Mission

The TIARE-IA workshop takes place in collaborative knowledge production, aiming to bridge Indigenous and academic epistemologies. Its mission is to create meaningful partnerships between Indigenous knowledge holders and academic researchers that can create new forms of scholarship that respect cultural protocols while contributing to broader understanding of ecological, linguistic, and cultural systems.

Moorea, Indigenous Heritage in French Polynesia

Moorea, a volcanic island in French Polynesia, serves as a vital case study for the TIARE-IA project. This lush paradise harbors rich indigenous Mā’ohi cultural traditions dating back centuries. The island’s communities face unique preservation challenges as modernization and tourism impact traditional knowledge systems and language use. TIARE-IA collaborates with local elders to document oral histories, traditional ecological knowledge, and ancestral practices before they fade from living memory.

Critical Challenges in Indigenous Preservation

Global Context

Contemporary challenges to Indigenous cultures

Linguistic Shift

Acceleration toward French among younger generations

Community Needs

Imperative for innovative approaches

TIARE-IA Interdisciplinary Conference Team

This interdisciplinary conference, scheduled for early October 2025, assembles a distinguished cohort of international scholars and practitioners whose expertise spans theoretical physics, humanities, social sciences, Indigenous studies, literature, and maritime technologies.

Neil Davies (UC Berkeley)

Executive Director of the Gump South Pacific Research Station and Research Affiliate at Berkeley Institute for Data Science, specializing in sustainability science and biodiversity genomics. Co-founder of Tetiaroa Society and the Blue Climate Initiative, focusing on computational models of place and social-ecological systems in French Polynesia.

Vicente Diaz (UCLA American Indian Studies)

Interdisciplinary scholar and founder of The Native Canoe Program, specializing in Critical and Comparative Indigenous Studies across North America and the Pacific Ocean region. Expert in traditional Micronesian outrigger canoe voyaging, Indigenous canoe culture revitalization, and community-engaged research using traditional watercraft and ecological knowledge.

Warren Essey (Kudu Educational Platform)

Co-founder and CEO of Kudu, former Google software engineer with PhD in physics and NSF teaching fellow credentials. Educational technology pioneer developing AI-assisted digital textbooks and affordable learning platforms to democratize access to high-quality educational materials.

Alex Kusenko (UCLA Physics)

Professor of Physics and Astronomy at UCLA and Senior Fellow at Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, specializing in theoretical physics, astrophysics, and cosmology. Co-founder of Kudu educational platform and Fellow of the American Physical Society, with expertise in dark matter, neutrino physics, and early universe physics.

Elizabeth Landers (UCLA History)

UCLA History PhD candidate examining collaborative gendered marine practices across the Caribbean and Pacific. Her research challenges colonial records that imposed rigid gender divisions on fluid indigenous knowledge systems, comparing 16th-century Saint-Domingue and Brazil with contemporary Moorea. Drawing on extensive archival and ethnographic research spanning France, Haiti, Brazil, and the Caribbean, Elizabeth brings a scholar-practitioner perspective shaped by years of community-led development work in rural Haiti. She is developing frameworks for “Responsible Archives” that center local practitioners as co-creators of cultural preservation, seeking to learn from Moorean fishing communities whose collaborative approaches offer insights for both historical understanding and contemporary archival practice. A 2025 AI innovator pioneering educational technology integration at UCLA, Elizabeth develops customized AI-enhanced learning environments and equitable textbook alternatives through the Kudu platform, moving away from commercial tools toward approaches that better serve both students and faculty.

FRANK MURPHY (Tetiaroa Society)

Polynesian Natural Historian bridging indigenous environmental wisdom with modern conservation science through traditional ecological knowledge and sustainable resource management practices. Program Director at Tetiaroa Society, specializing in environmental conservation and the integration of indigenous knowledge systems with contemporary science.

Hinano Murphy (Tetiaroa Society)

Polynesian Cultural Historian specializing in traditional Mā’ohi knowledge systems and community-based cultural preservation methodologies through the Association Te Pu Atitia. President of the Tetiaroa Society, expert in documenting oral histories, traditional ecological knowledge, and ancestral practices.

José Luis Passos (UCLA Spanish and Portuguese)

Brazilian literature scholar pioneering digital documentation of critically endangered indigenous languages in Northeast Brazil through innovative preservation methodologies. Expert in applying cutting-edge AI technologies for linguistic documentation and cultural preservation in collaboration with indigenous communities.

Shannon Speed (UCLA American Indian Studies)

Chickasaw Nation citizen and Director of UCLA’s American Indian Studies Center, specializing in indigenous sovereignty, language revitalization, and activist research methodologies. Leading scholar in decolonial research practices and community-centered approaches to cultural reclamation across Mexico and the United States.

Zrinka Stahuljak (UCLA Comparative Literature)

Medieval studies scholar and educational pioneer leading UCLA’s first AI integration in humanities through innovative Kudu platform implementation. Director of the Center for Early Global Studies, specializing in comparative literature and pioneering AI-assisted pedagogical approaches in humanities education.

• AI Integration for Cultural Preservation
  Digital Humanties applications, Scalable solutions, and Community Sovereignty
• Methodological Approaches
  The Tiare-IA project’s methodological approach centers on community listening protocols designed to document and archive Indigenous knowledge systems and technologies through ethnographic engagement with Moorean cultural practitioners. These sessions will generate primary source materials for the development of pedagogical resources delivered through the Kudu platform, utilizing artificial intelligence to enhance accessibility while maintaining cultural authenticity. The integration of AI technologies represents a significant advancement in digital humanities applications for Indigenous scholarship, offering scalable solutions for knowledge, language, and technology revitalization that respect community sovereignty over cultural knowledge.
• Significance and Future Impact
  The TIARE-IA conference represents a significant contribution to the field of Indigenous studies and digital humanities, proposing a replicable model for community-university partnerships in cultural preservation. Through its emphasis on Indigenous epistemologies and community-controlled research protocols, TIARE-IA advances scholarly understanding of how emerging technologies can serve Indigenous cultural continuity while respecting traditional knowledge systems and community autonomy in the digital age.