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The Poʻe Aloha ‘Āina: Kauaʻi Women leaders on Land, Food Sovereignty, & the Next Generation by Heather Lebrun M.A., Ben Gurion University, 2013 Teaching Diploma, University of Hawaiʻi, 2005 B.A., University of Missouri-Columbia, 1995 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF Doctor of Philosophy in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Interdisciplinary Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) December 2020 © Heather Lebrun, 2020 The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the dissertation entitled: The Poʻe Aloha ‘Āina: Kauaʻi Women leaders on Land, Food Sovereignty, & the Next Generation submitted Heather Lebrun in partial fulfillment of the requirements for theb degree Doctor of Philosophy of in Interdisciplinary Studies Examining Committee: Dr. Dory Nason, Assoc. Professor, Critical Indigenous Studies, University of British Columbia Co-supervisor Dr. Alma Trinidad, Assoc. Professor, Social Work, Portland State University Co-supervisor Dr. Sarah Hunt, Canada Research Chair, Indigenous Political Ecology, University of Victoria Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Daniel Heath Justice, Canada Research Chair, Indigenous Literature, University of British Columbia Dr. Charles Grant, Associate Professor, Social Work, University of British Columbia University Examiners Additional Supervisory Committee Members: Dr. Steven Taubeneck, Associate Professor Emeritus, University of British Columbia Supervisory Committee Member ii Abstract This study utilized an Indigenous Determinants of Health framework to tell the story of a group of Kānaka Maoli women leaders on Kaua'i, referred to here as the Poʻe Aloha ʻĀina. Several Hawaiian women leaders from both the kūpuna (elder/grandparent) and mākua (parent) generation engaged in talk- story sessions--a form of open-ended, qualitative interviews that allowed the participants to direct the session. The women began with their own stories, and ended with their vision for the next generation, for their communities, and for their occupied Nation. Their data was subsequently coded using a Modified Grounded Theory. Early stages of this research explored Hawaiian Food Sovereignty and Hawaiian health disparities through these sessions. After coding the data, the research evolved into a larger project about disrupted access to Hawaiian land and usurped Hawaiian governance. The dissertation includes an exploration of the history of how Hawaiians have such restricted access to land within their own homeland; furthermore, it explores the interlocking issues that the next generation of Hawaiians are facing on Kauaʻi in hopes to address some of the simultaneous crises of housing and suicide. A small portion of this research was a collaborative dance with a Hawaiian women-led nonprofit, Kūkulu Kumuhana O Anahola (KKOA), working in the Hawaiian Homelands community of Anahola. The research, and the work of KKOA, culminated by the end of this dissertation in the first stages of establishing an agricultural training & youth center in Anahola. iii Lay Summary This research on Land, Governance, and Hawaiian Food Sovereignty germinated from long-term relationships on Kauaʻi. As the epicenter of experimental GMO agriculture & seed production, Kauaʻi was experiencing island-wide protests pushing for the protection of water, land, and people in 2014. The research began by interviewing several key Hawaiian women leaders on issues of Hawaiian Food Sovereignty and Hawaiian health. For some of the women, especially in the older kūpuna generation, it evolved to uncovering core issues of land dispossession and a desire for deoccupation of the Hawaiian Kingdom. While some research involving Kauaʻi-based co-participants has occurred on Kauaʻi, there remains a need for additional qualitative research, especially featuring the voices of Hawaiian women leaders. Part of this research was conducted in collaboration with Kūkulu Kumuhana O Anahola (KKOA), a nonprofit led by Hawaiian women; in part, the results of this research are being utilized to write grants for KKOA in support of establishing an Agricultural Training & Youth Center. iv Preface This particular research was designed by the author of this dissertation, Heather Lebrun, with the participation of several women leaders on the island of Kauaʻi. All data was collected & analyzed by Heather Lebrun; the results are the interpretation of Heather Lebrun only. Many significant Hawaiian women leaders on Kauaʻi contributed to the research via sharing their history and manaʻo through research interviews. I would like to especially acknowledge Kuʻuleialoha Punua, President of Kumuhana O Anahola (KKOA) for her vision and contribution to this dissertation. I also want to honor and acknowledge several important women who contributed also, including Pono (who chose to remain anonymous); Lynette Haulani Fernandez, Noelani Josselin, Puanani Rogers, Lorilani Keohokalole-Torio, Chesley Contrades, Tiana Laranio, Richell Sweet, Crystal Bilyeu, Kalei (who chose to remain anonymous), Stacy Sproat- Beck, Kaui Fu, and Wanda Shibata. The research was conducted with ethics approval from the UBC Behavioural Research Ethics Board, Application ID H16-02675. v Table of Contents Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... iii Lay Summary ........................................................................................................................... iv Preface ..........................................................................................................................................v Table of Contents ................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures.......................................................................................................................... xi List of Abbreviations ........................................................................................................... xii Glossary .................................................................................................................................... xiii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ xvii Dedication ............................................................................................................................... xix Chapter 1: Introduction-Tell the Story of the People who Love the Land ....1 1.1 Historical Overview ................................................................................................. 10 1.2 Research Questions ................................................................................................ 12 1.3 Identification ............................................................................................................. 21 1.4 Study Site—Kauaʻi.................................................................................................. 25 1.4.1 Kauaʻi firsts....................................................................................................... 27 1.4.2 Land Divisions ................................................................................................. 28 1.4.3 Current and Historical Population Counts............................................. 29 1.4.4 Hawaiian well-being on Kauaʻi ................................................................... 30 1.4.5 Tourism .............................................................................................................. 30 1.4.6 Housing Crisis .................................................................................................. 32 vi 1.4.7 GMO Agriculture Industry on Kauaʻi ....................................................... 35 1.4.8 Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) on Kauaʻi ................................... 36 1.4.9 Hurricanes and Weather Events ................................................................ 38 1.4.10 Health Disparities ....................................................................................... 38 1.4.11 Anahola .......................................................................................................... 41 1.5 The Women of This Study .................................................................................... 45 1.5.1 The Kūpuna Generation ............................................................................... 46 1.5.2 The Mākua Generation .................................................................................. 47 1.5.3 Additional Interviews ..................................................................................... 48 1.6 Dissertation Overview ............................................................................................ 49 Chapter 2: Indigenous Methodologies & Research Methods ..............................54 2.1 Research Overview .................................................................................................. 54 2.2 Conducting Research in Western Institutions .............................................. 61 2.3 Defining Indigenous & Indigenous Hawaiian ................................................ 63 2.4 Indigenous Epistemologies, Histories, and Methodologies ....................... 64 2.5 Return to Wise Stewardship and the Truth of our Interconnectedness 69 2.6