Read this article in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
By Ka‘ula Krug
I have learned that there are only two worldviews and cultures that exist in human nature. One of caring for the world and its resources, and one of dominating and abusing the world for human benefit. Modern day human civilization is not, and can never be, sustainable because it relies on widespread violence and exploitation. My ancestors here in Hawaiʻi enacted a culture that compelled them to live in accordance with the natural world and had no intentions of harming it. Members of this modern society, such as the U.S Navy, enact an ungodly culture that is driving the world to global extinction. Kumulipo teaches us that man is the youngest member of the natural world, therefore, we must listen to and care for our older siblings while they take very good care of us. Genesis teaches us that the world was made for man and man was created in God’s image to rule and control it. This is where Indigenous peoples and colonizers differ.
The Navy and the United States have done nothing but bring harm and destruction to Hawaiʻi and its people. Their occupation of Pearl Harbor in 1875 led to the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom when the USS Boston docked in Honolulu. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was an attack on, and only on, the U.S. military. Not Hawaiʻi. The Navy took over Kahoʻolawe and laid waste to a very sacred island for almost 50 years. The U.S military continues to abuse this land and they must leave for the sake of life on this land. The Navy’s problem lies in the belief that abusing the natural world is justified by “national security.” They claim to serve those that they protect, but their behaviors show that they are driven by a death urge, an urge to destroy life itself.
The needs of the natural world are far more important than the needs of a murderous and irresponsible United States naval force. Polluting fresh groundwater is an act of violence, cruelty, and terrorism. The U.S. Navy continues to tell lies and hide the truth from its own people. They cannot undo the harm they’ve already caused, and it is very irresponsible to leave all the repairs to them. It is like allowing the assassin to operate on his victim to take the bullet out and save the victim’s life. I believe the Navy should get out of the way and let other departments clean up their mess. For the sake of Hawaiʻi, the land I love and care for, they must leave Hawaiʻi and I believe this is another step towards demilitarization.
Aloha, I am Kaʻulakauikeaokea Krug from Waiʻanae on the island of Oʻahu. I was raised on a foundation of Hawaiian language and culture that has been left for us by my extraordinary ancestors. I graduated from a Hawaiian immersion school and now I am a student at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Aloha nui kākou.
