Pu`uhonua O Waimanalo Village case study
- Case
- The Pu`uhonua O Waimanalo Village is a sovereign, 55-acre territory on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu.
- They are the oldest Hawaiian sovereignty group in existence, founded in 1994
- Was lacking connect and broadband and decided to add its own internet access, installed for, and by, their own Indigenous community.
- Funding
- The Internet Society (ISOC) is helping the nation install its broadband, hosting an Indigenous Connectivity Summit in Hawai‘i in mid-November, where communities from across North America will come together to learn from one another and share solutions.
- ISOC supports communities leading their own access solutions, to enable an environment that promotes even more access to solutions
- ISOC focuses its work in places where there is no economic incentive for an internet service provider (ISP) to make money, and therefore an entire population is left unserved.
- Money then stays in the community as they build, control and make a more meaningful and better community
- The Internet Society (ISOC) is helping the nation install its broadband, hosting an Indigenous Connectivity Summit in Hawai‘i in mid-November, where communities from across North America will come together to learn from one another and share solutions.
- Strategies for success for this project
- Internet is a means to share the story and culture of the village with the rest of the world
- “The internet is important for us to share our story,” says Brandon Maka‘awa‘awa, deputy head of state of the Nation of Hawai‘i.
- Indigenous voices are often not at the table when these connectivity conversations are otherwise had, having internet access allows new voices to be heard
- With the help of the Internet Society, we will unlock something that will help bring people together and help us find world peace,” says Maka‘awa‘awa, who sees internet access as a step in the direction of a global shift toward peace.
- “It’s about us improving our way of life,” Maka‘awa‘awa continues. “You need to build it. We’re going to build solutions for our community. We’re tired of waiting for the reconciliation we deserve. So we need to create solutions for ourselves.”
- A small group is entering the community for installation, showing the community how to install and operate the system
- Village ensures that the community is involved within the process of installation, learning, and building internet access within the community
- people are able to self-identify to take ISOC training to learn to install, run, and manage the network
- Build Self Reliance
- This movement is bottom-up and community-driven, Native Hawaiians are establishing their own Internet systems – and in doing so, sharing important lessons about appropriate and inclusive forms of technology development.
- Internet is a means to share the story and culture of the village with the rest of the world
Key Themes: Engagement - Marketing - Empathy - Education
Issues: Self Reliance- Bringing a voice to the people - Building opportunities
Strategies: Inclusive technology - Native owned system
Forms of Access: Community - Everyone
Reference: https://ilsr.org/hawaii-community-broadband-blp-episode-88/