To continue exploring that theme, we’re interested in hearing from you how a photograph you’ve seen, taken, or used has helped you think through a challenge or made something specific happen.  People use photos all the time to gather data, get the hairstyles they want, find homes, beat parking tickets, and get dates.  Have you got a story about how photography helped you solve a specific problem?  If you do, please tell us about it, and link to the photo below.  (If your photo is not already online, you can post it to www.flickr.com and include the link with your story below.)

Creating Hawai’i

The conference podcast above and its accompanying “Creating Hawai’i” display case are not merely a history of the Islands, they are also opportunities to examine the concept of “perception vs. reality” with Hawai’i as a point of interest. The curators begin with a common, stereotypical look at the Hawaiian Islands with objects that represent the world’s perception of Hawai’i as a tropical paradise, a stretch of beach and a carefree state-of-mind. Then they use objects to take learners beyond the leis and discover a land of great history and a diverse and inclusive population.

Hawai’i, a collection of islands, is located in the center of the Pacific Ocean, more than 2,300 miles southwest of the mainland United States. The islands were “discovered” in 1778 by British explorer James Cook. The rapid influx of traders, merchants, missionaries and immigrant workers that followed brought an overwhelming Western influence to the Hawaiian Islands, causing a transition from subsistence farming to a cash economy and an unfortunate loss of tradition. The ever-growing presence of outsiders affected native Hawaiians acclimation to change and a different lifestyle. In 1893 US businessmen led an overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai’i and established a Republic. Despite protests and the opposition of many Hawaiians, the Islands were annexed as a territory by the United States in 1898. The opening of this display is designed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Hawai’i becoming the 50th state in the union on Aug. 21, 1959. From kingdom to republic, and from territory to state, “Creating Hawai’i” showcases the reality of Hawai’i and the extensive changes in tradition and diversity throughout its history.

These media files were created to accompany the “Creating Hawai’i” display case. Use the music and descriptions to explore “perception vs. reality” in the history of Hawai’i.

Record cover (1961)
The Elvis Presley film Blue Hawaii reinforced many popular stereotypes of Hawaiian life.

Pu (about 1824)
Plants and animals have always been part of the imagery and reality of Hawaiian life. A conch-shell horn—a pu—was used for sending messages and signaling a ship’s arrival and departure. This one is from the wreck of the Pride of Hawaii.

Hula Festival (2009)
In the 1970s, renewed interest in native Hawaiian culture reinvigorated the practice of the ancient hula. The annual week-long Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo celebrates the dance. (Courtesy of Ruben Carrillo)

Protest song (1893)
Through the lyrics of this popular song, native Hawaiians objected to the overthrow of Queen Lilli’uokalani. Declining numbers in the native population made protests like this ineffectual. Lyrics, in part (Courtesy of Library of Congress):
No one will fix a signature
To the paper of the enemy,
With its sin of annexation
And sale of native civil rights.
We back Lili’ulani
Who has won the rights of the land.

Sugarcane cutter’s hat (1920s)
Cheap cotton hats protected sugarcane workers from the hot Hawaiian sun. The sound selection features a Japanese sugarcane worker’s song.

(Gift of Barbara Kawakami)

Ukulele (early 1900s)
The ukulele is not originally Hawaiian. Portuguese sugar workers brought there native instrument, the machete da braca, to Hawai’I, and by 1896 the modified guitars were called ukuleles.

Please take a moment to introduce yourself to conference participants. You might like to tell us about where you work or study, what city or country you are in, and about your interest in this conference. What attracted you to this online event? What do you hope to learn? What is your approach to problem solving? Please jump in and share!

Add your introduction in the Comments box below. Or call the LearningTimes record-by-phone system to record an audio introduction; select audio messages will appear here as well. The number in US/Canada is 1-800-609-9006 x8055. (Outside of US/Canada, call 678-255-2174 x8055).

We look forward to meeting you!

- The Smithsonian Online Education Conference: Problem Solving with Smithsonian Experts

• Who are the unknown artists of World War II?
• How do you track an ocelot in the wild?
• What does a skeleton tell you about our nation’s history?
• Why is it important to save and listen to music from vanishing cultures?

Tackle these and other intriguing problems with Smithsonian experts.

This multi-disciplinary two-part online conference will feature live presentations, moderated forums, and demonstrations of how Smithsonian specialists use critical thinking skills to solve problems in their areas of expertise. An online exhibit hall will allow participants everywhere to experience virtually the world of the Smithsonian and the wealth of its resources.

Part I – April 13-14, 2010: World Cultures and the American Experience

Part II – April 28-29, 2010: Biodiversity and Mysteries of the Universe

How many species of beetles and trees are in the Amazon rainforest? And why should we care? Entomologist C. J. Geraci and colleague Michael Biondi explain the importance of this information and demonstrate a new way of precisely measuring biodiversity — a web-based application for mapping the distribution of beetles and canopy trees in two rainforest plots. They then show how to use basic spatial statistics to examine distribution patterns of species.

Virtual Graphic Facilitation:

This session was illustrated in real time. Click the thumbnail image to the left for an illustrated summary of this session.



SMITHSONIAN EXPERTS:

Christy Jo Geraci studies the biodiversity of Amazonian rainforest beetles with Terry Erwin, using insects as environmental indicators of forest health in a region of eastern Ecuador impacted by road building and oil extraction. Their research team uses digital imaging, DNA technology, Geographic Information Systems, and classical morphological taxonomy to study insect biodiversity, ecology, and evolutionary relationships. Geraci earned a PhD in 2007 from Clemson University, where she focused on aquatic insects important for monitoring water quality in streams and rivers.

As a recent graduate of the Master’s program in Entomology at Clemson University, Michael Biondi has spent the last year working on the digitization of the beetle type collection in the National Museum of Natural History’s Entomology Department. Michael is also using his experience and knowledge with geographic information system software and insect taxonomy used as bio-indicators of eco-regional health to collaborate with Drs. Geraci and Erwin on their research in Ecuador.