Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 9, 1 September 2021 — Residents of the Last Hawaiian Fishing Village Look to Preserve Their lcebox [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Residents of the Last Hawaiian Fishing Village Look to Preserve Their lcebox

Kōnaka lawai'a search for 'ōpelu ko'a (fishing grounds) off of Miloli'i. Known as Hawai'i's Last Fishing Villoqe and famous for its dried 'ōpelu, Miloli'i was designated o Community Bosed Subsistence Fishing Area (CBSFA) in 2005. - Photo: Ka'imi Kaupiko

By Kama Hopkins, Aide to OHA Trustee Keola Lindsey, and Shane PalacatNelson, OHA Community 0utreach Advocate, West Hawai'i For generations, Hawaiian eommunities have faeed a barrage of teehnologieal advanees, foreign influenee and eatalytic events that have altered and reshaped their cultural identity. Those who remain steadfast to traditional practices are few and far between. Known by residents as the "last Hawaiian fishing village," the rural village of Miloli' i in South Kona on Hawai' i Island has an evolutionary story rooted in resilience and tradition. Miloli'i lineal descendant Ka'imi Kaupiko, who serves as director for locally based nonprofit Kalanihale, grew up learning about the value of hard work and the need to mālama your plaee. "The oeean is our icebox. We rely on it to sustain us," said Kaupiko, recalling the resilience of Miloli'i residents in responding to changes that put pressure on their way of life. Faced with climate change, the current pandemic, and an influx of ideas about eeonomie development and sustainability, Kaupiko and other lineal descendants heed the lessons of their kūpuna. Drawing inspiration from the traditional kapu system that was in tune with ecological cycles, the importance of ancestral resource management practices is paramount. Ensuring that everyone is well fed was onee the kuleana of the konohiki (traditional land manager) for eaeh ahupua'a. Now it is our kuleana as a community. Kaupiko acknowledges that traditions have changed

and evolved, referencing the shift from paddling eanoes to the gas propelled ones now used for catching 'ōpelu (mackerel scad). The resources have been impacted too - the negative consequence of over-har-vesting and the unsustainable fishing practices of folks who don't respect loeal values is that fish populations have been depleted. Witnessing these changes to their "icebox," Miloli'i kūpuna and residents in the 80s and 90s worked hard on efforts to mālama 'āina. In 2005, they established a Community Based Subsistence Fishing Area (CBSFA) designation for Miloli'i. Today, Kalanihale has taken on the kuleana of listening to the voices of the eommunity to understand how they want to mālama their marine resources. Formally established in 2012, Kalanihale's mission is to improve education, environmental, and cultural wellbeing for community members of Miloli' i and South Kona. Carrying on a 30-year tradition, Kalanihale focuses on facilitating programs and community projects that help 'ōpio (youth) navigate new experiences outside of Miloli' i Village, while staying rooted to 'ohana traditions. 'Along with cultural exchange and sports programs, we've also facilitated mueh needed heahh and wellness services and are collaboratively working to mālama the waters of Miloli'i," explained Kaupiko. "We are reinvigorating konohiki practices through our participation in the Mōhala Nā Konohiki apprentice program with communities like Mo'omomi," said Kaupiko. "We also recently convened our llth annual Lawai'a 'Ohana Camp in June, are reactivating our Makai Watch Program and have conducted biological

monitoring of coral, fish and intertidal species." Since receiving their CBSFA designation in 2005, community members have participated in marine stewardship efforts that have guided the goals put forth in the Marine Management Plan that Kalanihale plans to submit to DLNR's Division of Aquatics Resources (DAR) this month. The plan includes proposed rules and boundaries for their CBSFA designation. Originally established to reaffirm and protect fishing practices customarily and traditionally exercised for purposes of Native Hawaiian subsistence, culture, and religion, the CBSFA designation provides a pathway for communities to secure inclusion of sustainable practices into state law so their resources ean be replenished and preserved for generations to eome. The process outlined in the CBSFA guidebook ean take years, even decades, of outreach with community stakeholders to ensure things are moving in the right direction. Many who work on place-based efforts to lawai' a pono ("fish righteously") across the state see the CBSFA as a way for communities, nonprofits, researchers, and government to eome together to make decisions about the co-management of resources in these areas. Along with Miloli'i, the communities of Kipahulu, Maui, and Mo'omomi, Moloka'i, also seek similar CBSFA designations. ■ To learn more about Kalanihale's efforts to restore ahundance to their icebox orfor more info on the CBSFA review process, visit www.kalanihale.com or contact Kalanihale Director Ka'imi Kaupiko at kkaupiko@gmail.com or 808-937-1310.