Makanalani Malia Gomes
Birthplace/Hometown: Waipiʻo, Oʻahu
High School:ʻIolani
UHM degrees being pursued: MA Hawaiian Studies
Current Occupation: Student Assistant, Native Hawaiian Place of Learning
Advancement Office
What inspired/inspires the path for you academic major?
It’s a two-fold answer for me. First would be my Grammy, Julia Malia Kaneiakama Vradenburg Gomes. My Grammy was instrumental in cultivating a love and appreciation for education. Despite having to cut her education short at 9th grade, she never lost her ‘iʻini to learn and educate herself in alternative ways. When I applied to my Master’s program, I wrote that my application was really hers. My journey in choosing Hawaiian Studies was largely influenced by her sacrifices, her love, and her life’s journey. I had been debating Law school or a Master’s program. It was working at Legal Aid as a family law, divorce paralegal that made me realize the best way to become a change agent was to become one in my own life. I realized the best way to achieve my own personal liberation was to truly invest in understanding who I am through my culture and language, something my Grammy was never able to do. In doing so, I wasn’t just achieving an identity and culture. I was healing myself, my Grammy, and in hopes of our future generations. It wasn’t until after her passing that I realized how much she endured in her lifetime: the racism, because she was a “dark” Hawaiian whereas other members of her family were lighter; the erasure of her culture when she was beaten [in school] for speaking broken English and using Hawaiian words. Taking this uncharted academic journey has felt like vindication for her, but it is also one of the best ways in which I could honor her legacy, and in doing so I’ve never felt closer to her. Our collective life journeys brought me to the point of understanding the necessity in healing trauma as well as the need and want for reclamation of self and story.
The second would be the wellbeing of my ‘ohana. When I embarked on this academic journey I had no idea where it would lead, but the journey in and of itself has been the most rewarding. And in recognizing that, I know that it’s not so much where it leads that’s important but rather how I get there. Being more present in my process has made me realize an important part to my inspiration is the health, wellness, and wellbeing of my ‘ohana. When I focus on my wellbeing and the wellbeing of my ‘ohana, we are actively building capacity for the wellbeing of the lāhui which is always the best reminder and inspiration when I am feeling stuck, down, or on the brink of exhaustion (and during Covid that can be more frequent than normal). I always say, this degree isn’t just mine or for me, this is for my kūpuna, for my ‘ohana, for our lāhui; this is to venerate them. This is a testament to their stories, their ideas, and their thoughts so they know and always know how important, special, and revered they are and forever will be.
We believe that at the heart of a Native Hawaiian place of learning is aloha ʻāina: the constant care for and reciprocation with Hawaiʻi's people, places and practices. How do you see your time at UH shaping the way you aloha ʻāina?
My time at UH has truly evolved the way in which I aloha ‘āina and it has expanded my understanding of aloha ‘āina. Obviously, the expected influential factors such as coursework, research, and co-learning have impacted the evolution of the way I aloha ʻāina, but it has also been in observing and enduring the institutional shortcomings. As a non-traditional student, I attended undergraduate school in New York and Aotearoa (New Zealand), worked for about 5 years in various sectors and fields and decided to return to higher education. It was never a question that I’d go to graduate school or law school anywhere else but UH. After all, my parents met at UH and so the University is a big part of my parents’ relationship genealogy and in turn mine.
However, I haven’t always felt like I’ve belonged at UH or felt like I saw myself in community at UH. And unfortunately that’s in large part to the campus not feeling like it is a safe and supporting space for Hawaiians outside of the “designated” Hawaiian places and spaces on campus. For me this is one of the greatest lessons of aloha ʻāina, that love for land and people like love in general is not always easy, there are severe growing pains and lessons. The greatest expansive loves are deeply rooted in growth and regeneration. I often think of the various ancestral elements that cause growth, regeneration, and birth. Oftentimes those processes arise from chaos and we as humans, are humbled and reminded that we are truly in control of very little. My time at UH has been marked by growing pains and the chaos of growth, birth, and healing. Throughout those experiences my practice of aloha ‘āina has been pushed, challenged, and tried, but it has allowed my transformation to mimic ‘āina and that has been the most rewarding because when our aloha mimics ‘āina then our aloha ‘āina isn’t just for us; it builds and births intergenerational aloha ‘āina and cuts ties to intergenerational trauma.
What are your future goals in your work?
Right now, my primary goal is to maintain the momentum with my research in order to keep me on track to complete my degree. Ideally, I hope my research surrounding indigenous trauma will give birth to more discussions on the topic as well as ways in which we can begin to heal such trauma, seeing as this subject and issues surrounding trauma, mental health, and spiritual/emotional wellbeing are sometimes still seen as “taboo”.
I am looking forward to stewarding further research in this field perhaps into a PhD program. I honestly hope to make this my life’s work, as I have long-term goals that involve policy advocacy and spatial reclamation all in which I believe will support healing indigenous trauma and support conversations surrounding decolonial trauma centered care and healing.
What does UHM as a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning mean to you?
UHM as a Hawaiian Place of learning for me means the Hawaiian worldview and the language is at the center of how the university exists and operates. In order for that to happen UHM must center and uplift Hawaiians across the campus with the utmost respect to our collective and individual expressions of our autonomy. I think a large implementation of that will need to start with Hawaiians being in positions of leadership and power as well as some investment in healing the institutional mismanagements to rectify trust that may have been lost or unfortunately non-existent.
Above all else it means that this is a safe space where Hawaiʻi and its people are cared for, honored, and revered in a way that is sacred, life giving, healing, and regenerative.
For me, education was always presented as a kīpuka (my parents and kūpuna never called it that), but when I think back my parents always asked me: are you safe? Do they care for you the way we do? Are you learning? And are you happy? It’s been a space for protection and nurturing in nature in a time of deep growth and transformation, and that’s what I hope UHM as a Hawaiian Place of learning will truly become.
