Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association Training Course Catalog. All content may not be reproduced or redistributed without the strict permission of the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association.

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2. The Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association
is dedicated to promoting and perpetuating
the thriving culture that encompasses vast
history, extensive knowledge, spiritual depth,
relevant values, and natural treasures of
Hawai’i and its’ people.
NaHHA was founded in 1997 by George S.
Kanahele, Kenneth Brown and other Native
Hawaiian professionals to address concerns
about how Native Hawaiians and Hawaiian
culture were perceived and represented in
tourism. They determined that, in order to
have greater success in improving tourism
and honoring Hawaiian culture and its people,
they would need support. In 1997, they called
a small group of Native Hawaiians together to
form NaHHA, a 501 (c)(3) private nonprofit.
NaHHA advocates for the development and
advancement of Native Hawaiians in tourism as
our best investment in future leaders and in the
perpetuation of authentic culture in the industry.
We promote Hawaiian culture in the tourism
industry through consulting and educating,
developing and implementing effective
communication tools, conducting research, and
providing project support and coordination.
Working to better connect the Hawaiian
community and the tourism industry, NaHHA
has formed alliances with various Hawaiian
organizations and nonprofits, artists and
cultural practitioners, and with tourism
associations, hotels and private businesses.
These connections and alliances have gained
NaHHA recognition as lead agency for the
Hawaiian Culture Initiative of the Hawai‘i
State Tourism Strategic Plan. Listed below are
multiple awards that NaHHA has earned over
the years through hard work and producing
quality services and products.
Awards
• 2010 Gold Adrian Award for Excellence
• 2012 Gold Adrian Award
• 2012 Silver Adrian Award
• 2012 Koa Anvil Award
• 2013 ‘Ilima Award of Excellence
• 2013 ‘Ilima Award of Merit
• 2013 Koa Anvil Award
• 2013 Koa Hammer Award
Corporate Clients: Germaine’s Luau • Hilton Waikīkī • Marriott Ko‘olina • Atlantis Submarines
• Speedi Shuttle (O‘ahu) • Enterprise Holdings • Trilogy Maui • Marriott Maui Ocean Club
• Maui Ocean Center, Hawai‘i’s Aquarium • Hawai‘i Forest & Trail
Partners: Department of Education • Hawai‘i Tourism Authority • Department of Labor and
Industrial Relations • Kalani (of Pāhoa) • County of Hawai‘i • Lahaina Business Community
• Hawai‘i Ecotourism Association • University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Hawai‘i, Chaminade University
• Kealakehe High School • Maui Community College • Hawai‘i Hotel & Lodging Association
• Maui Hotel & Lodging Association
Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association
310 Paoakalani Avenue, Room 201A
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 628-6374 • Fax: (808) 628-6370
www.NaHHA.com
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3. The Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association’s course offerings are arranged into 6
learning groups called Series. Each Series contains 4 individual learning workshops called
Modules. Three of these modules are classroom workshops and discussions. Module 3
in each Series is an experiential learning activity designed to immerse participants in
a cultural exercise or practice, such as working at a fishpond or visiting historical sites
within Waikīkī.
Series I
E Kipa Mai: Hospitality Hawai‘i Style
Series II
Nānā I Ke Kumu: Ancestral Knowledge, Modern Application
Series III
I Ka Wā Ma Mua, Ka Wā Ma Hope: Hawai‘i’s Stories, Our Stories
Series IV
He Wa‘a He Moku, He Moku He Wa‘a: How We Work Together
Series V
Ka ‘Āina Momona: Hawai‘i, The Center of The Universe
Series VI
Kūlia I Ka Nu‘u: Excellence Through Strength & Balance
SERIES AND MODULE OVERVIEW
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4. Hospitality Hawai‘i Style
A significant number of employees in the hospitality industry do not fully grasp what
constitutes a visitor experience. This learning unit is intended to educate the employee
about what constitutes the visitor experience and the role of every employee in creating a
positive Hawai‘i experience for visitors.
SERIES I: E KIPA MAI
Module One Understanding Ho‘okipa ~ Hospitality
™™Explores ho‘okipa (to host) as a Hawaiian model of hospitality.
™™Discusses skill sets needed to manage the guest experience and to take the quality of the visitor
experience to another level.
™™Discusses the emphasis placed on the quality of the guest experience which depends on how well
the relationship between the host, the guest, and the place is deliberately managed.
