Kānaka Maoli of all education levels, backgrounds, and time commitments can contribute to the future self determination of the people of Hawai’i. Scholars, kāhuna [artisans], and Kanaka Maoli with day jobs alike can find spiritual meaning and connection to their genealogies through perpetuating traditional practices. Whether they be physically present in Hawai’i, atop Mauna a Wākea, or are far from their ancestral home, it is clear that Ho’omana Hawai’i can be practiced so long as these piko [ connections ] to past generations — and by extension the gods — are nurtured. The following pages will be dedicated towards ways in which Kānaka Maoli of different backgrounds are now engaging in honoring these connections.
In Kanaka Maoli scholarship, Kānaka Maoli have honored their genealogies and connections through critical research. Indigenous scholars have analyzed US and international law since the University of Hawai’i created a dedicated Hawaiian Studies task force within the department in the early 1970s after the Second Hawaiian Renaissance. While there are entire theses and published books dedicated to the subject, legal scholars consider, “The U.S. Congress’s final move of simulating annexation through the Newlands Resolution,” as, “widely held to have been illegal,” considering that it, “skipped the plebiscite and required only a simple majority vote to pass,” deeming the action both unconstitutional and a breach of international law simultaneously. This fact has been central to sovereignty movements including Mauna a Wākea, especially considering that Kānaka Maoli too now have lawyers, university professors, and government officials who are well-versed on US law and its systems. Dedicated Kanaka Maoli have allowed for legislation like the PASH decision to pass, seen Mauna a Wākea kia’i [ protectors ] speak at the United Nations, and have connected the members of the lāhui living abroad to their homeland.
Culturally-informed methodologies are integral to modern critical studies scholarship. It is unsurprising then that Kānaka Maoli scholars have recently outlined central commitments for future Hawaiian studies scholarship that are rooted in Kanaka Maoli culture and by extension: ho’omana. Noelani Goodyear-Ka’ōpua discusses four key concepts that are central to the existence of the lāhui and should in turn be central to Hawaiian studies scholarship. Each of these terms have been discussed already due to their massive importance to Kanaka Maoli culture and ho’omana: lāhui, ea, kuleana, and pono.
Lāhui: collective identity and self-definition
Lāhui asks the scholar to consider how their actions affect not only them, but the worldwide community of Kanaka Maoli and the ancestors that came before them:
Does this help Kanaka Maoli assert who we are as a people on our own terms?
Does it help us assess and understand our collective status?
Does it propose ways to improve our collective well-being as a people?
Does it critically examine what is at stake when defining “Hawaiianness” ?
Ea: sovereignty and leadership
Ea speaks to not only the sovereignty of the individual and nation as a whole. But it also demands that the scholar consider the future effects of their actions on the land they inhabit:
How can the lived experiences of Kanaka on the ‘Āina inform this research?
How does this research support the ability of Kanaka to exercise ea?
How does it support the revitalization of vessels (material, ideological, spiritual, linguistic) that promote a healthy and robust flow of ea?
Kuleana: positionality and obligations
Kuleana requires that the scholar take into account the reasons why they seek information, honor those that helped them, and consider how they would use any potential reward to benefit others or advance social justice. These questions are important to consider in almost all interactions in Ho’omana Hawai’i and thusly are natural for its scholarship:
What is at stake in this research?
How can I nurture reciprocal relationships?
How can I share any benefits that may come to me because of this research?
How can I use the momentum from this research for positive social change?
Pono: harmonious relationships, justice, and healing
Pono reminds the scholar that their kuleana is always to their fellow Hawaiian, the land around them, and by extension the gods that spiritually embody those connections. Pono is to live ideally within the eyes of one’s ancestors and community:
How are the benefits of this research accruing? To whom? To what end?
What emergent lines of research may effectively challenge structural relations of power and wealth that hinder Hawaiian survivance?
Is this research regenerating the ways of life that allow us to be in balance with this ‘Āina?
Altogether, these concepts and the questions tied to them underlined the methodology of the scholarship within these pages. To have academic methodologies allows Kānaka Maoli to foster their genealogies and responsibility to them whilst simultaneously dedicating themselves to work in the “modern” world. Further, it creates visibility and representation for Kānaka Maoli within spaces that they have historically been barred from.
