STAND. COM. REP. NO. 24

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1127

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1127 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TRADITIONAL HAWAIIAN KNOWLEDGE CURRICULUM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to promote the knowledge and practices of sciences as they existed prior to Western contact in Hawaii by appropriating funds for the development of a traditional science curriculum and standards relating to pre-western contact Hawaii.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Education.

     Contemporary science curriculums taught in schools focus on theories and practices of modern and Western societies.  By adhering to traditional Native Hawaiian knowledge and practices, Native Hawaiian societies prior to 1778 Western contact lived in a more harmonious and symbiotic relationship with their environments than contemporary societies.  The modern day science curriculum, however, tends to ignore the traditional knowledge and practices.

     The traditional Native Hawaiian knowledge and practices are still pertinent today, as the crews of the many successful Hokule‘a voyages have proven.  Your Committee finds that appropriating funds for the development of a traditional science curriculum and standards relating to pre-western contact Hawaii will accomplish the intent of this measure, which is to promote the Native Hawaiian knowledge and practice of the sciences in Hawaii's schools.  Developing a pre-western contact science curriculum will ensure that Native Hawaiians traditional knowledge and practices are not lost, and will be preserved and available for future generations to learn and practice.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1127 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Chair