My name is Kamalani Johnson. I am generationally rooted son of Kahana, Oʻahu. I am an ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) and moʻolelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian literature) scholar pursuing a Ph.D in Political Science at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa specializing Indigenous politics and political theory and a graduate certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. I hold BAs in Hawaiian Studies and Linguistics, respectively, and MAs in Indigenous Language and Culture Education (specializing in Hawaiian Language and Literature from UH Hilo’s Ka Haka ‘Ula o Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language) and Political Science (specializing in Indigenous politics and political theory) from UH Mānoa, respectively. My MA thesis “ʻIkuā ka Leo o ka Hekili: He Noiʻina i nā Mele Malama o “Kaao Hooniua Puuwai no Ka-Miki” (The Sound of Thunder Rumbles: An Analysis of Ethnoecological Chants Observed in "Kaao Hooniua Puuwai no Ka-Miki) analyzed Hawaiian ethnoecological chants as seen in the “Kaao Hooniua Puuwai no Ka-Miki” literature.

I have been involved in Hawaiian language revitalization efforts for over 20 years as a product of the ʻAha Pūnana Leo and Hawaiian immersion program and as an instructor, curriculum developer, and researcher at the high school and university levels. Intersecting the interstices of political theory, history, and literature, my Ph.D. research examines governmentality in the territory of Hawaiʻi (1900-1930) and Kanaka Maoli intellectual sovereignty.

In addition to my academic work, I am an experienced curriculum developer for Hawaiian language materials (specializing in children's literature and 19th and 20th-century Hawaiian literature), a specialist in Hawaiian language translation and interpretation (ranging from technical documents such as court documents and science and business materials to Hawaiian language newspapers), and evaluator for Hawaiian language oracy at the high school and higher education levels.

www.kamalanijohnson.com