Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 11, 1 Nowemapa 2009 — Hawaiian oeean knowledge promoted to national panel [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaiian oeean knowledge promoted to national panel

By Liza Simon Public Affairs Specialist Several Native Hawaiians and supporters made impassioned presentations on the importanee of indigenous stewardship as an Ohamaappointed task foree eonvened last month in Honolulu to eolleet input that will shape new national oeean poliey. Of the nearly 1,000 people who turned out for the event at the Blaisdell Center, 400 partieipants signed up to testify in hopes of having the Interageney Oeean Poliey Task Foree take baek to the nation's eapital the mana'o of the Hawaiian Islands. A few hours before the meeting, an undersea earthquake had struek in the South Paeihe, sending killer tsunami waves into Sāmoa and putting Hawai'i under tsunami wateh. Many who gave testimony took note of the eatastrophe, saying that it underseored the intimaey of the land and sea relationship shared by islanders. "Polynesian eulture is based on a sense of profound eonneetivity between humanity and nature. Don't throw this out," Kalani Souza of the Olohana Foundation exhorted the eommissioners, ineluding task foree ehief Jane Lubehenko of the Nahonal Oeeanie and Atmospherie Administration. Souza, who opened the meeting with an oli, eritieized seientists who "do researeh in the islands, eolleet extensive data but pay only lip serviee to native knowledge." He said the value of the aboriginal intuitive understanding of resouree management was evident in the way the native population sustained itself and thrived in pre-eontaet times. "We need more real partnership that honors the integration of traditional knowledge and institutions that serve us," he said. Troubled waters of man-made impaets were on the minds of many presenters who deplored the rising number of reports of depleted fisheries, marine debris, bleaehed eoral and sea level rise assoeiated with elimate ehange. While remote geography makes Hawai'i espeeially vulnerable to these problems, many emphasized that Hawaiian oeean-based eulture had evolved methods for meeting the ehallenges. The Native Hawaiian mountain-to-sea management of ahupua'a resourees was hailed by many attendees as a way of ensuring food seeurity. Moloka'i aetivist Walter Ritte eited some speeifie eeonomie aetivities and government poli-

eies for eausing many problems, sueh as sediment run-off, whieh he said has been deadly to his island's speetaeular eoral reefs. "The (eommission's) implementation strategy should inelude (a recommendation) to plant, he said. Ritte said planting forest on land would not only "curtail sediment runoff," it would create many jobs for the eeonomically strapped Moloka'i community. He told commissioners a Moloka'i request for stimulus money to do this had been rejected. The task force, created by President Ohama in June, has issued a preliminary report that ean be viewed at whitehouse.gov/oceans. Puhlie comments were received through Oct. 17 and are posted with the report. Heidi Kai Guth of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs said the interim report provided a limited and continental approach to coastal and oeean management. She recommended that the task force look to the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument as a better model. "We consider the monument to be an excellent example of collaborative management, in large part because one of the world's most vast and pristine Marine Protected Areas is not just managed via consultation with Native Hawaiians, but is managed with Native Hawaiians, using Native Hawaiian knowledge and skills in integrated resources management," said Guth. The task force's final report is expected to be issued in two parts within the next three months. ■

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EWS We need more real partnership that honors the integration of traditional knowledge and institutions that serve us. — Kalani Souza, Olohana Foundation

A standing room only crowd brought concerns on oeean policy to an Ohama task force at the Blaisdell Center. - Photo: Liza Simon ^ 1 I

Cultural practitioner Kalani Souza wants new nahonal oeean policy to incorporate native knowledge. - Photo: Uza Simon