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Editor's note: Mele Carroll (D-Kaho'olawe, Molokini, Lāna'i, Moloka'i, Ke'anae, Wailuā, Nāhiku, Hāna) is the chairperson of the Legislative Hawaiian Caucus. The views expressed in this community forum do not necessarily reflect the views of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
Aloha mai e nā 'ohana, nā hoaloha and all those reading these words wherever you may be. I write today not only as a representative of the state of Hawai'i but also as the chairperson of the Legislative Hawaiian Caucus. Formed two sessions ago, the Legislative Hawaiian Caucus is comprised of senators and representatives who feel strongly about issues important to the Hawaiian community. We meet to discuss ways to preserve, protect and strengthen Hawaiian culture in all its forms by enacting legislation to perpetuate our culture, improve the health of our people, protect our arts and intellectual property rights, strengthen the protections for our native plants and animals, and allocate funding for programs benefitting our community.
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At the close of the 2008 legislative session we can take a moment to pause and reflect on what we have accomplished and what more work needs to be done. This year we dealt with many issues of great importance to the Hawaiian community: the issue of ceded lands revenue, the protection of our ancestor Hāloa through a moratorium on genetically engineered kalo, the length of leases on Hawaiian Homestead Lands, among many other prevalent issues.
If we were to judge importance of an issue by the number of people turning out to testify on a bill, the one that trumps the list would surely be the debate over genetically engineered kalo. The importance of kalo to our culture cannot be understated, and the hundreds of kalo farmers, families and supporters who showed up to hearings, sent in testimony or signed petitions is a testament to that revered place.
The debate over the genetic engineering and manipulation of kalo is one facet of a global debate that involves indigenous cultures, prospects of increased food productivity and disease resistance, fears of transgenerational harm from engineered foodstuffs and the question of owning life. Whenever something is genetically engineered it can become the “property” of someone or some company. This idea, which has propelled the biotechnology industry for many years, is a difficult pill to swallow for us as Hawaiian people.
The idea of owning or having a patent on life itself is reminiscent of The Mahele of 1848. The maka'āinana cultivated, cared for and nourished the land that was governed by the ali'i. Neither ali'i nor maka'āinana would claim ownership of the land itself, that belonging to the gods alone. This system sustained and promoted life across the islands for hundreds of generations and was brought to a troubled close with the institution of a Western land-ownership system that stressed the plusses of fee-simple outright land ownership.
Just as there was difficulty comprehending the idea of land belonging to a person, there is difficulty in understanding how life itself, especially the life of the revered ancestral kalo, can be owned, utilized and manipulated by a person or company. Those in the biotech industry see a different side to this debate. Their perspective is one of the potential benefits that genetic engineering provides – benefits such as increased food productivity, higher disease- and pathogen-resistance and increased nutrients or better taste. With the high cost of agricultural lands in Hawai'i, the demand for water to sustain them and the many drawbacks of an agricultural lifestyle, benefits such as these need to be factored into the equation.
What we do not want is another Mahele, another action touted to be for the benefit of our people, which in the end disenfranchises the community it intended to protect. We can counter this trend by proper preparation, community consultation and aiding legitimate authorities in the cultural and historical ways of our kūpuna to step up to the plate and come to an agreement on the best way forward. If nothing else, we Hawaiian people looked far into the future to see the impact of our actions. We need to continue to apply this ancient wisdom in all we do today.
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