A cultural resource management nonprofit, ‘Āina Archaeology, has formed their practice to fulfill a kuleana (privilege and responsibility) to care for Hawai’i’s natural resources and cultural heritage. They serve individuals, communities, businesses, and government agencies to protect, preserve, and perpetuate Hawai’i’s ancestral assets by blending traditional Hawaiian land management techniques with contemporary methods of conservation.
Tanya L. Lee-Greig, ‘Āina Archaeology Principal Investigator, said, “Our solutions leverage a project’s unique relationship with culture and sense of place. It’s an approach that provides more meaningful value for the client today, and a truer record of history for Hawai’i tomorrow. Our pioneering methodologies and firm commitment to our values enable us to implement creative solutions for all the community’s historic preservation needs.”
Lee-Greig has nearly two decades of experience working in archaeology, anthropology, and cultural preservation. At ‘Āina Archaeology she assists with the selection, implementation and completion of projects they engage in. Traditional Hawaiian values are applied to achieve the collective goals of their clients and the communities they work with.
Also partnering with community organizations, Lee-Greig offers hands-on archeological programs. Alongside regular job openings for field technicians and opportunities for students looking to break into indigenous archaeology, there are several structured internship programs, field schools, and organizational connections managed by ‘Āina Archaeology on Maui.
Over the years, ‘Āina Archaeology has been a host company for Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) STEMworks™ Internship program. During his six-week internship at ‘Āina, Tyler Taguchi did an in-depth analysis of the traditional Native Hawaiian diets of those in the rocky shoreline of Honua’ula.
Taguchi shared, “This was my first long-term project. I learned so much about the history and culture of Honua’ula in Wailea and Makena. With my two mentors, I studied the trends between sea urchin and mollusk remains recovered from archeological sites in Honua’ula. We then presented the data of Native Hawaiians’ near-shore diets in a story-map format. Researching for this project taught me more about Maui’s history and culture. I’ve become more skilled in software like Excel and learned how to design and structure visual data. I would like to thank ‘Āina Archaeology and STEMworks™ for making my internship such an amazing experience.”