The Multilingual Multicultural Initiative strives to uncover the multilingual and multicultural history of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and use this history to inform how to make this campus a more linguistically and culturally diverse place. The goal is to engage students, faculty, and visitors in the culturally diverse aspects of Mānoa through signage and other semiotic aspects. Phase 1 (January 2018-October, 2019) focuses mainly on the Hawaiian language and cultural aspects of UHM as the starting point for this larger goal of multiculturalism on campus.
Decolonizing Place Through Resemiotization
A starting point for resemiotization requires thinking about how we can decolonize and re-indigenize the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in a way that is meaningful. One example of decolonizing place is the Lakota people's story of resemiotization in their homelands. As Tunkasila Sakpe (Six Grandfathers), the mountain was part of the route that Lakota leader Black Elk took in a spiritual journey that culminated at Black Elk Peak, known as Hiŋháŋ Káǧa in Lakota. Six Grandfathers was sacred to the Lakota Sioux and the mountain was named after the ancestral spirits who came to Lakota medicine man Black Elk in a vision, and any construction on that land would have been an insult to the people. Located in the Black Hills region, this entire area was deemed "unfit for civilization" and "Permanent Indian Country" in the 1850s. However, when General Custer surveyed the area and reported that his men had discovered gold, everything changed. President Grant secretly ordered the army not to protect the native residents, and bounty hungers began collecting up to $300 per Indian killed. The Sioux were forcibly evicted from their land, and the mountain formerly known as Six Grandfathers was named after the first white man to express interest in it. In 1884, New York City lawyer Charles E. Rushmore asked his guide what Six Grandfathers was called. His guide replied, "never had a name, but from now on we'll call it Mount Rushmore."
In response to the desecration of the sacred Six Grandfathers mountain, the Lakota Sioux are currently constructing their own monument Crazy Horse in the vicinity of Mount Rushmore. The construction has been ongoing for approximately 40 years and the people refuse to use federal money to complete the project. On August 11, 2016, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names officially changed the mountain's name from "Harney Peak" to "Black Elk Peak." The vote was unanimous 12-0 and on August 18, 2016 Governor Daugaard announced that the state would accept the 'new' name.
Linguistic Landscape in Ōtautahi (Christchuch, New Zealand)
courtesy of Dr. Mary Boyce, University of Canterbury
Named after the cathedral college of Christchurch at Oxford University, Christchurch is arguably New Zealand's most English city and the most English of cities outside England. It reflects its English origins with its pretty parks and landscaped river bank, as well as its many Gothic Revival and Edwardian buildings. After a devastating earthquake in 2013, the University of Canterbury in Christchurch had the opportunity to rebuild and rethink how they can resemiotize the campus environment. As seen in the image above, they began by acknowledging the Maori name of the land, Waitaha, on which the University of Canterbury is situated.
Dr. Mary Boyce and others at the University of Canterbury explored ways to make their campus more multilingual and multicultural with special attention payed to the indigenous Maori language of Aotearoa. Many of the main signs for the university are now bilingual and now read "University of Canterbury Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha." The way finding signs on campus are also bilingual. It is significant that the Maori texts are in teh same size font and are displayed before the English.
Beyond way finding signs, staff at UC also worked to include Maori design and artwork into their campus environment. The UC letterhead now depicts Maori art and color schemes, and these are featured as permanent art on campus. The colorful mural shown in the photo gallery above reads "Whāia Te Mātauranga" with no English translation, which encourages viewers to learn about the message on their own. The mural is a Maori proverb meaning "seek after learning for the sake of your wellbeing," which fits perfectly in the university setting.
These examples have been an inspiration to us in the Multilingual Multicultural Initiative at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in imagining what is possible on a university campus.
Dr. Mary Boyce and others at the University of Canterbury explored ways to make their campus more multilingual and multicultural with special attention payed to the indigenous Maori language of Aotearoa. Many of the main signs for the university are now bilingual and now read "University of Canterbury Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha." The way finding signs on campus are also bilingual. It is significant that the Maori texts are in teh same size font and are displayed before the English.
Beyond way finding signs, staff at UC also worked to include Maori design and artwork into their campus environment. The UC letterhead now depicts Maori art and color schemes, and these are featured as permanent art on campus. The colorful mural shown in the photo gallery above reads "Whāia Te Mātauranga" with no English translation, which encourages viewers to learn about the message on their own. The mural is a Maori proverb meaning "seek after learning for the sake of your wellbeing," which fits perfectly in the university setting.
These examples have been an inspiration to us in the Multilingual Multicultural Initiative at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in imagining what is possible on a university campus.