions, the moderator(s) will begin with an explanation of the task and what we hope to accomplish through the activity. This will be followed by an opportunity for participants to share their thoughts and feelings. Through an iterative process the moderator will facilitate the discussion in a way that key ideas emerge, are collected and shared as appropriate with others.

As we evolve the details of the gathering agenda, we will design specific activities that explore possible connections that might emerge from Indigenous persons in the Pacific and around the Pacific Rim. This could include modes of transportation and navigation, agriculture methods, star stories, climate stories and other potential connections. Further, we will include Indigenous ceremonies and presentations on Cosmovisions, land acknowledgments, etc. that will potentially expose how communities, culture, tradition around the Pacific might be connected.

After the gathering, the leadership team will work on the production of the report and outcomes. The outcomes report will be shared to everyone who attended the Cosmovision Phase II meeting, and each participant will be listed as a contributor. After the in-person meeting takes place, the leadership team will conduct a monthly meeting with attendees to inform them about the production of the report, resources, get input for the Network and to keep the group connected. The resources will also help the leadership team to secure funding from other agencies to continue the work and build the Cosmovisions Network that is expected to launch at an event in August 2024 in Washington, D.C. Everyone who attended the phase I (Cosmovision in Seattle) and phase II meetings will be invited to the event. This event will also help to enhance their relationship and connections.