Brandon Guzman stood above the clouds, 8,000 feet above sea level, planting trees and gathering seeds to restore a native bird population on the mountainside of Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
“We couldn’t see anything below us, just white clouds,” Guzman said.
He was one of the few University of Idaho students that planted more than 50 trees at the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge in less than a day’s work, as part of a UI Native Hawaiian Ecology and Culture course.
The first-ever spring course, led by Anthony Davis, Jeremiah Pinto and Arthur Taylor, was offered to Native American students who traveled to Hawaii as part of an ecological restoration service-learning project during spring break.
Their projects were centered on ecological restoration and cultural immersion, as course instructor and Native American Tribal Liaison Arthur Taylor said 90 percent of Hawaii has been invaded by non-native species.
“We went all the way around the entire big island, and had big stops every day, and met different people every day,” Guzman said. “We actually got to meet other Native Hawaiians and just hearing their different philosophies on their culture and how they treat their environment was the most influential.”
Projects included three days of tree restoration at a tree nursery, a greenhouse and the Hakalau Refuge.
Taylor said they also assisted in Makali’i production of a double-hulled canoe.
“An integral part of (the Hawaiian) culture is their life on water, with their use of stars, sun and moon,” Taylor said. “We helped them prepare the canoe for its next journey.”
Taylor said the canoes can hold 15 people and some have sailed to Tahiti and even Easter Island from Hawaii.
The students also visited a Native Hawaiian immersion school that focused on agricultural farming as well as traditional plant, vegetable and fruit production.
Guzman said the school taught Native culture and language at the elementary level, while Taylor said English classes were not introduced until the fifth or sixth grade level.
“It was an eye-opener for sure,” Guzman said. “Our tribes on the mainland don’t have schools like that, that are preserving their culture. I was wanting to come back and to get back involved more with our own cultures.”
Upon return from the one-week trip, students did just that.
Guzman said each student was responsible for journaling a designated day of the trip, which is planned to be compiled in a comprehensive journal. Presentations about the course also concluded last week.
Taylor said the presentations were crucial, as funding for the course is not set for next Spring, although Taylor said he hopes the course will continue.
“We were trying to garner support of community members, civic leaders, administrators, families and tribal communities,” Taylor said.
Guzman presented the course accomplishments and cultural lessons to the Idaho State Board of Education April 18 in Moscow, while other students’ presentations were made to UI Provost Doug Baker, students and surrounding Native communities last week.
“Students really have a sense of ownership in the projects we accomplished while we were there,” Taylor said. “Some students want to go back and check on the trees we planted, and plant new ones.”
He said the trip created a bond with Hawaiian Natives and within the student group.
“We ate together, traveled together and worked together hand-in-hand to learn about a different culture, to gain a new experiences and learn how to apply ourselves as Native people within a global society,” Taylor said.