SAIO 50 for 50:Dr. Leon No’eau Peralto
This Week's Spotlight: Dr. Leon No’eau Peralto ('10, B.A. Anthropology, B.A. Native American Studies)
Dr. Peralto (Native Hawaiian) is a community organizer, educator, and a cultivator of seeds and stories and the executive director of Hui Mālama i ke Ala ʻŪlili (huiMAU), a grassroots, Native Hawaiian non-profit organization in Hāmākua Hikina committed to cultivating kīpuka (safe, regenerative spaces) that foster and regenerate the growth of place-based ancestral knowledge, healthy food- and eco- systems, and strong ‘ohana. Specifically, huiMAU seeks to re-establish the systems that sustain their community through place-based educational initiatives and land-centered practices that cultivate abundance, regenerate responsibilities, and promote collective health and well-being. huiMAU’s programs include community-led, ʻāina (land) restoration and native food cultivation, cultural training workshops, a Hawaiian culture-based after school and summer program, and a community kitchen food distribution program.
During his time at Stanford, Dr. Peralto served as the president of Hui o Hawaiʻi, Muwekma House Manager, and student staff librarian at the NACC. In addition to his Stanford degrees, Dr. Peralto holds a master’s in Hawaiian Studies and a Ph.D. in Indigenous Politics from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.