Mililani Trask Testifies in 2022 Public Scoping Meeting on Maunakea Thirty Meter Telescope Project

Mililani Trask. Image: Ka Wai Ola

It has been a minute since we last posted but we cannot think of a better way to rev up the science, design, and culture engines than sharing the inspiring testimony Milinani Trask, Hawaiʻi Island Trustee for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, offered at the August 9th, 2022 public scoping meeting in Hilo regarding the National Science Foundation (NSF) Thirty Meter Telescope project on Maunakea.

As we have shared on Future-ish in the past, it is important to note that on the topic of the Thirty Meter Telescope, Native Hawaiians and others that oppose the current project as it is being implemented are not against science, science agencies, or even projects like the Thirty Meter Telescope. What has become one of the most important parts of this complex situtaion is that indigenous peoples MUST be included and consulted on projects that have even the smallest possiblity of impacting their culture, traditions, worldview, and knowledge systems. If projects like the Thirty Meter Telescope were initiated in the right, culturally sensitive and respectful way - and progressed through the many stages of planning, construction, and maintenance also in the right way - there is a very good chance that such projects could proceed.

Sadly, this not the case in many such projects and we here at Future-ish hope to help shape the future on this matter every opportunity we get. Sharing such passionate and inspiring testimony is one tiny step in that direction.

2020 Beazley Award | Teeter Totter Wall

The Design Museum 2020 Beazely Award overall winner is the Teeter Totter Wall installation Ronald Rael of and Virginia San Fratello of Rael San Fratello. The project transformed a portion of the US-Mexico border wall into an interactive public art work. We can't think of a better example of aspirational and inspirational future-shaping design.

Culture Icon | Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020)

A hero of humanity has crossed over. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 1933-2020. She was a champion of human rights, an inspiration, and a role model to so many.

We will be writing a full Future-ish Culture Icon biography for Justice Ginsburg in the coming days but there is no doubt that she served as a shining example of how culture and gender should not and must not be a barrier to anyone achievieng success and contributing to society. In surpassing her own obstacles throughout her career, she was also a tireless champion in her work for achieving justice and human rights for so many others who faced - or would have faced - similar challenges.

SeanChron | New Film, "A Most Beautiful Thing" Documents How Rowing Brought Rivals Together: Gangs in the Past, Police & Community Today

Alumni crew preparing for 2019 Chicago Sprints

September 9, 2020. As a former rower myself, this story really caught my atteniton and inspired me. A new documentary, A Most Beautiful Thing,  shares the story of the Manley High School crew team, the first black high school rowing team in the US and how rowing helped addressed gang violence in Chicago in the early 2000s. The team's reunion and preparation for the 2019 Chicago Sprints included a new element of community healing, police officers. 

Skyler Aikerson reports on the film in the June 2020 issue of Chicago magazine, in his article A crew to remember. 

NBC's Kate Snow shares the story of the unique partnership with the Chicago Police Department in her story, Rowing Together for Change (video below).

Culture Icon | Stephen Farrelly (aka "Sheamus")

Stephen Farrelly is known by several other names...Sheamus, Sheamus O'Shaunessy (S0S), the Celtic Warrior, the Irish Curse, and the Great White. That comes with the territory though when you are a professional wrestler with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Farrelly has held many wrestling championships in Ireland and the US, including World Heavyweight Champion twice, and is huge fan favorite whenever he steps into the ring wherever he may be in the world.

What sets Farrelly apart from other sports entertainers is that he has an information technology degree and speaks fluent Gaelic. He also sang in choir until he was thirteen and was a star athlete in Irish football and rugby during his school and college years.

In addition to keeping up his championship wrestling, Farrelly has also recently taken on several causes. First, he joined other WWE stars and the Creative Coalition in the be a STAR project, an anti-bullying initiative that promotes tolerance and respect through education and awareness. Having been bullied as a child himself and later standing up against bullies for friends, the project is of personal importance to him. Farrelly is also a major advocate for education and particularly for young people to attend college. Finally, he is working hard to break stereotypes of Irish people and culture. For his stage persona he intentionally chose to stay away from kitchy Irish elements. Instead, he tapped into his background in Irish history, culture, and tradition to create a role model that would honor Celtic warriors and his own ancestry.