Module Two What Does it Mean to be a Host ~ Interpersonal Skills
and Work Readiness
™™Examines the dynamics of the three elements of guest, host, and place, and the need to properly
manage that three-way relationship.
™™Engages the employee in a role as a host, regardless of the position the employee holds
in the company.
Module Three E Ala Ē ~ Team Building and Stress Management
™™Focuses on team building and spiritual centering to prepare the employee to become a host with
unconditional friendship and trust.
™™Group will learn a chant welcoming the sun’s first light and will perform it at daybreak. Many
people continue to practice this spiritual centering as part of their daily routine to prepare for the
start of the work day.
Module Four Understanding the Product Mix ~ Hospitality
™™Analyze the prevailing business model and the need to ensure balance between the benefits of
tourism as it impacts the guest, the host, and the place.
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5. Ancestral Knowledge, Modern Application
This learning unit is intended to show how and why Hawaiian culture can provide
a basis for unity, fairness, development of shared values, and result in a workplace
environment of excellence in productivity and growth.
SERIES II: NĀNĀ I KE KUMU
Module One Hawaiian Values and Culture ~ Hospitality
™™Teaches the process by which employees can develop a shared set of values to achieve behavior
that results in excellence in the organization’s production system.
™™Discusses how shared values bring out the similarities of who we are and breaks down cultural
and communication barriers.
Module Two Hakalama Drills - ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i ~ Communication Skills
™™Examines language as an essential key to effectively communicate in a multicultural environment.
™™Corrects pronunciation of place names and common words.
™™Uses communication skills to share one’s history, such as genealogy.
Module Three Hawaiian Immersion School ~ Team Building
™™Observes the dynamics of what occurs in a real life setting where language is the cornerstone of
the education process.
™™Explores language as the means to learn values and shape behavior.
™™Discusses employees experience in learning values and how the experience has impacted their
performance on the job.
Module Four Mo‘olelo - Talk Story ~ Language
™™Explores Hawaiian mythology and its correlations with value systems, beliefs, science and
medicine through analysis of stories.
™™Discusses other mythology that is a representation of Hawai‘i’s multi-ethnic environment.
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6. Hawai‘i’s Stories, Our Stories
It is our kuleana (responsibility) as hosts to understand where we come from in order to
share experiences with our guests. Sharing our personal stories with our guests connects
them to Hawai‘i and builds memories for them to share with others back home.
SERIESIII:IKAWĀMAMUA,KAWĀMAHOPE
Module One History of Hawai‘i ~ Hospitality
™™Emphasizes the importance of knowing the history of Hawai‘i as a means of connecting with
visitors and sharing one’s knowledge, based on true facts and authenticity.
™™Examines the timeline of events that shaped the tourism industry of today.
Module Two History of Waikīkī ~ Hospitality
™™Examines the cultural and economic evolution of Waikīkī from historical to modern day.
™™Discusses how the practice of ho‘okipa played a role in the development of Waikīkī.
™™Corrects pronunciation of place names and common words.
Module Three Waikīkī Historic Trail ~ Team Building
™™Traces the history and cultural legacy of Waikīkī during a group outing.
™™Builds awareness of the significance of Waikīkī as both a sacred place to Hawaiians and a living
history in a modern world.
Module Four Hawaiian Culture - Where to Find It ~ Public Relations
™™Discusses how employees can make an extra effort to find out about what is going on in our
communities to share with visitors.
™™Examines how building knowledge of where we live and what we do can be shared with visitors to
enhance their experience and enable employees to become better hosts.
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7. Module One Ahupua‘a - Application of Shared Values ~ Hospitality
™™Defines ahupua‘a as an inclusive system of management that enables everyone’s involvement to
produce at the optimal level.
™™Examines the chain of command in an organization and how it is equally important to recognize
the interdependence between the producers of goods and services.
™™Applies concepts of a working ahupua‘a to demonstrate and correlate how shared values within
the organization lead to productivity and the well-being of everyone.
Module Two Laulima ~ Customer Service Excellence
™™Emphasizes the respect and dignity inherent in every job.
™™Demonstrates that both a horizontal and vertical management system help to establish a company
culture of respecting and recognizing that everyone’s job is as important as the next.
Module Three Fishpond ~ Team Building
™™Visits an ahupua‘a on the Windward side of O‘ahu where an ancient fishpond is still in tact.
