Social and Environmental Justice in Hawaii

Social and Environmental Justice in Hawaii

The land in Hawaii is intricately tied to the culture. In chants natural elements are personified and people can be described through natural elements. O ke au I kahuli wela ka honua, O ke au I kahuli lole ka lani, O ke au I kuka’iaka ka la, E ho’omalamalama I ka malama, O ke au o Makali’I ka po, … O Papa-huli-honua, O Papa-huli-lani, O Papa-nui-hanau-moku, O Papa I hoho ia Wakea, …Kanu ia Haloa ulu hahaloa, O ka lau o Haloa I ka ao la, Pu--ka--
At the time when the earth became hot, At the time when the heavens turned about, At the time when the sun was darkened, To cause the moon to shine, The time of the rise of the Pleiades…Papa-seeking-earth, Papa-seeking heaven, Great Papa giving birth to the islands, Papa lived with Wakea…Haloa was buried a long taro stalk grew, The offspring of Haloa born into the day, Came forth.
These are excerpts from the Kumulipo (ancient Hawaiian creation chant) that describe the interconnected relationship between the land and the people of Hawaii. The chant describes how the land is the sacred ancestor of the people of Hawaii who are descendants of Haloa (kalo/taro) born to Papahanumoku (earth mother) and Wakea (sky father). ‘Aina in Hawaiian means the land/ earth but it also has meanings of “to rule reign or enjoy the privileges and exercise the responsibilities of rule” (‘Olelo No’eau(1983) Bishop Museum). The ‘Aina is intricately tied to Hawaiian culture as a traditional Hawaiian core value. Dr William C. Rezentes describes the Hawaiian cultural value of ‘Aina as having ‘physical, psychological, and spiritual dimensions’(p22.Ka Lama Kukui (1996) A’ali’I Books ). The physical ‘Aina (land) is the provider of life, provider of everything needed for survival. The psychological ‘Aina is the self identity, emotions, thoughts, feelings, tied to the physical ‘Aina. The spiritual ‘Aina is the connectedness to the ancestors and gods through the land. This deep connective- ness can not easily be translatable to people not tied to the Hawaiian culture, but it is vital to incorporate the concept of land reverence before further destruction is done. Through chants and hula the interconnectedness and spiritual connection is exemplified as humans and nature have interchangeable elements and are both intertwined spiritually. Through hula this is done as the body mimics nature and flows rhythmically with nature. What this connection to the land means in terms of sustainability communication and culture is simple. The land the ‘Aina is the basis of the culture, it creates and provides a means of cultural communication and knowledge this knowledge for the Hawaiians translates to an understanding of sustainable living. As evidenced in The Other Hawaii when land is stolen the culture becomes unstable as demands of an occupying society take precedence over a native knowledge of positive sustainable living. Many Hawaiians experience a tremendous sense of loss, this is not a history of injustice from a hundred years ago, this is a present day tragedy. In the video what was mentioned was that many Hawaiians use “self sufficiency principle and practice of living traditionally as a form of constructive resistance”. The larger society forces a value of disconnect from the land, in this form of resistance traditional knowledge is relied upon to go against the larger societal values of destruction.
The ever present military on the islands is something I don’t think I will ever get used to. I don’t think we should ever get used to the military presence here. The strategic location of the islands creates a value of the land based upon military needs. These needs are communicated to us as a means of public ‘protection’ however the active training sites that still exist and damage the land exemplify a communication that is far from protective, and in actuality is destructive.
I moved from Waikoloa about 6 months ago. Waikoloa is down wind from the Pohakaloa Training Area. There is known levels of depleted uranium in the area around Pohakaloa however the military insists that the levels are so minute they pose no danger. The same assurance came to the people of Bikini Atoll. When my son played baseball in Waikoloa as part of registering he received a bag and water bottle all posted with instructions on what to do if a child finds unexploded ordinance in the area. My son was with his friends one day and they were building a clubhouse when apparently they discovered a large possibly unexploded ordinance. Being kids they thought it was cool and wanted to pick it up for their clubhouse, fortunately one of the boys remembered the proper procedure and ran and told his parents who inturn notified the police. I was so shook up when I found out I felt like in my wonderful ‘safe’ neighborhood there were elements of living in a war zone. What does this complete disregard for the environment communicate to our children? In the video The Other Hawaii one of the military representatives said “ The military is committed to protect the land because we want to use it” You only have to know about Kahoolawe to see this “commitment to protection”. Land becomes a commodity as traditional values and rights go ignored.