Behind the Words

About Noe

Daughter of Oceania      Kanaka Maoli       Mother of three  

Noelani Goodyear-Kaʻōpua is a Kanaka Maoli who was born in and raised by Hawaiʻi.

Her genealogy also connects her to Southern China and the British Midlands.  A lifetime participant in Hawaiian movements, Noelani’s research has involved documenting, analyzing and proliferating the ways people are transforming imperial and settler colonial relations through Indigenous political values and initiatives. She works as a Professor of Political Science at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her courses focus on Indigenous and Native Hawaiian politics. Noe is an award-winning university teacher and a dedicated volunteer in the Hawaiian community. Her commitment to Indigenous education spans the last two decades. Noe is a co-founder of Hālau Kū Māna public charter school and

a  board member of the Kānehūnāmoku Voyaging Academy.

Her writing is one aspect of a steadfast commitment to and practice of aloha ʻāina.