HAWAIIAN CONSERVATION VALUES AND PRACTICES .Since most llawaiians have become dbenfranchisedfrom their 'aha and cultural henrage, [hey have trot n~a~nrainedrhe rradidons, knowledge, and sprriiual values that tl~errancestors had for nature. ~hhrlesKekuewa Pe'ape'a Makawalu Burrows Until redcnrlv it had been assumed that the early Hawiiaos and other Polynesian groups had a close and hsrmonious relarmrship with the 'aina (land) and therefore h~da minimal impact upon their natural environment (Kelly :975). Recmt findings hy Patrick Kirch (1982) showed thsr the pre- historic Hawaiians dramatically changed and altered Hawaiinnecosystems, ~wrticularhin coastal masand lowland vallew. Evidence for this mw be found by ablyzing the relationship between eicavated extinct bird bones and increasin numbers of the remains of Polynesian stowaway species in upper geologica! strata. Stowaway remains include land snail shells (Lamellais mcilisl and the bones of the Polvnesian rat (Raftus erubm). The now- hinct'birds may have numbered bomc 40 endrm$ speciesZat,he arrival of prehistoric llawaiinns 1,500 yedrs ago. Kirch concurred wth Stnrrs Okon and Helen lamer (1982) that the extinction of these birds (for examole. fliehtless gsese, flightless raiis, and an eagle) was primarily due'o altcrat;~m'orJe- stmction of lowland habitats rather than direct predauon from the pre- historic Hawailam (Ki-ch 198:). Were the Hawatians intentionallv destructive of their environment. or were changes a niilural pro~ression people uscd and managed their natural resourcss within the l~rnitationjof their knowledge and culture? Was the impact of rehistoric Polynesians on Hawai'i significant] greater than the impact of !~es:ern culture and technoloby with its intrndlced alien animal and plant spcc~es?Whnr were the primal (prehistorici Huwai.an value,. heliefs and practices rrearding conservation? Are these values and raclices maintained hv ore.cnt IInwn~~mcomnunit~es and ortanizstion\?- &ese are the questions-that this essay will address. PRElllSTORlC HAWAIIAN CONSERVATION VALUES AND CONCEPTS At the second Waiaha Conference on Mav 30. 1987. Hawaiians and other interested individuals representing \arloui ~i~siian&i!~izations guthered to identify and agree upon a common set of rmal tlawa~~anvalues and con- csots that mirht he usciul for contemoornrv?lswaiLitv (Surer 19x8). 'The cdnfereice Gas sp&&xed by the aha hundation 16 discuss and respond Hawaiian Conservation Values and Practices \Bunow 204 to several to~icsin Ku Kanaka: Stand Tall. A Search for Hawaiian Values. written by &rge S. Kanahclc (1986). '1'0 determine the values shared and practiced hv prehistoric l l;~wni~an.. before the corning of Westerners is a difilcult [ark. eweciallv when one attempts to view Them from the Hawaiian perspec'tivd. One-can only assume what these values may have been, based upon the oral traditions transmitted through the chants and hula, the early writings of Hawaiian historians David Malo, Samuel Kamakau, and John Papa I'i, the Hawaiian proverbs, the ohser- vations of early Western explorers and missionaries, and evidence from Hawaiian archaeological research. The Hawaiian culture, in a manner similar to biological systems, evolved and changed over a period of time. The values of the prnto-Polynesians that developed into Hawaiian cultural values may not ever he fully known because these were modified as the population increased and different social and economic systems were inst~tuted. Although the Waiaha Conference participants did not discuss conserva- tion values ,oerse. these values were identified within the subiect area discus- .ions oi relipon, economics, scicncc, and technology. The fdlowii~~uc,re \elected hv this uriter ;t.s conservation values and concepts helieved to h;we heen held hy pre-contact tlawaiions; they muv still he emheddeJ in the think- ing of some contemporary Hawaiian<. They are: .\lunn'o'i'o (f;uth, rcq>r.ct tor nature); Knpu (s~crednessor the forhidden): .\h(the proiane or that u hich is not k:tpu); 'lke (I;nou~lcdy,);,'Ai~iu(the li\,ing carrh); Ldulri (rlnlrv, hdl;~nce,harmony); and .llulama cdrlng). In his hod bnJ in the proceedings ni thc IVi~aha('onicrcn~.~,, K:,nhhele offered some interesting comments aid interpretations for each of these values (Kanahele 1986). Mana'o'i'o (Faith, Respect for Nature) Primal Hawaiians, as in most aboriginal societies, were religious in every aspect of their being. There was no distinct separation among nature, the spiritual world, and man. The Hawaiian gods, which were "countless" (Malo 1951). inhabited all thines in the natural world. both animate and inanimate. ~hevwereomnipresent,-and the power oi the gwls ".;is expressed in the cnerg17ingor di\ine force c:~lledmonu. hlana ilo\ved through thche rnt1t1r.s and m;mirested itself in ccrtitin high chief. or ali'i ;rnd in various formi d nature (Bccbith IYJU). ,\ comnwner dared nat cxt his \hadow Ilpon a kapu chief and hail to rcmain a certain distance