#hawaiian native displacement

[workersolidarity]

I don't even know what to say about Lahaina, Maui and the lack of a response on ANY LEVEL of government to this crisis.

The failure appears to stretch across Local, State AND Federal Government.

On the day of the fire, children were sent home from school, people sent home, and people who DID try to escape, were directed straight into the disaster.

Now, not just Lahaina and ground zero, but an area stretching far around the burnt areas are blocked by rapidly erected black mesh fencing, anyone caught recording near the fencing or even just pulled over on the side of the road are immediately chased off by anonymous government officials or the National Guard. And, of course, only Mainstream sources are given any real access to officials in controlled environments, asking unserious questions.

The Capitalist Elites are already talking non-stop about digitalizing government in Maui, with similar propaganda and language to that used to push DIIA in Ukraine.

If you can't see what's happening, the preparations in the making for the complete and utter LOOTING and ROBBING of Maui, the displacement of its people, and the coming gentrification, or you find yourself defending this government, this administration, or the Democratic Party, you haven't just lost touch with reality, you've lost touch with empathy and your humanity.

#lahaina #remember lahaina #maui gentrification #gentrification #native displacement #hawaiian native displacement #fire in lahaina #socialism #communism #marxism leninism #socialist politics #socialist news #socialist worker #socialist #communist #marxism #marxist leninist #workersolidarity #worker solidarity

[unavernales]

uh so i never do this but maui is quite literally on fire and there isn't nearly enough care or consideration for. you know. Native Hawaiians who live here being displaced and the land (and cultural relevance) that's being eaten up by the fire. so if ya'll wanna help, here's some links:

maui food bank: https://mauifoodbank.org/

maui humane society: https://www.mauihumanesociety.org/

center for native hawaiian advancement: https://www.memberplanet.com/campaign/cnhamembers/kakoomaui

hawai'i red cross: https://www.redcross.org/local/hawaii/ways-to-donate.html

please reblog and spread the word if you can't donate.

#maui fires #uhhhhh sorry this is uncharacteristic but this'll be on a queue til idk

[reasonsforhope]

"The U.S. government is entering a new era of collaboration with Native American and Alaska Native leaders in managing public lands and other resources, with top federal officials saying that incorporating more Indigenous knowledge into decision-making can help spur conservation and combat climate change.

Federal emergency managers on Thursday also announced updates to recovery policies to aid tribal communities in the repair or rebuilding of traditional homes or ceremonial buildings after a series of wildfires, floods and other disasters around the country.

With hundreds of tribal leaders gathering in Washington this week for an annual summit, the Biden administration is celebrating nearly 200 new agreements that are designed to boost federal cooperation with tribes nationwide.

The agreements cover everything from fishery restoration projects in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest to management of new national monuments in the Southwestern U.S., seed collection work in Montana and plant restoration in the Great Smoky Mountains.

“The United States manages hundreds of millions of acres of what we call federal public lands. Why wouldn’t we want added capacity, added expertise, millennia of knowledge and understanding of how to manage those lands?” U.S. Interior Assistant Secretary Bryan Newland said during a panel discussion.

The new co-management and co-stewardship agreements announced this week mark a tenfold increase over what had been inked just a year earlier, and officials said more are in the pipeline.

Newland, a citizen of the Bay Mills Indian Community in northern Michigan, said each agreement is unique. He said each arrangement is tailored to a tribe’s needs and capacity for helping to manage public lands — and at the very least assures their presence at the table when decisions are made.

The federal government is not looking to dictate to tribal leaders what a partnership should look like, he said...

The U.S. government controls more than a quarter of the land in the United States, with much of that encompassing the ancestral homelands of federally recognized tribes...

Tribes and advocacy groups have been pushing for arrangements that go beyond the consultation requirements mandated by federal law.

Researchers at the University of Washington and legal experts with the Native American Rights Fund have put together a new clearinghouse on the topic. They point out that public lands now central to the country’s national heritage originated from the dispossession and displacement of Indigenous people and that co-management could present on opportunity for the U.S. to reckon with that complicated legacy...

In an attempt to address complaints about chronic underfunding across Indian Country, President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order on the first day of the summit that will make it easier for tribes to find and access grants.

Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told tribal leaders Thursday that her agency [FEMA] began work this year to upgrade its disaster guidance particularly in response to tribal needs.

The Indigenous people of Hawaii have increasingly been under siege from disasters, most recently a devastating fire that killed dozens of people and leveled an entire town. Just last month, another blaze scorched a stretch of irreplaceable rainforest on Oahu.

Tribes in California and Oregon also were forced to seek disaster declarations earlier this year after severe storms resulted in flooding and mudslides...

Criswell said the new guidance includes a pathway for Native American, Alaska Native and Hawaiian communities to request presidential disaster declarations, providing them with access to emergency federal relief funding. [Note: This alone is potentially a huge deal. A presidential disaster declaration unlocks literally millions of dollars in federal aid and does a lot to speed up the response.]