Kapu Aloha [ Aloha protocol ] has defined Kanaka Maoli sovereignty movements since the late 1980s protests against the US Air Force’s routine bombings of Kaho’olawe. This was one of the foundation movements that led to the 1995 PASH decision’s passing in the state of Hawai’i legislature and many Kanaka Maoli activists attribute part of their success to this protocol. The Kānaka Maoli nonprofit: Mauna Kea Anaina Hou [ people who pray for the mountain ] created a handout to explain the importance and key tenets of Kapu Aloha in 2019, “Kapu Aloha is Aloha in action. When Aloha is enacted, our actions are overseen by the Akua, ‘Aumakua, and Kūpuna. Every participant can act as they choose, but they are responsible for their own actions and intentions,” the graphic continues to outline 11 aspects of Aloha and its importance to the movement. Kapu Aloha is expected at all Kingdom of Hawai’i sovereignty demonstrations. This radical approach to compassion is especially important in Hawai’i due to its population and the nature of Kanaka Maoli genealogies. The islands of Hawai’i are small and so it is likely that counterprotesters and law enforcement are connected to an individual in some way. For this reason, Kapu Aloha demands that Kanaka Maoli activists only operate with Aloha [ compassion ]. This makes it possible for Kānaka Maoli to better control the framing of their social movements. For example, it is difficult to argue against video footage of hundreds of armed law enforcement forcibly arresting unarmed Kanaka Maoli elders at Pu’uhonua o Pu’uhuluhulu in July of 2019.
Central to the spiritual claim of Kapu Aloha is the Hawaiian spiritual concept of hā [ breath ]. Mana is the supernatural power that flows through all things, but it is believed that breath is through which it travels. Just like that of mana, hā was believed to be entrusted to man as a gift from the gods. Thus reveals the spiritual significance of Kapu Aloha when considering what has been previously discussed of Ho’omana Hawai’i: in protecting the sacred through venerating the gods, it would simply be counterproductive to insult others who may have a direct connection to the gods as well. Hua ‘ōlelo too is central to this concept. Finally, Kapu Aloha guides activists through the burn-out and associated tribulations that accompany this work. This framework creates a supportive and welcoming lāhui that congregates to build up one another and their shared ancestors. Further, the Mauna Kea Anaina Hou provides guidance for activists’ frustrations, stating, “Choose to redirect anger in righteous, non-violent, and peaceful actions in a collective way. Anger is a normal human response to injustice and Kapu Aloha gives us a way to seek justice in non-violent ways,” in this way, Kānaka Maoli emphasize the importance of acknowledging emotions and breaking intergenerational cycles through healthy outlets that honor Mauna a Wākea and an individual’s ancestors. In name, traditional cultural practices including: hula, mele, chant, and ceremony are a few of the practices done daily at Pu’uhonua o Pu’uhuluhulu.
Well-known Pacific Islander celebrities have even utilized their platforms to bring attention to the issues surrounding Mauna a Wakea and Kānaka Maoli land stewardship. Jason Momoa, an A-list celebrity known for HBO’s The Game of Thrones live-action series and D.C. Entertainment’s Aquaman movie, produced a 12:20 long video with his production company, On the Roam, when he visited Mauna a Wakea in late July of 2019. Momoa’s YouTube channel published a video named, “WE ARE MAUNA KEA,” on August 15, 2019, establishing his support for Kānaka Maoli and his opposition towards the TMT. The mini documentary provides insight into modern Kānaka Maoli struggles for sacred lands, water rights, and halting the construction of the TMT on Mauna a Wakea. The video primarily centers the perspectives of Kānaka Maoli cultural practitioners like Pualani Case, Hāwane Rios, and Kaho’okahi Kanuha while Momoa provides support by asking guiding questions throughout the video.
Visits and public statements from other celebrities like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Damien Marley, Jack Johnson, and Bruno Mars have also helped center Kānaka Maoli perspectives through their social media and internet influence. This is a perfect example of how widespread support for media created independently by Kānaka Maoli has helped immensely and why it is so important for Kanaka Maoli to control how their stories are framed. Such a task has become much more manageable and accessible since the advent of the internet and widespread access to it has become available. Today, viral videos and social media provide plenty of opportunities for Kānaka Maoli to share their wisdom, stories, and pressing issues with the world.
Outside of the Mauna a Wākea movement, cultural practitioners continue honoring their kupuna through traditional practices. Through lo’i restoration and kalo cultivation, Kānaka Maoli honor their ancestral responsibility of caring for the ‘Āina while caring for the piko that connects all Kanaka Maoli to Hāloa — the first kalo plant and first-born of Wākea and Papa. Traditional land stewardship practices that further this commitment to caring for the land continue with watershed and tributary replenishment, ahupua’a [ traditional land divisions ] conservation, and traditional voyaging are all ways that Kanaka Maoli are honoring the ancestral knowledge that has been passed down to them through countless generations of Kanaka Maoli before them.