Below is a short video featuring the Muppets on bullying...



And an interview with Farrelli on The Late Late Show in which he talks about breaking Irish stereotypes...



The full interview (with some Gaelic and a cameo of Farrelly's choir boy days) can be found here.

Culture Icon | Sonia Marie De León de Vega

Maestra Sonia Marie De León de Vega is a LA-based American symphony and opera conductor. Born in San Antonio, TX, De León de Vega is the daughter of actress/producer Sonia De León and singer/guitarist Reynaldo Sanchez. De León de Vega began her musical training at age four. She excelled in school and later at university where she focused on conducting studies with Dr. David Buck. She continued her training with Herbert Blomstedt, Otto Werner Mueller, Maurice Abravanel, Pierre Boulez, Andre Previn, Zubin Metha, and Ricardo Muti.

De Leon de Vega has been a guest conductor for many orchestras and opera companies and has developed concerts and children’s music workshops for the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles. At the Santa Cecilia Orchestra she developed the Discovering Music program that takes orchestra members into elementary schools in underserved Latino neighborhoods to introduce children to classical music, the instruments of the orchestra, and choir. The program has worked with more than 40,000 students in 35 schools introducing thousands of children to classical music, orchestral instruments, and the magic of the orchestra.

De Leon de Vega has accumulated many and diverse accolades. She was the first woman in history to conduct a symphony orchestra for the Pope, she was named named Outstanding Latina of the Year in 2000 by Univision, Mervyns, and Target, and she was voted one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the US twice. In April 2005 Hispanic Business Magazine named her in their “80 Elite Women” list. Also in 2005, she was named “Business Woman Of The Year in Arts And Entertainment” in the State of California.

Below is a NBC Nightly News segment on De León de Vega and the Santa Cecilia Orchestra...

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

SACNAS 2012 National Conferences | October 11-14 | Seattle

The 2012 Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) national conference is just around the corner, October 11-14, 2012 in Seattle, WA. With the theme "Science, Technology, and Diversity for a Healthy World" it promises to continue a long history of informative and inspirational meetings.

Cultural Crossroads

Image credit: Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
The name, Shangri-La, is generally associated with the fictional Himalayan paradise referred to in James Hilton's 1933 novel Lost Horizon. But is also ubiquitous in popular culture as the name used for any concept relating to a hidden paradise or elusive ideal of perfect love, happiness, etc.

Just east of Diamond Head on the Hawaiian island of Oahu you will find a Sangri La like no other. A paradise within a paradise, the Shangri La of the late Doris Duke (1912-1993) is a crossroads of cultures, celebrating breathtaking Islamic art and design in one of the most beautiful places on earth. After a lifetime of collecting and commissioning art and furnishings from Iran, Morocco, Turkey, Spain, Syria, Egypt, and India, Duke's collection includes over 3,000 objects. The estate was designed by Marion Sims Wyeth and includes the Playhouse, a scale version of the 17th century Chehel Setun in Esfahan, Iran. The grounds, inspired by Duke's love for the Shalimar Garden in Lahore, Pakistan, combine formal Mughal garden design with Hawaiian plants, landscaping, and fishponds.

Image credit: Alison Chiu

Phantoms of Asia

The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco recently opened a new exhibit that has the lofty goal of being both a feast for your eyes and your eternal soul. Phantoms of Asia: Contemporary Opens the Past, presents historic and modern artworks from across Asia to help us all reflect on our own place in the universe. The stunning Breathing Flower (pictured above) by Choi Jeong Hwa launched the exhibit and set the stage for the many and diverse creations that make up the provocative curation.

The exhibit runs May 18th through September 2nd, 2012.

PBS's The Secret Life of Scientists & Engineers

We have a new favorite reality TV show, well it's kind of a reality TV show. Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, The Secret Life of Scientists & Engineers on PBS's NOVA, explores the inspiring work and very surprising hobbies of scientists and engineers. Who knew scientists and engineers had raucous passtimes that range from daredevils and dancers to musicians and sailing. Above is geologist Alexandrea Bowman who has two secret lives outside of her research, Native American dancing and ninjitsu...NINJITSU! Multiple videos on a very diverse group of scientists and engineers are available on The Secret Life website.

