The institute for native pacific education and culture (inpeace) will design the loko IʻA traveling exhibit, an indigenous stem experience

The Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture (Inpeace) will design the Loko I'a traveling exhibit under a $117,482 project grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The exhibit will provide Native Hawaiian youth and families an opportunity to learn about loko i'a, traditional Hawaiian fishponds that are a central land management practice, through interactive and hands-on activities incorporating observational, problem-solving approaches. Inpeace will collect information from cultural experts and researchers, compile it into an exhibit design guide, develop conceptual plans with community members and designers, and complete exhibit layouts, specifications and cost estimates for fabrication. The resulting culturally-grounded STEM exhibit aims to allow Native Hawaiians to view their environment through a lens relevant to their lives, consistent with the goals of the Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services Program under which the grant was awarded.

Loko LʻA are traditional fishponds, a central native hawaiian land management practice, and the exhibit will incorporate interactive activities while utilizing observational, problem-solving, and hand-on approaches designed to engage youth and families in their own communities. Project activities will include collecting information from cultural experts, researchers, and kupuna; compiling information into a design reference guide; developing conceptual plans with community and design experts; completing and refining exhibit layouts, specifications, and materials; and securing cost estimates for fabrication and buildout. The resulting designs will reflect a culture-based stem exhibit that provides native hawaiians the opportunity to view the world and their environment through a lens that is relevant to their lives.