July 23rd, 2024

Restoring Reciprocity in Hawaiian Fishing Practices

Given the devastating impacts of cultural loss on Indigenous peoples, there is an urgency to restore and regenerate cultural practices and reconnect to Indigenous homelands for the future sustainability and survival of Indigenous communities. This article explores how the traditional fishing practices of native Hawaiian communities in Ha'ena, Kaua'i, are being protected and maintained. This process bridges past and present to nourish future generations.

Traditional Hawaiian Fishing Practices

In the islands of Hawaii, native Hawaiian communities have long based their fishing practices and local fisheries governance on principles of mutual caretaking, reciprocity, and sharing. These practices reflect a worldview that sees people as part of a web of relations, including land, water, animals, and other non-human entities. Hawaiian scholar and kumu hula, Aunty Pua Kanaka'ole Kanahele, describes natural resources as "elemental forces which to us as a people are the deities that sustain our lives."*

Sustainable Practices:

Kuleana: The Hawaiian term kuleana means both rights and responsibilities, reflecting the community's commitment to managing and caring for specific parcels of land and ocean resources. Fishermen and women respect the species they harvest by letting some go and not wasting their catch. Harvest also comes with the responsibility to share and feed the community. Generous fishermen are described as catching more fish: "The more you share, the more you catch" (Hashimoto personal interview).*

Respectful Harvesting: Reciprocity and responsibility have guided customary relations between people and resources, including respectful harvesting behaviors and caretaking of a specific area. Local families were responsible for tending and caring for nearshore marine resources in their areas through practices such as rotating harvests, resting species during spawning periods, and enhancing habitat by building rock shelters for fish.

Community Governance: Hawaiian fishing communities balance decision-making powers with responsibilities. Individual families exercise management and decision-making rights over their harvest areas. At the community level, head fishermen decided to close or open particular species based on abundance and spawning times. They were expected to ensure the community was well-fed, organize collective labor, maintain equipment such as boats and nets, and distribute catch from communal harvests.

Despite modern challenges such as resource commodification and loss of coastal land access due to rising home prices and development, local fishing communities continue to perpetuate ancestral practices and reciprocity. Community members are now restoring local governance through co-management after formal management authority had shifted to the central government following Hawaii's annexation as a US territory. For nearly 20 years, community members worked to create new state regulations for nearshore areas based on ancestral norms of responsibility, responsible harvest, and reciprocity.

Despite modern challenges such as resource commodification and loss of coastal land access due to rising home prices and development, local fishing communities continue to perpetuate ancestral practices and reciprocity. Community members are now restoring local governance through co-management after formal management authority had shifted to the central government following Hawaii's annexation as a US territory. For nearly 20 years, community members worked to create new state regulations for nearshore areas based on ancestral norms of responsibility, responsible harvest, and reciprocity.

The Power of Representation

Their proposed rules included bans on destructive practices such as lay nets and spear guns, a commercial harvest ban, and rests on critical species. They gathered input to draft these rules, adapt them, and build community agreements through meetings, informal gatherings like backyard parties, and outreach to fishermen and other groups. There was significant pushback to overcome from commercial interests, but the regulations were passed into law in 2015.

Impact:

Since the law took effect, other communities have worked to develop their own rules. Even though not all the provisions they wanted were implemented, like reserving certain reefs for elders to harvest, the rules can be adapted over time. The area is now a vacation retreat for movie stars and millionaires, and few community members live there due to increased property value. However, local community members continue to fish and serve as caretakers for the coast, and they work to enforce the rules that have become law. Preliminary data shows an enhanced abundance of most fish species, demonstrating the effectiveness of these sustainable practices.

Cultural Significance and Language Revitalization

The revival of traditional fishing practices is deeply intertwined with Hawaiian cultural identity and language. The kuleana practice, which encompasses rights and responsibilities, connects to ancestral land and practices. Reintroducing these traditional fishing practices and their Hawaiian names into educational programs provides a profound opportunity to enrich language learning, making it a more immersive experience that respects and perpetuates Hawaiian heritage.

Fishing Practices: A Profound Example of Land-Based Education

Land-based education, often described as "on the land" learning, profoundly resonates with the practices and cultural teachings of the Hawaiian people. This educational approach perfectly exemplifies the Hawaiian community's fishing practices, emphasizing a deep connection to the land and its resources. These practices are about sustainable fishing and nurturing a connection to the land and sea that supports spiritual, cultural, and community well-being.

As land-based education seeks to integrate Indigenous knowledge systems into learning experiences, the Hawaiian community uses these practices to teach younger generations about their history, language, and traditions. The fishing grounds serve as living classrooms where the land and sea become teachers—illustrating lessons on ecology, marine biology, and the ethics of care and respect for the environment.

By restoring traditional fishing practices, which are culturally and historically significant, educators and community leaders can provide a tangible experience of land-based education. This approach aligns with the broader goals of Language 4 projects, which aim to engage learners with Indigenous thought systems and reconnect them with their ancestral lands. The work done in these fishing grounds embodies the scaffolded immersion pedagogy by breaking down complex ecological and linguistic concepts into manageable, engaging learning activities that progress from essential vocabulary acquisition to more integrated dialogues about cultural and environmental stewardship.

By incorporating these traditional practices into the curriculum, educators ensure that the language and teachings passed down through generations are preserved and adapted to meet modern challenges, reinforcing the community's identity and continuity.

Challenges and Opportunities

The challenges facing the restoration of traditional practices are significant, from climate change impacting marine ecosystems to the need for educational resources that accurately represent Indigenous ecological knowledge—however, the work of community leaders and collaborations with various organizations present opportunities to overcome these obstacles. Through many efforts, traditional fishing grounds preserve biodiversity and serve as living classrooms for youth.

Mission of Languages 4

Languages 4 is dedicated to supporting Indigenous language preservation and revitalization efforts. By integrating traditional ecological knowledge into language education, Languages 4 aims to create immersive learning experiences that connect students to their cultural and environmental heritage, promoting sustainability and respect for Indigenous knowledge systems.

Conclusion

As we look to the future, integrating traditional Hawaiian fishing practices into language and cultural education can enrich learning experiences, preserve biodiversity, and strengthen community resilience. The fishing grounds of Ha'ena, Kaua'i, with their deep roots and resilient nature, symbolize the Hawaiian people's enduring connection to their land and culture, offering lessons of the past to nourish future generations.

Drawing on these rich examples of Indigenous ecological wisdom, we can create more holistic and impactful language education programs that honor and preserve the deep connections between people, land, and language.

Community Feedback: The Heart of Our Journey

The positive feedback from Indigenous communities and organizations affirms our approach and fuels our commitment to being trustworthy partners in language reclamation. However, any and all feedback is requested to ensure that we are continuously learning and growing to accomplish our mission and goals.

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References:

(1)Diver, Sibyl, et al. “Recognizing ‘Reciprocal Relations’ to Restore Community Access to Land and Water.” International Journal of the Commons, vol. 13, no. 1, 2019, pp. 400–29. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26632726.

(2) Are the Hāʻena community-based subsistence fishing rules working? | Hawai'i Public Radio (hawaiipublicradio.org)

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