Björk's Nature, Music, Technlogy Mashup

The TechnoScience revolution rocks on and the latest artist to teach us a thing or two about science is the Icelandic extraordinaire, Björk. Her latest album, Biophilia, is a mind-blowing, multi-dimensional tour de force of the mysteries of nature, from the microscopic to the ever expanding universe. The album and apps used to experience this inspiring grand opus are candy for your eyes, ears, and both hemispheres of your brain. Just when you think it can't get any better, you realize there's an intro by legendary naturalist, Sir David Attenborough. A few samples of Biophilia appear below, for the full experience check out the discopgraphy at the link above.

Introduction by Sir David Attenborough:



Video for Track 1 on the album, "Moon":

Future-ish Remembers | Culture Icon | Elouise Cobell

Elouise Pepion Cobell (1945-2011), whose Indian name was Yellow Bird Woman, was a a member of the Blackfeet Indian Tribe of Montana and a great-granddaughter of Mountain Chief. Her parents were Polite and Catherine Pepion. Cobell was an Elder, Native American activist, banker, environmentalist, and rancher.

Cobell graduated from Great Falls Business College and later attended Montana State University. Throughout her career, Cobell lead many companies and organizations, from banks to conservation nonprofits, and served on many Native and non-Native boards of directors. Cobell established the Blackfeet National Bank, the first national bank to be located on an Indian reservation and to be owned by a Tribe. After decades of seeking reform and an accounting of the trust funds belonging to individual Indians, she became the was plaintiff in the groundbreaking lawsuit, Cobell v. Salazar, which challenged the United States' mismanagement of trust funds belonging to more than 500,000 individual Native Americans. In 2010, the Obama administration offered a settlement of $3.4 billion to end the class-action suit. Cobell died of cancer at age 65 in Great Falls, Montana.

Articles on the passing of Elouise Cobell:
Capriccioso, R. 10/17/11. Elouise Cobell, 65, Walks On. Indian Country Today.

Cates, K. 10.17.11. Elouise Cobell, Blackfeet woman and pioneer of Indian trust lawsuit, dies. Great Falls Tribune.

Indian Country Today Media Network Staff. 10.17.11. Elouise Cobell Remembered by Many. Indian Country Today.

Klinkenborg, V. 10.17.11. Plaintiff for the Past. New York Times.

McKie, S. B. P. 10.18.11. Indian Country mourns passing of Elouise Cobe. Cherokee One Feather.

Nelson, V. J. 10/17/11. Elouise Cobell dies at 65; Native American activist. LA Times.

Rave, J. 10.17.11. Elouise Cobell — Died Oct. 16, 2011: A warrior woman will be laid to rest. Buffalos's Fire.

Shapiro, T. R. 10/17/11. Elouise Cobell, American Indian who championed class-action lawsuit against U.S. government, dies at 65. Washington Post.

The Telegraph. 10/17/11. Elouise Cobell

Volt, M. 10.17.11. Native American leader Elouise Cobell dies at 65. Boston Globe.

SeanChron | Hawaii Weekend at Pacific Science Center

9.25.11. It was a full two days of Hawaiian science, design, and culture at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle this weekend. Along with music and hula throughout the day, Hawaii Weekend featured many activities for keiki (children) organized by the Maui Ocean Center, the Hawaii Nature Center, the Kauai Monk Seal Watch Program, and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. I was really impressed with Hawaii Nature Center's booth as they had activities that were super interactive including a Museum of Modern Garbage quiz that had contestants guessing which items took the longest to break down in landfills, a first-hand look at the bits of plastic found in seabird's stomach, and a mini-canoe building station that introduced both the story of Hōkūle‘a and the concept of invasive species to children.

Kalani Kahaialii, Mel Urbanozo and Halau Hula O Moani Mokihana

The Landfill Game with Jamie Nakama, Program Manager at Hawaii Nature Center

Plastic pieces found in seabirds' stomachs

Crafting a canoe made of invasive African Tulip Tree pods

SeanChron - Aloha Kumu Charles Kaupu Jr.

