The wind blows against my cheek
As I feel something new take me gentle and quick
My fingertips graze surfaces as a I walk
An endless journey, only stopping to talk

I clear my throat and dry my eyes
the Lord picks me up and asks not for a compromise
I walk, I feel, I know, I live
In this journey my life is filtered through a seive

Final Research Paper

Here is the link to my most updated research paper:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg48z7r4_69gfpxmjf2

It has been a long time since I have added anything new to this blog. But Kaho'olawe still haunts my thoughts. I mostly think about why the story of Kaho'olawe is so impacting. I haven't stopped researching for this project. Right now I am gathering secondary sources that will support my findings and conclude my research in the spring of 2009. Recently I read a book called The Earth's Blanket by Nancy J. Turner. It is about Native Americans in British Colombia who went through a similar movement to reclaim land that had been left desolate by loggers and farmers. What stood out to me was the idea of a "kincentric approach to nature" which suggests that everything in the universe is regarded as a relative, including the land and wildlife. This is how Kaho'olawe is seen by Native Hawaiians. Kaho'olawe is viewed as a part of the ohana (family). This is why the story of Kaho'olawe is so tragic to Native Hawaiians. Kaho'olawe was first used carelessly, and then taken away from its family. After being partially returned to its family, it was left sick and littered with bombs. When members of the PKO talk about Kaho'olawe, it is usually so emotional and passionate. Their voice vibrates with sorrow. The idea of Kaho'olawe being a family member sheds light on why there is so much emotion in the words spoken.

Kaho'olawe

I can read hundreds of books and listen to hundreds of people tell me about Kaho'olawe and never understand. Even after being there for a brief time, I haven't even scratched the surface of its intricate significance in the eyes of its people. I feel honored and blessed to have been permitted to visit such a unique and special place.

This project all along has been about the Hawaiian people and their relationship with Kaho'olawe. But being who I am, the sum of all my research can only be told through my eyes. My eyes are young and small. I can see, feel, try to relate, convince myself I understand, and then do my best to make some sort of judgment. All of it really reflects who I am as a person rather than anything else. This is true for everyone. This blog will conclude my summer research. In the fall I will come back to it. But after this I wont be adding anything more for some time. I think the best way to conclude this research is to tell of my own experience on island.

There were so many experiences that I will never forget. It started with me sitting on the shore of a little beach squishing the sand between my toes. I looked at this sand and made the connection that it would have looked a lot like the soft, clean sand of Makena if it weren't for the decades of erosion that caused the topsoil to bleed into the ocean every time the rain fell. This was depressing and instilled a feeling of loss and hopelessness in me.

What I noticed about Kaho'olawe is that it seemed to magnify every emotion in every person. There was sadness, love, joy, and peace. There was also bitterness and un-forgiveness. I felt it wherever I went, hanging on whoever I was around. This was a bit overwhelming at times.

But after sometime, something strong and true overcame any imbalance of emotion that I may have felt. And that was a sense of love and responsibility as a family that the people brought. They cared so deeply for the place as well as the people. All 61 of us were connected through this strong sense of Ohana. It was amazing to see these people passionately reach out to one another and to the land. As I walked along the shore I saw a young woman fast asleep laying on the sand, embracing it as if it were her child. I saw a baby cover herself in the thick red dirt like a blanket. These people love Kaho'olawe as they do their family members. There is no distinction between auntie, uncle, tuttu and the land. They are all connected. And they all have a responsibility to one another that runs deeper and stronger than life as we know it.

The Protect Kaho'olawe Ohana's strategy to healing and restoring the land seems to be to love it as if it were an injured child. When someone is ill, the worst thing you can do is isolate them. Being alone and sick can cause one to fall deeper into despair. Instead, if you reach out to the person, cook them dinner, clean their house, and care for them in every way that is needed, they will feel loved and will be more likely to become well. So too is what the PKO is doing for Kaho'olawe. They are bringing their children, sharing meals, talking story together, all the while including Kaho'olawe. They are bringing life with every access. Seeing this made me realize how imperative it is to strive to reconcile ourselves, no matter who we are or what we are, to the earth. This after all is what God has asked us to do since the beginning.

For The PKO, this relationship is very limited. They are only allowed maybe six days a month to be with the island. It makes it difficult to commit to too much. Hopefully somehow there will be more families and more time to spend on island in the future. I was told that if you look at Kaho'olawe on a map it is the shape of a male fetus, laying there naked in the ocean. Molokini is its umbilical cord, and Maui is its mother. Native Hawaiians are reaching out to this child to care for it and keep it alive.

This was a very impacting experience that I will remember. This is only my view. Being on island and speaking to different people has showed to me that there is still so much hurt and pain attached to the abuse of Kaho'olawe and its people. I believe it is important to recognize and value this pain. But more importantly we must love and nurture the land so that we can receive mutual blessings. In this we honor each other as well as the Creator.

