By Pelika Andrade
The integration of multiple knowledge systems is being used more frequently in community and government organizations to inform research and management. However, as we dive into inquiry and application, there is a disconnect in these initiatives to clarify and define what we are striving towards.
What is the destination? We are caught up in the narratives and values of the status quo while failing to include and consider the long-term goals and objectives that Indigenous cultures traditionally strived to achieve. Rather than thinking about preserving resources as they are, or as the status quo thinks they should be, Indigenous cultures historically interacted and engaged in place directed by the intricacies and driving factors of production to support productivity.
The destination of ʻāina momona – thriving and productive communities of people, place, and natural resources – is a common destination shared by most Indigenous cultures and has historically proven successful. This realization allows us to focus on ecosystem health and abundance while including the healing journey of humanity as well.
Our journey began in 2009 on the intertidal shorelines within the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) and extended into Papahānaumokuākea.
Our beginnings focused on ‘opihi and other “favorite” urchins and limu, interweaving established status quo (Western science) methodologies with our attempts at “re-creating” Indigenous methodologies. We learned valuable lessons in understanding how these very dynamic places changed over time and gathered important baseline data for communities.
Almost 10 years later, we realized that there were missing pieces to understanding production while our research fell short in contributing to management that was created, administered, and critically looked at for the goal of productive systems.
This realization had us reflecting on years spent on the shorelines of the MHI with high human impact as well as the lightly touched islands of Papahānaumokuākea. Intertidal stories witnessed in the MHI were subtle, soft, and obscure, while the stories Papahānaumokuākea told were apparent, obvious, and loud.
Through the many lessons Papahānaumokuākea reconfirmed for us, we refocused our efforts on understanding how production worked examining reproductive capacity, seasonal growth and shrinkage of populations, growth rate and the drivers like swell exposure, wave intensity, sunlight, and salinity.
It is the combination of these drivers that support production and as they shift, so does the productive capacity of ʻopihi populations and productivity of the whole intertidal ecosystem.
For example: a boulder shoreline on the windward side of the island exposed to ocean swell and year-round sun will produce far more ‘opihi than the same shoreline on the leeward side of the island.
We also see seasonal increases and decreases in population sizes here in the MHI as well as in Papahānaumokuākea. Without Papahānaumokuākea’s contribution and lesson, we would solely attribute the loss to harvest and not understand that there is a natural die-off due to shrinking habitat from winter to summer. Understanding that, we can adjust our harvesting strategies to complement natural cycles while supporting ʻāina momona.
Papahānaumokuākea has taught us countless lessons in our specific areas of research, but more importantly, Papahānaumokuākea helps us remember the essence of indigenous relationships and our destination to ʻāina momona.
Acknowledgements: Pilinakai crew, Intertidal partnership, PACC crew (Kim Morishige, Anthony Mau, Lauren Kapono, Erik Franklin), and countless organization and community partners.
Pelika Andrade is ʻŌiwi born and raised on the island of Kauaʻi. She is co-chair of the Papahānaumokuākea Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group, founder and executive director of Nā Maka Onaona, an extension agent for the UH Sea Grant College Program, a hoaʻāina, and researcher. For the past 16 years, she has been developing alternate approaches to monitoring Hawaiʻi’s watersheds and supporting implementation of management strategies that support ‘āina momona: healthy, balanced and thriving communities.
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) is a co-trustee and co-manager for the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM). OHA also provides financial support to the Cultural Working Group (CWG) comprised of academic scholars, teachers, cultural practitioners, community activists, and resource managers that have experience with issues concerning the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. OHA ensures the CWG has logistical and administrative support. The views of the CWG do not necessarily reflect those of OHA and other co-trustees and co-managers.
