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In Hawaiʻi, our mele are a repository of knowledge and lifeways. Mele can serve a number of functions such as encapsulating history, expressing feelings of aloha, and manifesting pride for our ʻāina.
All of these things are dependent on a thriving ʻāina. And for ʻāina to thrive, our people integrated pono resource management into the fabric of our native society.
Following Western contact, however, our intricate and effective systems of resource management were upended by foreign values and interests. Wai, a resource essential for life in these islands, was treated as a commodity, rather than a kinolau, or a physical embodiment, of our akua. Today, Hawaiʻi continues to grapple with the remnants of this imbalance.
This article was written in May, but focuses on Lahaina and what it was like pre-western contact vs. after the rise of sugar and pineapple industry and where the natural resources like wai (water) were diverted.
In light of the recent devastation in Maui, it’s important for Kanaka Maoli to continue to fight for land and water rights.
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