Hawaiians
in Technology

& Purple Maiʻa

HACKATHON 2022

Well, the event was a blast.

A three-day hackathon kicked off this afternoon, bringing together non-native and native Hawaiian technologists, researchers, coders, cultural practitioners and community members to lend their thoughts and talents to the field of native Hawaiian genealogy.
Read about the first day

ʻĀhea?

When

July 29 – 31, 2022

Ma hea?

Location

Oahu locations & Virtual

He aha ka poʻomanaʻo?

Theme

Moʻokūʻauhau & Moʻōlelo

A non-traditional hackathon; expanding on traditional kanaka concepts including moʻokūʻauhau, our collective identity, and honoring our ancestors; using modern technologies; bringing a foundation of kanaka digital tooling to the world.

Come join us as we collectively explore our kanaka identity/heritage—with moʻokūʻauhau as our project’s foundation—using modern technology & tooling. Pretty cool, yeah?

We are starting with an idea around coming together to build a genealogy tool. One that is rooted in kanaka concepts mai ka hiko (da’ olden times) and through a present-day lens.

So you! Yeah, you! We need you! Both those with technical and cultural expertise. Kanaka—and technical allies interested in participating—should come with a good attitude, a learning mentality, and, most likely, extra extension cords.

Bump shoulders with others like you. As our Hawaiians in Tech community has realized, you should know we exist and are tʻriving.

Dr. Lilikalā Kameʻeleihiwaala

Senior Professor, UH Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies; Founder, Mauliauhonua, Hawaiian Genealogies

Technical Help 🛠

Looking for individuals who can help us:

  • Parse, store, or manage data
  • Shape data infrastructural / system design
  • Visualize hierarchical & interconnected data in a compelling way
  • A degree of technical acumen or a strong will to pick one up fast
  • Smart, open-minded folks with a good attitude
Common technical roles we’re looking for (but not limited to):
  • Software engineers
  • Testing engineers
  • Data infrastructure / science / analysis
  • Privacy & safety
  • User-generated content & moderation
  • UX / Product / UI designers

Non Technical Help 💡

Looking for individuals who can help:

  • Engage in thoughtful discussions exploring our modern relationship to mo'oku'auhau and connect with like minded individuals
  • Co-develop a framework to digitize, organize, and share genealogy with the rest of their 'ohana
  • Test out and provide thoughtful feedback on existing functionalities
  • Provide thoughts and ideas on future development of the project
  • Give opinions on the best visualizations for the genealogy data
The weekend will include:
  • Keynote speakers
  • Mo'olelo talk stories
  • Art workshops
  • Lo'i kalo

Do I need to work in tech to participate? Or be Native Hawaiian?

No, you don’t. We are simply looking for passionate folks who can contribute to the aforementioned goals.

Allies are welcome. As well as kanaka still learning their way around technical spaces.

I cannot make the event! Will there be future events?

We sure hope so. If this event goes well, this should probably be the first of many.

If you cannot make it, please reach out and we’ll give you head’s up for the next! Even if you have ideas for future events, let us know!

Will I be able to participate virtually?

Absolutely. The more, the better we’re able to facilitate a more thorough experience for those attending virtually. Please RSVP when it's available!

Can I bring my own hackathon project ideas?

Can. If you can intuit interesting, adjacent projects then, of course, you are more than welcome to build with us.

Can I come just to hang & talk story?

Yessah. The more minds we have discussing and exploring these concepts, the better. It takes a village.

Will there be transportation?

We going try. Come join the Discord; there should be plenty others looking to help!

Purple Maiʻa

Hawaiian Ancestry Kūkāmoʻo

Native Books

Kamehameha Schools

Google Empathy Lab

Waiākea Volcanic Water

Shaka Tea Hawaiʻi

Uncle Dean Keko'olani

Wai Wai Collective

HTDC

Andrew Taeoaliʻi

Hawaiians in Tech

Keaʻa Davis

Purple Maiʻa

Keoni DeFranco

Purple Maiʻa

Taylor Kekai Ho

Hawaiians in Tech

Emmit Kamakani Parubrub

Hawaiians in Tech