Navigating the Hyphen: Tongan-American Women in Academia

In 2004, thirteen indigenous grandmothers from the Americas, Africa, and Asia gathered in Phoenicia, New York, to form an alliance, declaring to the world: We, the international council of thirteen indigenous grandmothers, represent a global alliance of prayer, education and healing for our Mother Earth, all her inhabitants, all the children, and for the next seven generations to come. We are deeply concerned with the unprecedented destruction of our Mother Earth and the destruction of indigenous ways of life. We believe the teachings of our ancestors will light our way through an uncertain future. We look to further our vision