Culturally Sustaining Leadership: A Pacific Islander’s Perspective

Mary Hattori

doi:10.3390/educsci6010004

Abstract

Social justice in educational settings can be advanced through culturally sustaining leadership development programs for indigenous students, faculty, and administrators. The state of Hawai‘i has been a fertile ground for culture-based development experiences for emerging leaders from islands throughout the Pacific. These opportunities arise from the recognition of dissonance created by customary leadership programs which often give little or no attention to native cultures of the Pacific islands and prioritize other models. This essay highlights elements of my Chamoru culture that form the foundation of a culturally responsive leadership praxis within the context of American educational institutions. I offer this as an example that may help others develop their own culturally sustaining practices and inspire creation of leadership development programs which honor native cultures while facilitating effective professional practices in mainstream settings.

Highlights

I am a native Chamoru from the island of Guåhan (Guam)
The word Chamoru refers to the people and language indigenous to the Marianas archipelago which is comprised of Guåhan and Sankattan
In the writing of this essay, I will use Chamoru terms followed by English translations provided parenthetically rather than italicizing the indigenous word; a convention that unnecessarily privileges the colonial language (English)

Summary

Introduction

I am a native Chamoru from the island of Guåhan (Guam). The word Chamoru refers to the people and language indigenous to the Marianas archipelago which is comprised of Guåhan and Sankattan. Mobilizing my Chamoru identity in an effective leadership practice has enabled me to realize Paris’ ideal of culturally sustaining pedagogy [1] in leadership, respecting both my native culture and that of my organization. In his 2012 essay, “Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy: A Needed Change in Stance, Terminology, and Practice”, Paris advocated the ideal of culturally sustaining pedagogy in education: The term culturally sustaining requires that our pedagogies be more than responsive of or relevant to the cultural experiences and practices of young people—it requires that they support young people in sustaining the cultural and linguistic competence of their communities while simultaneously offering access to dominant cultural competence [1]. By offering a development approach that honors cultures often underrepresented in leadership positions, these programs can be a strategy to advance social justice and equity in educational settings

Authentic Leadership

Chamoru Values in Leadership

Chamoru Temporal Intelligence

Primacy of the Natural Environment

Closing