Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 9, 1 September 2011 — Infusing culture into land conservation [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Infusing culture into land conservation

By Francine Murray Asmooth yet powerful voice captivated everyone in the O'ahu Ballroom of the Hawai'i Convention Center as Kevin Chang, Land Manager from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, opened with an oli (chant) to invoke the ancestral spirits of this land into the room, at the 19th annual Hawai'i Conservation Conference, sponsored by the Hawai'i Conservation Allianee. The Aug. 3 discussion on conservation land and Hawaiian culture was in its third year, as part of a forum that allows people involved in cultural and/or natural resource management to eonhnue to develop dialogue and partnerships throughout Hawai'i. It was coordinated and moderated by Chang with the help of Lea Hong, the Hawaiian Islands Program Director for

the Trust for Puhlie Land. "What usually happens is we invite people who don't see themselves as conservationists," said Chang. "They see themselves as cultural practitioners or as puhlieservice workers but not necessarily conservationists." They discuss the growth of their field and introduce theirprojects' experiences, questions andconcerns with the conservation community. Last year those involved in agriculture participated; this year those involved in fisheries and Wao Kele o Puna participated. The panelists were Julie Leialoha, Wao Kele o Puna Forest Reserve Coordinator for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources; Cheyenne Hiapo Perry, then-Land Specialist of OHA; Māhealani Cypher of the Ko'olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club; Kehaulani Sou.z3ologist and his- SEE G0NSERVATI0N ŪN PAGE 15

Lea Hong of Trust for Public Land, Julie Leialoha, Wao Kele o Puna coordinator for DLNR, Hi'ilei Kawelo, Executive Director of Paepae o He'eia, Māhealani Cypher of Ko'olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club, Kehaulani Souza of Mokauea 'Ohana, Cheyenne Perry, former OHA Land Specialist for Wao Kele o Puna, and Kevin Chang, OHA Land Manager at the 201 1 Hawai'i Conservation Conference. - Photo: Pmneine Murray

C0NSERVATI0N

Continued from page 7 torian of Mokauea 'Ohana; and Hi'ilei Kawelo, Executive Director of Paepae o He'eia, whieh manages and maintains He'eia Fishpond with landowner Kamehameha Schools. "We are not alone," said Kawelo. "There are plenty of fishponds out there. Hui Mālama Loko Pa is our fishpond consortium, and currently we have about 20 to 30 fishpondsrepresented statewide. We convened our last Hui Mālama Loko Pa meeting on the island of Moloka'i, in March. It is a part of us wanting to see our fishponds restored for the purpose of cultivating fish, and wanting to see that process streamlined, and eliminate hurdles, if at all possible." When it comes to infusing Hawaiian culture into conservation efforts, hurdles remain. "It is a big struggle and everyone in this room is a part of the solution. We all need to get our conununities, our govemment agencies, our friends and relatives to think this way," said Cypher, of the civic club. "Everything has to be in

balance and we all need to mālama (take care of), not just the resources but the people. Mālama the people and they will help mālama the resources. We all need to set an example. If you are respectful of wherever you are, that respect will spread." Members of the panel urged the audienee to hire loeal staff instead of recmiting from the mainland, pointing out that locals are familiar with the land, culture and history. "And if you have the opportunity, hire the Hawaiian," elaborated Kawelo, referring to the tie between Hawaiians and the land. "You ean not replace passion; I believe it comes from our ancestral past." Someone from the audience asked about konohiki, or land managers historically under the chief in an ahupua'a. "If you think about it, every community is represented politically, but what about the resources?" Cheyenne Hiapo Perry replied. "And then, how do we tie those resources to eaeh other? A network of konohiki would be a great way to do it. I'm always thinking about the logistics of it, and how it ean be done." "I think it is very important to be

conscious of the traditional konohiki versus when we ta!k about konohiki in a modern context," said Kawelo. "When I think of konohiki, I think of somebody that carries so mueh 'ike (knowledge) that I almost think that those kind of people don't exist anymore. But, maybe trying to redefine konohiki, a new definihon more reflective of the modem use and applieahon of that word would be great." The three-day Hawai'i Conservation Conference is Hawai'i's largest event of people actively interested in conservation, attended by about a thousand people including many natural-resource managers, scientists and ecosystem restoration specialists. The Hawai'i Conservation Allianee is a cooperative collaboration of conservation leaders representing 19 government, education and nonprofit organizations. The alliance's mission is to provide unified leadership and advocacy on conservation issues critical to Hawai'i. OHA became a partner of HCA after acquiring Wao Kele o Puna, one of Hawai'i's largest intact lowland rain forests, in 2006. ■