He ali’i ka 'āina; he kauwā ke kanaka.
The land is chief; the people are its servant (Proverb #531).
For centuries, the connection between the people of Hawai’i and the ‘āina (land) reflected the principle that “land has no need for man, but man needs the land and works it for a livelihood.” However, multiple wildfires in Maui this August suggest that as a result of settler-colonialism, many of the islands’ systems no longer center this fundamental truth.
With the help of vast prairies of flammable invasive grasses and a climate-change induced drought, on Aug. 9 three separate wildfires ignited on the island of Maui. Knocked down by hurricane winds from the south, downed power lines are likely one of the main culprits for igniting the rapidly spreading flames; however, the scale of this tragedy was avoidable.
Power companies were shortsighted in not cutting the electricity, and the government’s failure to heed mitigation warnings made these fires particularly devastating. Similar to Hurricane Katrina, government officials misled the public and notified those in danger far too late. As a result of state officials claiming that the fires were contained just a day before they spread and not sounding the Maui’s outdoor siren warning system that many locals say would have prepared them for the incoming danger, more than 114 people lost their lives, thousands are now without homes and Hawai’i will never be the same.
The fires have not only called into question the government’s emergency response systems, but also the modern use of land throughout the islands. Originally inhabited by Kānaka Maoli, or Native Hawaiians, over 1,000 years ago, harmony with the land in Hawai’i has been vital to the physical and emotional well-being of the people in addition to supporting their way of life. However, today, native food forests that fed entire communities have been replaced with monoculture fields of sugarcane and pineapple, and endemic prairies are overtaken by invasive buffelgrass, all creating the prime condition for disaster to strike.
While the traditional stewards of the land implemented systems that prioritized conservation, respect for the land, and collective responsibility, modern structures emphasize individualized profits, and this drastic transformation of Hawaiian lands and culture began with the arrival of James Cook in 1778 and the subsequent migration of missionaries as early as 1820. Introducing new customs, language, animals, species, and disease, the harmonious relationship between people and the land was no longer a universal norm.
Western influence on the islands could be seen by the 1840s, but at this time Hawai’i was already an internationally recognized state holding treaties with global superpowers, such as the United States, Great Britain, and Japan. Yet, this period was filled with the death of the native population as within a hundred years of contact, approximately 80-90% of Kānaka had passed away, leaving traditional agricultural practices such as lo’i and the kona field system largely abandoned. These hyper-localized farming techniques were then replaced with the Western-imposed plantation system that used cash crops over native plants, disrupting the islands’ fragile, isolated ecosystems.
Seeing an opportunity for greater profits, wealthy American landowners performed a coup d’état in 1893 that President Grover Cleveland called both an illegal overthrow and an “act of war.” This led to the eventual annexation of Hawai’i to the U.S. in 1898 which succeeded in plantation owners and white haoles (foreigners) gaining a larger influence. Furthermore, they were also those benefiting most from the new plantation-based economy, while Native Hawaiians and low-wage migrant workers were forced into the fields. As years passed, Hawaiian culture, language and principles were ostracized, but this did not lead to their erasure, as countless Kānaka resisted the oppression.
Today, Hawai’i is a part of the U.S., but it is far less sustainable than it once was. For example, in 2020, the archipelago grew less than 20% of its own food which contrasts with the 1700s, when most of Hawai’i’s islands are estimated to have been more densely populated and all of the food was grown locally.
In the 1960s, half the islands’ food was already imported, but with the invention of the jet after WWII, global produce prices plummeted, drying up the plantation industry’s profits and promoting imported food. This simultaneously created a tourism boom that resulted in former agricultural fields being repurposed and overrun by invasive species. Moreover, some of these plants including molasses grass have come to pose a particularly grave threat given that they are “highly flammable, quick burning, and promote fire.” Computer models indicate that it “can cause an increase in both fire frequency and size” suggesting it played a role in magnifying the August wildfires.
Particularly ravaged by the fires was the small community of Lāhainā. Holding a number of cultural centers, today, little remains besides the ruins of what was a town centered around the ‘āina, the original capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom, and a site not yet victim to the most devastating wildfire in modern U.S. history.
While the location, timing and scale of the Maui fires are unprecedented, natural disasters are increasing in frequency and scale around the globe. Today the fires in Hawai’i are largely contained, yet new wildfires rage on throughout Canada’s Northwest Territories threatening the lives of thousands. Moreover, tragedies like that of Maui will grow in frequency and size as global fossil fuels emissions continue to increase. But the world is not without hope.
Just a few days ago, a Montana judge sided with young environmental activists affirming that state agencies violated the constitutional rights of its citizens to a clean and healthy environment by not considering the effect of fossil fuel developments when issuing permits.
Young, primarily Indigenous plaintiffs from Navahine v. the Hawai’i Department of Transportation hope that their state follows this precedent from Held v. Montana when their case is heard in court next summer. Their lawsuit concerns whether or not Hawai’i’s highway projects violate a constitutional right of citizens by promoting greenhouse gas emissions, and it is led by plaintiffs such as Kaliko, a 13 year-old Kānaka from West Maui who joined the suit years ago to limit the then already visible impacts of climate change. However, following the fires, the scope of this case is so much greater as it is not only for the present and future generations but also now for those who have already fallen victim to climate change.
As emissions skyrocket and the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the tangible impacts of climate change will continue to be felt, but the future is not inevitable. Civil Society and youth activists have already impacted our planet’s trajectory, pushing our world leaders into setting more aggressive targets, but it is not enough. Let the Maui fires be a wake up call, climate change is here, and there is no time to waste.
Please consider donating to the victims of the 2023 Maui Fires.
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