The agency also is now accepting tribal self-certified damage assessments and cost estimates for restoring ceremonial buildings or traditional homes, while not requiring site inspections, maps or other details that might compromise culturally sensitive data."

-via AP, December 7, 2023

#united states #us politics #natural disasters #disaster relief #public lands #land back #indigenous #native american #first nations #indigineous people #sovereignty #president biden #biden administration #hope #good news #land management

[lambentplume]

Maui Fires & How to Support Relief Efforts

(Posted on 8/10/23) Hi, I'm Jae and my family is from Lāhainā. I watched my hometown burn down this week. The fires caused immeasurable loss in my community so I'd like to spread awareness of the situation as well as provide links to support local organizations directly assisting survivors. I'm pretty sure most of my following is Not local so I'm writing with intent to inform people outside the situation, but if you're reading this and happen to have family in the affected area that isn't accounted for, message me and I can send you the links to the missing persons tracking docs + more localized info!! If you'd like to skip down to how to help and follow community organizations, scroll to the bottom of the post after the image.

Earlier this week, Hurricane Dora passed south of the Hawaiian Islands, bringing strong wind gusts that caused property damage across the islands. On Tuesday August 8, high winds caused sparks to fly in the middle of Lāhainā town, knocking out power lines and immediately igniting drought-ridden grasses. The fire spread quickly and destroyed the entire center of town, the harbor, and multiple neighborhoods including Hawaiian Homes (housing specifically for Native Hawaiians), parts of Lahainaluna, basically all of Front Street, and low-income housing units. There is only one public road in and out of town, and after a very hectic evacuation period that road has been mostly closed off except to emergency responders, thus it is extremely difficult for anyone to leave town to get help. The nearest hospital is 20 miles away in Wailuku, and most grocery stores in town have burnt down.

As of Thursday, August 10, over 1,000 acres have been burned and 271 structures (including homes, schools, and other community gathering places) have been destroyed. Cell service is still extremely spotty, many of the surrounding neighborhoods deemed safe for evacuees are still without utilities. There are currently confirmed 53 deaths but that number is expected to increase as search-and-rescue efforts continue. Countless families have been displaced and many have lost the homes they lived in for generations. Places of deep historical significance have been reduced to ash, including the gravesites of Hawaiian royalty, the old Lāhainā courthouse where items of cultural significance were stored, and Na ‘Aikane o Maui Cultural Center. To add further context: Lāhainā has a population of about 13,000 residents. EVERYONE I know has been impacted in some way--at best forced to evacuate, at worst their house was burnt to the foundation, they cannot find a loved one, etc. I'm still trying to track down family members and it's been over two days. My neighbors down the street had homes last week and now many don't have ANYTHING. The hotels are taking in residents (tourists are also being STRONGLY urged to leave so that locals can recover). Without open access to the rest of the island, Lāhainā residents are now dependent on whatever people had in their homes already as well as disaster relief efforts coming in, but it's been difficult to organize and mobilize due to the location + conditions. People who have made it out are in shelters where no blankets or medicine were provided. Friends and acquaintances from neighbor islands are preparing aid to send over. Community response has been incredible, but the toll on the town has been immeasurable. My parents were desperately walking through town yesterday, my mom sounded absolutely hollow talking about it on the phone with me. It's horrifying. Below is a satellite map with data from the NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System showing the impacted areas from the past week; all of the red blotches were on fire at some point in the last three days.

Here are ways you can help:

If you have the means to donate:

Here are three donation sites verified by Maui Rapid Response, which also lists FAQs for people who are wondering about next steps.

Hawaiʻi Community Foundation - Maui Strong Fund accepts international credit cards. Maui United Way

Maui Mutual Aid Non-monetary ways to support:

If you know anyone who is planning to travel to ANY Hawaiian island, not just Maui, tell them to cancel their trip. Resources are extremely limited as is. Advocate for climate change mitigation efforts locally, wherever that is for you. The fire was exacerbated by drought conditions that have worsened due to climate change.

Lastly, remember that these are people's HOMES that burned, and Native Hawaiian cultural artifacts that have been lost. Stop thinking of Hawaiʻi (or any "tourist destination" location, really) as an "escape" or a "paradise." If that's the only way you recognized my home... I'm glad I got your attention somehow, but I would ask that you challenge that perspective and prioritize local and native voices. For transparency, I don't currently live in Lāhainā, I've been following efforts from Honolulu. My parents and brother have been updating me and I've been following friends and family who are doing immediate response work. I'm doing my best to find reliable and current sources, but if I need to update something, please let me know. If you're going to try to convince me that tourism is necessary for our recovery, news flash ***IT'S NOT***!

Thanks for reading.

#please feel free to reblog! i don't know how tagging works here anymore! #maui fires #officially reported death count increased WHILE I WAS WRITING THE POST btw. this is bonkers. #if you want to start tourism discourse in my inbox you have to donate the cost of a plane ticket and send a screenshot to me #i have sources at the ready btw. i'd say don't try me but i mean my hometown could use a couple hundred bucks!!

