Tanya Malia Souza Lizama, M.A., Manager
Tanya is the Trustʻs first Kona-based employee. Her kuleana is the Keahuolū Interpretive Center and the day-to-day management of the Queen Lili‘uokalani Trust Kona properties.
Raised in South Kona on the Island of Hawai‘i, Tanya is appreciative of the rural lifestyle and rich culture that have influenced her. Her love and respect for Hawai‘i Island have inspired her to learn more about the past through archaeological and ethnohistorical resources.
Tanya received a Master’s of Arts degree in Anthropology from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa for her critical analysis on the interpretation and current documentation methods of ki‘i pōhaku (stone images), and a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Anthropology, specializing in Hawaiian Archaeology from the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo.
Prior to the Trust, Tanya was employed as an archaeologist with Pacific Legacy, Inc., a private archaeological firm in Hawai‘i. She has worked on various archaeological projects on Hawai‘i and Maui Islands, and has spent a summer abroad as a participant of the UH Mānoa archaeological field school in Rapa Nui, Chile. Tanya has considerable experience with archaeological field and laboratory techniques. Her special interests include ki‘i pōhaku studies, lithic analysis, and adze sourcing analysis.
During her time in graduate school, Tanya founded the Hawai‘i Junior Archaeology Outreach Program and has conducted archaeological activities and presentations for Native Hawaiian grade school students around O‘ahu Island. Tanya is passionate about conveying the knowledge of indigenous archaeology to keiki within the Hawai‘i public and charter school systems. Her future goal as an archaeologist is to create a new curriculum of archaeology for the schools and encourage native Hawaiian children and kama‘āina to appreciate their cultural heritage.
Tanya has finally returned home to reside permanently in Kona with her very new husband, Edward, and chocolate miniature dachshund named “Chaco.” This dynamic trio spends their weekends at the rocky beach shores of Kona, while Tanya reads, Edward fishes, and Chaco lazily soaks up the sun.