™™Engages everyone in the restoration as a way to build teamwork and reinforce the responsibility
that everyone has to give back to the community.
™™Demonstrates that the action of giving back to the community translates to taking care of one
another in the workplace.
Module Four Why People Should Visit Your Place ~ Public Relations
™™Explores the profound responsibility of marketing your place in a way that presents the place and
the people with dignity, without raising false expectations for both the visitors and residents.
™™Discusses the influence marketing has on the experiences between the place, guest, and host.
How We Work Together
Laulima behavior is generated by a system of shared values. It requires an investment in
the workforce to create a process that incorporates values into the operating culture. All
positions within a company share equal responsibility for the organization’s success.
SERIES IV: HE WA‘A HE MOKU,
HE MOKU HE WA‘A
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8. Module One Mass Travel ~ Hospitality
™™Explores travel as the world’s largest growth industry.
™™Examines reasons mass travel will continue to grow and expand career opportunities.
™™Discusses job security in the travel industry and the need for professional growth.
Module Two Sense of Place ~ Hospitality
™™Teaches employees that creating a sense of place is everyone’s responsibility and is more than
architecture and landscaping.
™™Explores easy ways to engage the five senses in the workplace to create a vibrant Hawai‘i
experience for your guests.
Module Three Lū‘au Activity ~ Other Language, Interpersonal Skills
& Communication
™™Teaches that physical behavior defines one’s being and includes facial expressions, gestures, and
how one sits, stands, walks and talks. Communication in this manner affects the interaction
between guests from another culture.
Module Four Sales & Marketing China and Korea ~ Foreign Culture
™™Discusses valuable skills and opportunities to enhance visitor products and sales, specific to the
new and growing Chinese and Korean markets.
Hawai‘i, The Center of The Universe
Taking advantage of opportunities to set a sense of place is an important reason why
visitors continue to come to Hawai‘i. The more we can distance visitors from the
familiarity of the places from which they came, the more value Hawai‘i has as a place
that is unique in culture, language, and landscape. All share equal responsibility to the
organization’s success.
SERIES V: KA ‘ĀINA MOMONA
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9. Module One Ikaika Au, The Power Within Me ~ Interpersonal Skills
and Customer Service Excellence
™™Examines how a person has the power to impact another person’s day, whether it is a visitor or a
co-worker.
™™Discusses how using this personal power frames interpersonal relationships with co-workers and
with visitors.
™™Discusses why Ikaika Au matters, even in the workplace.
Module Two Responsibility of Hosting ~ Customer Service Excellence
and Total Quality Management (TQM)
™™Examines the responsibility of being a host, a responsibility held by everyone in the industry, no
matter what position one holds.
™™Explores hosting as unconditional trust and friendship.
™™Discusses the practice of hosting and performing beyond the job description and beyond
customer service.
Module Three Hi‘uwai ~ Stress Management
™™Experience on a personal level an authentic cultural and spiritual centering (not religious).
™™Strengthens one’s sense of Ikaika Au and Mana.
™™Discusses the importance of preparing oneself for a new day; preparation that enables one to
positively affect a person’s day and to care for a visitor with unconditional trust and friendship.
Module Four Guest Satisfaction & Information Management ~ Public Relations
™™Examines the quality of a guest experience as directly proportionate to accessibility of reliable and
accurate information.
™™Discusses how managing information, particularly post arrival of guests, is an art and is a
function that is important to hosting.
Excellence Through Strength and Balance
This program is designed to give thought to the idea that we all have a personal
power that affects others. What does this personal power mean and why is it
relevant in the workplace?
SERIES VI: KŪLIA I KA NU‘U
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10. NĀ WAIWAI HAWAIIAN
VALUES SERIES
The Nā Waiwai Series is a 4-part series of core Hawaiian values. The series provides a
strong foundation from which to build a vibrant business. These values are a pre-requisite
to creating a safe workplace culture that fosters a sense of belonging, balances personal
needs with group needs, encourages creativity, supports personal initiative, and builds
employee loyalty. These values also ensure that visitors’ needs are met with a high level
of satisfaction and that their experience is healing and exemplary.