7.13.11. This morning I logged on to Facebook and discovered that a good friend in Maui had unexpectedly passed away, Charles Kaupu Jr. I had the great pleasure of getting to know Charles over the last couple years during the annual Celebration of the Arts event on Maui. I was very much looking forward to meeting up with him again during my upcoming Maui visit in July when we had much 'talk story' planned. He was a wonderful man with an incredibly positive outlook on everything...a kumu, a student of life, and a cherished cultural resource. It was truly an honor to know him. His passing will leave a big hole in my heart, mind, and spirit that will be difficult to fill for a long time to come. Much aloha to his ohana and his ocean of friends in Maui, Japan, and around the world.

Here are a few stories celebrating his rich life and gifts:

Maui News - ‘A hole in our hearts’: Kumu Charles K. Ka‘upu Jr., of Maui, dies at 53

MauiNow - Maui Community Mourns Loss of Kumu Charles Kaupu Jr

SFGate, Hawaiian Insider - Maui's cultural icon Charles Ka'upu dies; Hapa to share his spirit on Calif. tour

Star Advertiser - Noted Maui kumu Charles Kaupu dies

Lacrosse on The White House South Lawn

7.11.11. Lacrosse sticks were raised in the White House South Lawn today as First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a lesson in the game from nondaga Nation Faithkeeper and Elder (and former All-American lacrosse player himself), Oren Lyons, as part of her Let’s Move! Indian Country initiative. Columnist Mike Wise shares details from the event in an article in the Washington Post, Lacrosse celebrates its Native American origins during visit to the White House.

SeanChron - Hockey, paddling, and First Nations for William and Kate in NWT

Here at Future-ish, we long ago added 'culture' to the equation of social drivers shaping the future...honoring people, place, history, and traditions are essential elements in the many ways culture connects us to our past and our future. So, I was really pleased to see that The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took time out of their busy Canadian tour to visit Yellowknife and Blachford Lake in the Northwest Territories (NWT) where they had a chance to meet with First Nations communities and learn about the people, places, and traditions of the Inuktitut, Chipewyan, Dene, and Inuit. William and Kate got in some paddling and even a little street hockey or 'shinny' as the call it in Canada. William even closed a speach with "Mahsi Cho" and "Quyanaq nuck-puck", the words for 'thank you' in the local Gwich'in Dene and Inuvialuit languages.

Read more on the trip to Yellowknife here: CNC | DailyMail

Lady Gaga. Bad Romance. Bluegrass.

Need we say more? Here at Future-ish, we love it when worlds collide to create something new and fantastic. That's about the only way you can describe this little YouTube treasure...guitarists Patrick Goble and Donovan Kirkpatrick interpret Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" a la bluegrass four-handed guitar. Fusions of music genres continue to pop up all over the place and that's fine by us.

Rethinking Native Culture on WPR

3.10.11 - Steve Paulson and Anne Strainchamps of Wisconsin Public Radio's "To the Best of our Knowledge" settle in with author, curator, and cultural critic Paul Chaat Smith (Comanche), comedian Howie Miller (Cree), author and painter Leslie Marmon Silko (Laguna Pueblo), and historian Thomas Powers to talk about their recent works and get their insights on the past, present, and future of Native American culture.

Download or listen to the full podcast here.

Ancestry, family, and tradition served up on Top Chef

In episode 12 of Top Chef All-Stars, Give me Your Huddled Masses, the main ingredients in each of the chef's dishes were ancestry, family, and tradition. The episode's quickfire challenge had the all-stars chefing up dishes on the ferry to New York's Ellis Island where millions of immigrants took their first steps towards new lives in America. The chefs were then surprised by visits from their family bearing genealogy portfolios filled with stories and historical records of their forerunners. Thus, for the elimination challenge, the chefs were challenged to create dishes inspired by the rich and diverse history of their own families. Family members joined the judges for the dinner service and by the end of the episode, everyone had shed a tear - or a few - from all the inspiring stories.

We may be big fans of all the science, design, and culture shaping the future here at Future-ish, but we are even bigger fans of honoring the past, our ancestors, and the many traditions that are all about "embracing the past and moving into the future" as Gail put it.

Ahn Trio at TED

The Ahn Trio is made up of three sensational sisters: cellist Maria, pianist Lucia, and violinist Angella and together they are taking the classical world by storm. Thoroughly a 'contemporary trio' they truly are shaping the future of music in many ways, not the least of which by working with artists from across musical and other disciplines ranging from dancers and DJs to ecologists and kite makers. Below is there latest performance at the 2011 TEDWomen conference.