The Maui News
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
By KEMA KANAKA'OLE
East Maui has always been known as a place where natural resources are abundant. However, the onslaught of people who don't currently live in East Maui who feel that it is OK or, in some cases, their traditional right to fish, hunt and gather in East Maui is threatening the sustainability and abundance of its resources.
We are obligated to convey our feelings and express our concerns for the overuse of the resources in East Maui because if we do not voice these concerns, we are partly to blame.
The Eastside Hui Resource Management was formed from a group of keiki o ka 'aina (children of the land) who are grounded in the basic principles of Hawaiian tradition, aloha 'aina (love of the land) and kuleana (rights plus responsibility).
We want to reawaken and resinstitute these basic principles by adapting this system to our current situation. Currently there are no laws against 12 ulua poles in a 100-foot area or 20 divers in a one-mile radius or the same diver gathering a long string of various fish weekend after weekend – all of this in the same area – but these are the things that hurt na'au (gut) and they hurt long-term sustainability.
This is why we must institute aloha 'aina and kuleana, empowering communities with the authority to malama (tend and protect) their resources in a proactive and responsible way and educating everyone about our home environment.
Stories about Eastside Hui Resource Management committing unlawful acts against fishers, hunters and gathers in East Maui have radically spun out of control. We can confirm one incident, one not having anything to do with guns, vandalism or physical violence, and the people involved were reprimanded by the hui and the Police Department.
We do not promote or condone violence against anyone. We simply want the current laws and regulations upheld. We want fishers, hunters and gatherers who come to Hana to be respectful of the land and responsible for ensuring resource sustainability for future generations.
Our mission and code of conduct reflect a nonviolent group which does not act as gatekeepers or people who pick and choose who can fish and hunt in Hana. It is imperative that everyone knows that people who live in East Maui rely on the resources to survive.
We rely on the natural resources because this is how we have lived for generations and because it is economically the only way to help feed the family. It is so important to be educated of this fact so that when you go holoholo, local or not, you know to take only what you need and save the rest for another time. It is from this traditional model that the 'olelo no'eau (proverb) comes, E 'ai i kekahi, e kapi i kekahi – Eat some, salt some. We must malama the resources today for the benefit of future generations.
In saying all of this, we sincerely welcome and encourage people and families to come to the east side of Maui and enjoy this place we call home and the abundance we treasure. Just come with a level of awareness and understanding for the land and its people. For more information, go to our Web site at http://www.eastsidehui.org.
Kema Kanaka'ole is the executive director of Eastside Hui Resource Management (Ko'olau, Hana, Kipahulu, Kaupo).
Copyright © 2005 The Maui News.
Article URL: http://www.mauinews.com/story.aspx?id=10724