Kuleana
The storyteller decides
Recording someone's life is a responsibility, not a transaction. These are the commitments every student, mentor, and partner in this program agrees to.
Three levels of sharing
Before anything is recorded, the storyteller chooses one. It can be changed later, at any time, by the storyteller or their family.
- Public
- The story appears in the open archive with the storyteller's name, and can be read and shared by anyone.
- Community
- The story is available to participating schools, partner organizations, and program members, but is not published openly.
- Restricted
- The recording is preserved but not shared. It stays sealed until the storyteller or their ʻohana says otherwise.
Our commitments
- Consent is written and specific. Every interview has a signed release recording who may hear it, whether names may be used, and any cultural restrictions the storyteller names.
- Cultural protocol comes first. Some knowledge is not ours to publish. If a storyteller says a portion is not for the archive, it is removed — no discussion, no exceptions.
- Raw recordings are private by default. Original audio and video are stored in a restricted archive. Only reviewed material at the storyteller's chosen level ever becomes visible.
- Names and places are spelled correctly. ʻOkina and kahakō are checked with the storyteller before anything is published.
- Any future AI use requires separate permission. A story being in the archive does not mean it may be used to train a model. That is a distinct, opt-in choice made by the storyteller.
- A story can be withdrawn. Storytellers and their ʻohana may restrict or remove a story at any point by contacting the project.
Community governance
The archive belongs to the people of Hawaiʻi, not to any one organization. Decisions about what is preserved, how it is described, and how it may be used are made with cultural practitioners, partner organizations, and the families of the storytellers themselves.
Questions or concerns: ian@designthinkinghawaii.org