“Kākau (tattoo), lā’au lapa’au (traditional medicine), lomi (Hawaiian massage), ‘ōlelo Hawai’i (language), hula… mele (song), oli (chant), makahiki and other spiritual ceremonies and much more,” are ways that Kānaka Maoli honor these connections in their daily life, experiencing the same trials and tribulations their mentors, parents, and distant ancestors did before them (Kauanui 2018, 200). In these cultural practices, Kanaka Maoli connect themselves spiritually to their ancestors — past, present, and future. In the case of hula, Kanaka Maoli are performing the same actions and retelling the same stories that have been treasured in Hawai’i for centuries in certain cases. In the case of tattoos, Kanaka Maoli experience the same pain, hear the same sounds, and have the same symbols etched on their bodies as those before them. These tattoos further illustrate the life stories and genealogies of those who received them, reaffirming the importance of these connections to ancestors and the symbols that invoke their power. The examples are limitless considering the sheer amount of activities that can connect one to their past ancestors, hence why Ho’omana Hawai’i was integrated into almost every aspect of everyday life prior to Christian influence. Kanaka Maoli scholar Kēhaulani J. Kauanui puts it perfectly, that, “these forms of cultural renewal are central to fostering the continuous growth of ea, which does not need a state to survive and flourish,” considering that ea refers to both sovereignty and leadership, even linguistically these cultural practices are praised for their positive effects on future generations of Kanaka Maoli.
In these ways, authentic independent Kānaka Maoli perspectives and experiences are gathering more mainstream attention. By continuing the many forms of traditional practices listed herein: tattoo, traditional medicine, massage, language, chant, song, storytelling, songwriting, poetry, and countless more, Kānaka Maoli showcase how they aren’t reliant on others to spread the truth of their existence. Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio’s recent feature in Vogue magazine illustrates this shift clearly in the modern day. Indigenous voices are rising to the surface of conversations surrounding capitalism, climate change, and Indigenous issues. Osorio’s q&a with Vogue also helped spread the recent documentary This Is the Way We Rise, furthering the goals of educating others on Mauna a Wākea while providing a fitting bookend:
One of the things that maintains this idea of America more than anything else is that many are perfectly happy to not know the history of the land that they live on. Most people walking across Turtle Island couldn’t tell you the Native people of the land that they live, work, and breathe on, whose dispossession benefits them.
Don’t buy this bullshit idea that Native people are gone. This is something that has been sold to us to maintain settler colonialism. Native people are not gone. We have been killed en masse. We have been dispossessed. But, by and large, many of us are still here. The first thing people have to do is recognize, “Where are they? What’s my relationship to those people?”
Then, the more important work after that is figuring out how to support those people in their work. It shouldn’t just be assuaging some kind of settler guilt. It’s genuinely about creating a more just and ethical future for all of us. The only way we can survive this climate catastrophe, the only way we can survive how capitalism has ravaged our environment, is if we pay closer attention to Native people and the things that they’ve been doing for generations. At the end of the day, Native people and people of color building solidarity with one another is what is going to save our lives.
Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio reminds readers that it’s not enough to feel bad and want to help the Black and Indigenous People of Color around them. Action is integral to change. Action from those who hold privileged positions is especially important to see positive change occur for the Indigenous peoples of this planet. Osorio however doesn’t dwell upon the doom and gloom of the upcoming climate catastrophe. Rather, she emphasizes that the world must change to survive. What Osorio is asking readers to do here is to look around and truly witness the world they inhabit. Osorio asks the world to realize that no matter their physical location, there are genealogies and connections to the land that require nurturing.
The Mauna a Wākea movement is but one of the many sovereignty movements for the Kingdom of Hawai’i currently taking place. As Leon No’eau Peralto notes in their chapter on Mauna a Wākea, “We cannot forget our kuleana to the many ancestors that surround us. We cannot forget our genealogies to place. We cannot forget our genealogies to the ‘makahiapo kapu,’ the sacred firstborn. Sacred places, like Mauna a Wākea, remind us of these genealogical relationships, and the kuleana that these relationships entail,” taking a note from Ho’omana Hawai’i, this wisdom can apply to all those who roam the Earth. This planet is in pain and the extreme effects of unchecked climate change have only worked to further worsen the symptoms: hurricanes, earthquakes, and rising water levels to name a few. At this point, the severe effects of a changing planet will be felt no matter how severe the major corporations or nations of this world respond. Still, Kānaka Maoli kia’i will continue to Aloha ‘Āina and stand as mountains.
