Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 5, 1 May 2021 — Aloha 'Āina... The Indigenous Approach [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Aloha 'Āina... The Indigenous Approach

In "Western" thinking nature and Mother Eartl were always regardec as adversaries to b( conquered and used This perspective, whiel grows out of thinking in th( ancient world, is expressec in biblical text. In the story of creation in Genesis, God created nature first, and then man and afterward instructs man on how to relate to nature: "Be fruitful and multiply, and replen>sli thp 3

earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon tlie earth. " (Gen 1:28) The French philosopher Rene Descartes believed in the Theory of Dualism, whieh held that humans were separate from Nature and other living organisms because they

alone had the power of reason and, unlike plants and animals, had souls. The SchooI ofEcorealism holds that humans are part of the natural world and that nature cannot be viewed as a separate, sacrosanct entity whieh should be left untouched. James Lovelock, a British ehemist, developed a theory called Gaia hypothesis (named after the Greek earth goddess Gaia), whieh holds that the earth itself is ALIVE because "the Earth's living matter, air, oceans, and land surface form a complex system whieh ean be seen as a single organism and whieh has the capacity to keep our planet a fit plaee for life." The Indigenous Approach With the establishment of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and the voyages of the Hōkūle'a in the 1970s,

a new paradigm of research was on the horizon for the Hawaiian Islands - and the Native Hawaiians' Indigenous approach to nature and the 'āina. The reclaiming and learning of Native Hawaiian ways of living, knowing and being, was published in the two-volume Nānā i Ke Kumu, Look to the Source (Pukui, Haertig, and Lee, IQ7? a b). A strong eom-

mitment towards this Indigenous way of thinking was demonstrated through the establishment of the Hawaiian Studies program at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. Another program was established at the John A. Burns School of Medi- " cine's Native Hawaiian Center of Excellence.

Native Hawaiians continue to struggle and face challenges in protecting their Indigenous rights and CEDED lands. Individuals and groups with legal representation have been leading a campaign against Native Hawaiian entitlements, including challenging the funding of the Native Hawaiian Homelands, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and educational programs. Yet they persevere; never give up! In the words of King Kamehameha I as he shouted out before battle to his young warriors: "I mua e nā pōki'i a inu i ka wai 'awa'awa, 'a'ohe hope e ho'i mai ai." Every day, we are motivated by his words ...I mua e nā pōki 'i! Mālama pono a hui hou till June, Trustee Leina'ala Ahu Isa ■

j Leina'ala i Ahu lsa, Ph.ū. 5 ) VicE Chair, l TrustEE, At-laryE

Aloha 'Āina means "love of the land," and is central for our future generations... our keiki, our future warriors!