Values exist in all cultures. How they are lived is unique to each culture. Experience how
these values are lived in Hawai‘i, and grasp their essence as understood through the na‘au
(source of ancestral knowledge and strength) of Hawai‘i’s ancestral elders by exploring
the knowledge kept in relevant oli (chant), mele (poetry/song), hula (traditional dance),
and ‘ōlelo no‘eau (proverbs/sayings).
Aloha – 2 hours
Understand and live a deeper meaning of aloha as taught by Aunty Pilahi Pākī, one of Hawai‘i’s
treasured kūpuna (elders). Learn about the foundational values that support aloha. See how the
expression of each foundational value in our lives enriches us and others. Explore how aloha is the
core of Ho‘okipa (customer service and care), and learn how special hospitality can become when
you give it spirit; the aloha spirit.
Mahalo – 2 hours
Gratitude is a form of spiritual currency that works in reverse to monetary currency. In the case of
gratitude, the more you give away, the richer you become. Become a billionaire in the currency of
gratitude by understanding how it creates pilina (connections) between people. Explore the many
forms of gratitude: presence, punctuality, recognition, etc.
Kuleana – 2 hours
A great way to effectuate kuleana, or responsibility, is by understanding its meaning as a small
section of land in the ahupua‘a (communal land division) granted to a family to provide for the
family’s and community’s needs. This system of land tenure provides a model that emphasizes the
building blocks of responsibility: a sense of purpose, a good work ethic, accountability, and initiative.
Mālama – 2 hours
Mālama, to take care of something, is a core element of one of the first laws enacted by Kamehameha
I in the newly formed Kingdom of Hawai‘i known as the Law of the Splintered Paddle. Learn how
the concepts of mālama still apply and use them to develop a plan of action to maintain healthy
connections with others and your organization.
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11. HE ALI‘I KE ALOHA,
HE KILOHANA E PA‘A AI
Love is like a chief, the highest prize to hold
I Ka ‘Ōlelo No Ke Ola (‘Ekahi) • An Introduction to Hawaiian Language (Part 1)
Learn the basics of the Hawaiian alphabet called the pī‘āpā, develop correct pronunciation through hakalama
drills, learn helpful conversational phrases, and end it all with a Hawaiian language adaptation of the popular
game Bingo. There’s no better way to learn than to do it while having fun.
‘Ike ‘Ōlelo – Language Pathway
2 hours
‘A‘ohe Pau Ka ‘Ike (‘Ekahi) • An Introduction to Hawaiian Protocol (Part 1)
Learn the importance of Hawaiian protocol, how it relates to ho‘okipa (hospitality), the tourism industry, and
how its presence at your hotel will distinguish you from others. Learn a traditional and contemporary oli
used to greet guests or open a special occasion. Being able to conduct proper Hawaiian protocol will raise the
reputation of your hotel.
‘Ike Mauli Lāhui – Cultural Identity Pathway
2 hours
I Maika‘i Ke Kalo I Ka ‘Ōhā (‘Ekahi) • An Introduction to the Mana System (Part 1)
Mana is the spiritual energy in all things recognized by the kūpuna (ancestors) of this land, Hawai‘i nei. Like
knowledge mana can be increased through pono (honorable and upright) actions. Learn the concept and
application of the Mana System as a way to greatly enhance your hotel’s performance and transform it into a
place where visitors come to experience the very best of an authentic Hawaiian place.
‘Ike Piko‘u – Personal Connection Pathway
2 hours
He Ali‘i Ka ‘Aina (‘Ekahi) • An Introduction to a Hawaiian Sense of Place (Part 1)
‘Aina is the Hawaiian word for land. ‘Ai means to eat, na is a nominalizing suffix and when added to ‘ai it
means ‘that which feeds.’ Aside from being the word for land, the word ‘aina teaches about the important
relationship it plays in our lives. A Hawaiian sense of place is therefore deeply rooted in the land. Learn
about the pae ‘aina (Hawaiian archipelago), mokupuni (island - O‘ahu), its moku (districts), and ahupua‘a
(sections). Delve into the deep history of Waikīkī as told by our founder, George Kanahele. Learn a mele
(song) and hula (dance) about Waikīkī.
‘Ike Honua – Sense of Place Pathway
2 hours
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12. 310 Paoakalani Avenue, Room 201A
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 628-6374 • Fax: 628-6370
www.NaHHA.com
O Ke Aloha Ke Kuleana O Kahi Malihini
Love is the Host in Strange Lands
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