Restoration of ‘Āina Malo‘o on Hawai‘i Island: Expanding Biocultural Relationships

Abstract

Before European contact, Native Hawaiian agriculture was highly adapted to place and expressed a myriad of forms. Although the iconic lo‘i systems (flooded irrigated terraces) are often portrayed as traditional Hawaiian agriculture, other forms of agriculture were, in sum, arguably more important. While pockets of traditional agricultural practices have persevered over the 240 years since European arrival, the revival of indigenous methods and crops has substantially increased since the 1970s. While engagement in lo‘i restoration and maintenance has been a core vehicle for communication and education regarding Hawaiian culture, it does not represent the full spectrum of Hawaiian agriculture and, on the younger islands of Hawai‘i and Maui in particular, does not accurately represent participants’ ancestral engagement with ‘āina malo‘o (dry land, as opposed to flooded lands). These “dryland” forms of agriculture produced more food than lo‘i, especially on the younger islands, were used to produce a broader range of resource crops such as for fiber, timber, and medicine, were more widespread across the islands, and formed the economic base for the powerful Hawai‘i Island chiefs who eventually conquered the archipelago. The recent engagement in the restoration of these forms of agriculture on Hawai‘i Island, compared to the more longstanding efforts to revive lo‘i-based cultivation, is challenging due to highly eroded knowledge systems. However, their restoration highlights the high level of place-based adaptation, demonstrates the scale and political landscape of pre-European Hawai‘i, and provides essential elements in supporting the restoration of Hawaiian culture.

Hawai‘i in Focus: Navigating Pathways in Global Biocultural Leadership

“…Some touch on philosophical aspects, such as the value system at the foundation of Hawaiian biocultural resource management [28], as well as on theoretical aspects, such as examinations of the structure and function of the Hawaiian social-ecological system [5]. It also includes a comprehensive overview of the systems-based approach to Hawaiian biocultural resource management [15], a multi-faceted approach to rain-fed agro-ecological systems [29], and a case study on monitoring biocultural resources [30]. Historical ecology is utilized in two papers to provide insights into how the Hawaiian archipelago was transformed from an ecosystem into a social-ecological system with the first arrival of Polynesians, and how these social-ecological systems, in turn, underwent a regime shift once Europeans colonized these islands [5,31].…”

Interactions between People and Breadfruit in Hawai’i: Consumption, Preparation, and Sourcing Patterns

“…Significant efforts have been made to revitalize breadfruit in Hawaiian landscapes and food systems, resulting in an increase of trees at both the household and farm level [11,12]. Such efforts have included large-scale tree giveaways [13], restoration of traditional agricultural systems [14], a growing local food producing sector [11], and consumer education such as outreach, chef campaigns and festivals [12]. Such initiatives have resulted in significant increases in production at multiple levels including backyard trees, small diversified farm plantings, and larger monocropped and mixed orchards [11,13].…”

Equitable Exchange: A Framework for Diversity and Inclusion in the Geosciences

“…The summit of Mauna Kea is sacred to Indigenous Hawaiians, and astronomers' insistence on continuing to build telescopes there has led to increasing conflict that further marginalizes the Indigenous community and also threatens the continuity of astronomical observations (Borrelle et al, 2020;Kahanamoku et al, 2020;Spencer et al, 2020). By contrast, recent research on the flanks of Mauna Kea (among other places in Hawaiʻi) makes use of both the special features of the island and Indigenous knowledge of traditional agriculture to evaluate landscape-ecosystem interactions based on community needs (Lincoln et al, 2018). The Heʻeia National Estuary Research Reserve exemplifies a contemporary Indigenous Community and Conserved Area of reciprocal research and management collaboration with the Indigenous people and local community (Winter et al, 2020).…”