Paper short abstract:

The Hawaiian proverb a'ohe pau ka 'ike i ka hālau ho'okahi wisely notes that not all knowledge is learned in just one school. This paper argues that a collaborative and community focused approach offers anthropology museums an authentic and bold future.

Paper long abstract:

The Hawaiian proverb a'ohe pau ka 'ike i ka hālau ho'okahi wisely notes that not all knowledge is learned in just one school. Throughout my museum career, that has included a number of institutions, ranging from the Bishop Museum—The Hawai'i State Museum of Natural and Cultural History—to the Hearst Museum of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, I have found tremendous value in "talking story." The Hawaiian word 'ōlelo, translates as language and spoken word, and is often used in conjunction with the idea of "talking story," where in the modern Hawaiian context of the word it is understood to mean dialogue, discussion and to share one's knowledge. The 'ōlelo form of leadership and teaching has offered me a great deal in and out of a museum setting, and I would urge all those concerned with the "crises of identity" at the heart of many museums today, to consider its virtues in greater depth as we rightly move to embrace greater humanism in anthropology museums.