ʻO Kaʻiu Kimura ka luna hoʻokele kūmanawa o Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani a ʻo ia hoʻi ke poʻo hoʻokele o ke Kikowaena Kilohōkū ʻo ʻImiloa, kahi hoʻi āna i kākoʻo ai ma ka hoʻomohala ʻana i ka nuʻukia o ia kikowaena me ke kahukahu a kākoʻo ʻana aku no ke alu like ʻia o ke kaiaulu a me ko ka ʻepekema kilo hōku ma ka hoʻoholomua ʻana aku i ka noiʻina kilo hōkū me ka mālama mua mau ʻia o ka moʻomeheu hoʻokipa, ʻo ka moʻomeheu Hawaiʻi.

He pukana ʻo ia o Ke Kula o Kamehameha ma Kapālama, papa 1996, a ua paʻa kāna palapala laepua Haʻawina Hawaiʻi a me kāna palapala laeoʻo Moʻokalaleo a ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi ma ke Kulanui o Hawaiʻi ma Hilo nei. He moho laeʻula ʻo ia i kēia manawa ma ka papahana Hōʻola ʻŌlelo a Moʻomeheu Hawaiʻi a ʻŌiwi. Iā ia he haumāna laepua, ua komo ʻo ia i ka papahana kūkaʻi haumāna a ua noho i Aotearoa no hoʻokahi kau e hoʻopaʻa ana i ka ʻōlelo a moʻomeheu Māori.

Ua hana pū mua ʻo Kaʻiu me ko ka ʻAha Pūnana Leo ma nā ʻano kūlana like ʻole: ka hoʻolaukaʻi o ka papahana Hale Kipa ʻŌiwi–he papahana hoʻokipa ia no nā ʻōiwi ʻAmelika a kauʻāina a puni ka honua e hoʻōla ana i kā lākou ʻōlelo a me ko lākou moʻomeheu. Ua aʻo ʻo ia i nā papa ma ke ʻano he kumu hapamanawa ma Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani; a ua hoʻomohala hoʻi ʻo ia i nā haʻawina na nā ʻoihana pāʻoihana a hoʻokipa o Hawaiʻi.

ʻO Kaʻiu kekahi o nā hoa o ka Papahana First Nations’ Futures Fellowship, kahi papahana hoʻi e kālele ana ma ka hoʻokāʻoi ʻana i ke ola o nā kaiaulu ʻōiwi ma o ke kahukahu ʻana i nā alakaʻi ma Hoʻomohala Waiwai, Hoʻomalu Kaiapuni a Kumuwaiwai, a me ke kaiaulu a moʻomeheu. He hoa hoʻi ʻo ia ka papahana Pacific Century Fellows a me ke Center for Advancing Informal Science Education.

Ka’iu Kimura is the Executive Director of the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai’i where she played an integral role in developing the mission of the Center as well as cultivating and advocating for community engagement in the continuance of astronomical research while ensuring the integrity and integration of the host culture.

Ka’iu Kimura is a graduate of the Kamehameha Schools class of 1996 and went on to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Arts degree at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo (UHH) in Hawaiian Language and Literature. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Indigenous Language Revitalizaton program of the College of Hawaiian Language at UHH. While at UHH, she participated in the first UHH student exchange program with the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand where she spent a semester studying Maori language and culture.

Ms. Kimura has worked for the ‘Aha Punana Leo (a statewide non-profit organization who’s mission is to renormalize the Hawaiian language) in various positions including the facilitator of Hale Kipa ‘Oiwi, an outreach program that hosts other Native American communities and international indigenous groups worldwide who are working towards language and culture revitalization. She has lectured for the College of Hawaiian Language and has also developed Hawaiian language curriculum offered to Hawai’i’s business and tourism industries.

She participated in the inaugural First Nations’ Futures Fellowship which focused on improving the wellbeing of indigenous communities through strengthening leadership in areas of economic development, environment and resource management, and community and culture. She has been a fellow in the Pacific Century Fellows program as well as the Center for Advancing Informal Science Education fellowship.