Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 6, 1 June 1990 — Naturally Hawaiian [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Naturally Hawaiian

By Patrick Ching artist/environmentalist

Nai'a — a friend in the sea

Throughout the world, seagoing people have regarded dolphins as more than mere animals. Their intelligence, playfulness and compatibility with humans is quickly recognized by anyone

fortunate enough to witness these marvelous creatures in their oeean home. There has always been an aura of mystery surrounding dolphins and other marine mammals. This is especially true in Hawai'i. Somewhat baffling is the question of why dolphins and other manne mammals, conspicuous as they are, are rarely referred to in Hawaiian literature and lore. Little is known about their relationship with the ancient Hawaiians except for a few references that dolphins were the property of the ali'i; were oeeasionally taken for food and oil; and were not allowed to be eaten by women. Early archaeological sites on O'ahu, Kaua'i and Hawai'i have turned up dolphin-tooth ornaments similar to those found in eastern Polynesia. There are several species of dolphin or nai'a, as they are known to Hawaiians, that occur in Hawaiian waters. The Pacific bottlenose dolphin is the largest with males averaging 10 feet long and weighing 850 pounds. The Spinner dolphin is the smallest averaging six feet in length and 175 pounds in weight. The dolphins discussed in this article should not be confused with the dolphinfish (mahimahi). Though they live in the oeean, dolphins are more closely related biologicaIly to humans than to fish. They are warm-blooded, air-breathing mammals. Their calves are born alive and nurse on their mother's milk. Dolphins are very intelligent animals. Their brains are larger than humans. They have a complex language to communicate with eaeh other If you are in the water, or on a boat near some dolphins you ean often hear the squeaking and clicking sounds that they make. In recent years dolphins have become the subject of intense research and controversy. Many people have ideas about how dolphins should be treated, or not treated. There are some who feel that dolphins should not, under any circumstances, be kept in captivity and some who feel

that keeping and studying dolphins in captivity is crucial to understanding ourselves. Commercial fishing operations in some eountries look upon dolphins as pests and ruthlessly slaughter them by the thousands. On the other extreme there are those who feel that dolphins are many times smarter than humans and may even hold the secrets to the universe. There may be as many opinions about dolphins as there are dolphins. The only opinion that this

writer will express is that dolphins, wild orcaptive, should be treated with the respectanddignity that all animals deserve. In 1972 the Marine Mammals Protection Act was passed whieh makes it illegal to kill, harm or harass dolphins and other marine mammals in the United States. For more information on marine mammals or to lodge harassment complaints contact the Nahonal Marine Fisheries Service at 955-8831.