| Lecturers | Dr. Keao NeSmith Ph.D., Dr. Smith was born and raised on Kaua‘i Island in Hawai‘i and has a Masters degree in Pacific Islands Studies from the University of Hawai‘i at M?noa and a PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand (2012). As a part of his Masters program, Keao spent one year attending l'Université de la Polynésie française in 'Outumaoro, Tahiti where he studied Tahitian literature and Marquesan language. Keao's father is an American of Scottish and Welsh background and his mother is Hawaiian and Tahitian. Coming from a multi-ethnic background, Keao speaks Hawaiian and Tahitian fluently and is familiar with French, Marquesan, and New Zealand M?ori. He has been an instructor of Hawaiian language at the University of Hawai‘i at M?noa for 15 years where he has also taught courses on Tahitian language. In addition, Keao has spent the majority of his life involved in Polynesian cultural activities such as Hawaiian hula and Tahitian dancing, farming taro on his family's farm in Hawai‘i, canoe paddling and stewardship of sacred traditional sites in Hawai‘i. |
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