auqor he put to death (41310 I I. Tree>such ;IS the '01i1'u iC4~ucr(4i~rn1s;.Lw,s ~oA.nu,r~/~o~ :tnd koo (~caiiakoa) had mana; the mana was' invoked andlo; pro$ti&ed by canoe builders so that the tree could be used. Rocks of particular shapes and sizes represented different gods (for example, Ku'ula, the stone god of fishermen), were used to attract fish, and were placed in a ko'a or fishing shrine. The rimal Hawaiian respected and revered nature and his ali'i, whom he he- ~evedpossessed mana. Ali'i were considered sacred and, as such, were kapu. However, not all things in nature had the same degree of mana. Things which were considered of greater value, such as the feathers of the 'i'iwi (Vestiaria coccinea) or the Hawai'i mamo (Drepanispacifica), were sacred and kapu. Places such as Kualoa or Ka'ena Point were considered sacred in comparison to other areas of O'ahu. One can imagine the Hawaiian farmer clearing the land with slash and hum techniques in order to plant his more spiritual and higher-valued crops such as taro (Colocmia esculenta), bananas (Musa sapientum xparadisiaca), and sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas). Undoubtedly, some native lants and things in the forest were not valued as highly and d~dnot receive tR e same respect. As Kanahele emphasized, the rimal Hawaiian res ected nature but did not share the concept of "reverence For life" as practiced \y Hindu or Buddhist reli ions. Early Hawaiians, how- ever, built shrines and heiau (temples) where t! ey rendered appropriate offerings and prayers to maintain the kapu system and their relationship with the gods. Kapu and Noa (Sacred and Profane) The kapu was a regulatory means of protectin the sanctity of the mana in man and nature and operated effectivelyto contro7 the thinking and behavior of the early Hawaiians. It was also used as a conservation measure to protect the over-exploitation of natural resources. The kapu on fishing for 'opelu or mackerel (Decapterus spp.) and ah(bonito tuna, Katsuwonuspelmnir) were in effect during the spawning seasons. Kamehameha I enacted a kapu on the cutting of sandalwood (Santalum spp.) after realizing the trees were being depleted and that his people were in need of food and care. The kapu or sanctity of an object, person, or command could be ended by no longer being forbidden. They then became noa (profane). All thin became noa when Keopuolani (the kapu chiefess) and her son Liholiho &mehameha 11) pub- licly ate together, thus defying thegods and breaking the kapu system. 'Ike... fKnowled~el\----- --- The ancestr~l~awaiianswere keen observers of the natural world and were able to use their intimate knowledge of nature to sail on low-distance voyages and manage the natural resour& of the sea and land forbhing, farmmg, and other uses. Young Hawaiians with obvious interest, capability, and (usually) ties to a family stressing medical lore were trained at an early ane in the art of Hawaiian medicine: thev had to be knowledeeable in the idknt~ficatimand preparation of mcdiciial herbs. The 1111w;11an hotmi~m knew not only the plants they brought with them from anclent I'olyne4a. hut also manv endemic? ulants thit thefencountered as thev travelled from the seashore'to inland arcas at higherhlevations. The birdcatchers were equally knowledgeable about the identitication and behavior of many native birds. Their shelters and artifacts can be found in remote v~llcvssuch as Anahulu . J --:- Speaal schools or halau were established in the arts, crafts, and sciences and were taueht bvvarious kahuna (~rofessionalexperts) such as the kahuna lapa'& (Ged~caldoctor), kahna hoixrlu (a'gr~c;lt~lrdexpert), or kolrima kilokilo (astrologer). Knowledee or 'ike was unoonant and held sacred. It w3s also consldcred powerful esp&ially among th; kahuna. 'Ike enahled the earl) Hawa~iansnor only to function and suwtve in their island environment, hut to excel in the11 feaihenvnrk, canoe making, fishpond building, irrigation en ineering, he+ construction, and agricultural farming practices--to name a Bew of their sig- nificant achievements. 'Aim~ ~~~ me\-~--Livinpp~ ~~~" Earth)~~~, One often hears the saying aloha 'aina, meaning in literal translation, "love for the land: Its use has been ~0~ulariZedby the Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohanamovement and in historical kiounts by Jdhn Wise and others in the early I'~00swhen a puhli.hing cornpan) uue>tahhshed in upport of thi5 political mwement (Kanshele 1986). Aloha 'sin;! originally may not havc had the 5ame connotation as reverence for the earth and all li\,ing things hut may hxe heen used as a plitriolic wying rne;ming'love for my country." ,\mong 11awahn activists todav this mav mean the return of k~nds,such as Kliho'o- lawe, that were ceded tb the Staie and Federal governments, as well as access to trails in coastal and mountain areas to permit traditional food and plant gatherins and the exercise of Hawaiian religious beliefs in these places.