Returning

I had a great time in Oahu. I read three books. Currently I am reading, Hawaiian Antiquities by David Malo. This is such a thorough book about ancient Hawaii. What is really amazing are all of the Hawaiian names for everything. There is a name for every day of the month that refers to the moon. There are hundreds of names for different depths of the ocean. For example, "...kau-au where the shoal water ended; and outside of the kua-au was a belt called kai-au, ho-au, kai-o-kilo-hee, this swimming deep or sea for spearing squid, or kai-ee-nalu, that is, a surf-swimming region....Outside of this was a belt called kai-uli, blue sea squid-fishing sea kai-lu-hee, or the sea-of-flying fish..." And it goes on and on. The Hawaiian language wasn't written down until the 1800s. As you can see, its structure has already changed since the time this book was first published in 1902. Reading David Malo's Hawaiian Antiquities has been very helpful to my research. What strikes me the most is just how in tuned to the natural world native Hawaiians historically were. They studied and memorised every aspect of their environment

I also did a few interviews, one with Kylee Omo and Derek Mar, and one with David Blevins. Derek and Kylee have been devoted to Kaho'olawe since their first experience with the island. In the interview Derek focused on the the responsibility that he felt to restoring and perpetuating healing to the land. Kylee spoke of how the island is a reflection of an individual's life. Its story is a story of mistreatment and abuse, but also a story of regeneration and healing. She says that everyone can relate to that story on a personal level. This interview was so enjoyable and refreshing. I also interviewed David Blevins. He was born and raised in Molokai and only went to the island one time as a teenager. His story is unique because he comes from perhaps the least developed of all the Hawaiian islands. What struck him the most when he went to Kaho'olawe was how healthy and plentiful the marine life was, and in contrast how desolate the island's surface appeared. He, unlike any other interviewees didn't have a "connection" with the land. His love is for the people of Molokai. His interview was important because like Derek and Kylee pointed out at the end of their interview, not everyone has that connection. It is good to get many perspectives.

I also had time to catch up with some really good friends. On top of that I got to spend Independence day with my cousins. It was so much fun getting together with them and watching the fireworks. The house is always filled with happy little children and ono grinds (really good food).

I love These Islands

E mau ko kakou lahui, e ho'omau.
E mau ko kakou 'olelo, e ho'omau.
E mau ka hana pono o ka 'aina
I mau ka ea o ka 'aina i ka pono.
I ka pono--o ka 'aina!!

Ho'oulu ka pono o ka 'aina, e ho'oulu.
Ho'oula ka nani o ka 'aina, e ho'ola.
Ho'ola la, Ho'oulu la, a ho'olaha
I mau ka ea o ka 'aina i ka pono.
I ka pono--ka 'aina!!

Let's strive to keep our nation alive, let's strive.
Let's strive to keep our language alive, let's strive.
Let's strive to preserve the good of the islands
So that righteousness may continue to be with us.
All that's good--in the islands!!

Build the greatness of Hawai'i, build them.
Restore the goodness of the islands, restore them.
Restore!! Build, and sustain them throughout the world
So that righteousness will fill the land once again.
Every good--in the islands!!
-Alvin Kaleolani Isaacs, Sr

Significance

My time on Oahu so far has been quite productive. I have finished a few books, visited the Bishop Museum, gone to an orientation for access to Kaho'olawe with the Protect Kaho'olawe Ohana, and confirmed two interviews. Its exciting. I never knew I was such a closet nerd.
A Call For Hawaiian Sovereignty, written by Michael Kioni Dudley and Keoni Kealoha Agard is one of the books that I have recently read. It opened my eyes to the illegal and unethical actions that Europeans and Americans alike took toward Hawaiians through out history. The Hawaiian monarchy was illegally overthrown on January 17, 1893 by a small group of money hungry businessmen. After the overthrow these men appointed government officials without a proper election and hastily shipped off for Washington to propose annexation into the union. The intentions were strictly for financial gain. This newly instated government owned the majority of Hawaiian lands and major sugar cane plantations. In order to receive a secure price for their sugar that superseded that of other international growers, Hawaii needed to become a territory. When the bill reached Grover Cleveland, he opposed it and ordered an investigation to be conducted on the matter. His conclusion was that the overthrow was against the will of the Hawaiian monarch and the majority of Hawaiian citizens at the time. He also referred to the deployment of the U.S. Navy in Honolulu as an "act of war." He further writes, “I suppose that right and justice should determine the path to be followed in treating this subject. If national honesty is to be disregarded and a desire for territorial extension, or dissatisfaction with a form of government not our own, ought to regulate our conduct, I have entirely misapprehended the mission and character of our government and behavior which the conscience of our people demands of our public servants.” (pg 24). Even though Grover Cleavland was opposed to the annexation and believed it was the duty of the American government to make things right, no action was taken by the U.S. government. This was the end of the Hawaiian Monarchy.
This book is very relevant to Kaho'olawe because to many, Kaho'olawe is a political symbol. Firstly, a nation needs land. Even though Kaho'olawe is small and badly abused, it belongs to the sovereign nation of Hawaii. At one time this little island sustained a substantial population. Before the introduction of goats, the island was more heavily vegetated, which as a result caused a greater percentage of rainfall. In the access orientation to Kaho'olawe, we were asked to wear water shoes for the landing because the beach is covered in river rocks. Geological history reveals that Hakioawe was where two rivers met. With malama (care) and aloha (love) for the 'aina (land), it is possible to sustain a notable population once again. The author strongly expresses how crucial it is for native Hawaiians to have a strong relationship with the land. He writes, “…If Hawaiians were to survive as a culture and as a race, they had to get back to the land and to reestablish their ties with nature”(pg 66). This book is also relevant and important because it points out many unjust circumstances in the political and legal arena that prevent or make it challenging for native Hawaiians to reestablish their own sovereign nation.
Overall this book was very helpful because it broadened my perspective and furthered my understanding pertaining to where native Hawaiians are coming from in their passionate reconciliation to the land.