[queen-breha-organa]

I have to get serious for a minute.

I know I’ve said this endless times before, but I just need to say it again.

Hawai‘i is NOT your playground.

Unsustainable tourism has been destroying our islands for generations now, with overpopulation and overdevelopment causing unaffordable living expenses and forcing so many of my people off our sovereign land.

Tourism gathers endless money and uses it to remove our identity from our own islands. It displaces us to build hotels and restaurants, leaving so many of my people homeless or poverty stricken. Tourism then sterilizes our culture, and forces us to become your tour guides, your waitstaff, your hula dancers, your entertainment.

This is not the life we deserve.

My people are more than backgrounds to your vacation. My people deserve more.

Tourism brings disease, and lets Covid cover our islands in a fog of death. I have lost many loved ones to this illness, I am still loosing loved ones to this illness.

We are still in a pandemic. People are still getting sick. People are still dying.

Hawai‘i is not a place for you to run wildly and spread disease.

Hawai‘i is not merely a vacation destination.

My people and our islands and our culture deserve better.

Do not support tourism in Hawai‘i, support my people instead.

See the link below to learn more about ‘Āina Momona, a Native Hawaiian led community organization that supports efforts to revive and restore our land and our culture.

I also wanted to share this documentary clip, it’s only 3 minutes long, but it discusses the rise in tourism and the emotional impact on my people. It’s raw and real and so important.

And I know I’ve linked it before, but please read the article below to learn more about the harmful nature of tourism in Hawai‘i.

Restore Hawai‘i to Hawaiians, End the American Occupation.

#cw covid #okay to rb

[intersectionalpraxis]

If you want to see how harmful this “digital nomadic culture” is, you just need to look at what they’ve done to Bali, Indonesia. They have completely displaced local residents and pushed them out of their communities because locals can no longer afford to keep up with the COL. Original post: "They bore me so much🫥" with the caption from an Instagram story of. woman dining: "GIRL MATH: You've figured out the ultimate life hack as a millenial is to make you money in the US and live abroad where the cost of living is more affordable."

There's so many layers to unpack here. 'Tourism' in the Caribbean, for instance, is something I think about as well whenever I see people acting like this -these industries, which are highly exploitative towards the people and their communities and environments is one element -but the 'travelling to paradise' market itself is based in neo/colonialist frameworks and current mentalities and that itself is something that needs to be addressed much more. Especially with what is happening in Jamaica where so many Jamaicans are being pushed out of their own land when a tourist 'resort' wants to build or 'expand' because these 'ideal' locations are near the sea, where Jamaican people have been/are fishing for their own livelihoods and survival. I posted a video about this, but for those who haven't looked into these issues -I implore you to look into this.

I also think of Hawai'i, which has had many devastating impacts to their islands this past year -irreparable damages to both Native Hawaiians and the environment (and ongoing issues, such as the water being contaminated/and scarce there and yet tourists are prioritized for access to clean water sources) -and STILL people remained and traveled there during the Maui fires, and just overall despite countless pleas for them not to go they still do.

Among many the 'desirable destinations' marketed specifically to Europeans/Westerners as 'a getaway to' where they can detach from their busy lives, or to live permanently because it's 'too expensive' where they live -I sincerely wish they would come back down to earth and realize their imperialistic mentalities -especially when going to countries whose economies they perceived as 'poorer,' without looking critically at the country's infrastructure and history is just willful ignorance at best.

#feminist #feminism #tourism #tourist #gentrification #settler colonialism #colonialism #colonial violence #eco terrorism #hawaii #imperialism #western imperialism #travelling #travel #the caribbean #jamaica #dominican republic #bali #indonesia

[lauralot89]

“Maui is not the place to have your vacation right now,” Momoa wrote on Instagram on Friday. “Do not convince yourself that your presence is needed on an island that is suffering this deeply.”

The native Hawaiian actor also warned that cheap flights are helping wildfire victims evacuate off-island and local hotels are prioritizing those who have been displaced.

“Our community needs time to heal, grieve and restore,” Momoa wrote. “That means the less visitors on island taking up critical resources that have become extremely limited the better.”

it's insane that he even has to say this

#Hawaii #Maui wildfires #Jason Momoa #Dwayne Johnson

[sepdet]

(I don't usually break copyright for journalists, who deserve to make a living through their writing the same as other authors, but this paywalled article mentions a few native Hawaiian relief efforts that need funding)

Native Hawaiians organize aid for Maui fire victims as government lags

Reis Thebault, Washington Post [12Aug 2023]

LAHAINA, Hawaii — The boats kept coming. One by one, cruisers and catamarans eased toward the beach in Kahana, a small and tightknit neighborhood just north of Maui’s hardest-hit areas.

Each one was laden with supplies: generators, propane tanks, trash bags full of clothing and ready-to-eat meals. And each one was greeted by two dozen people, the first among them wading waist-deep into the ocean to retrieve provisions from the boat and pass them down the chain, which wound its way to shore.

[Hawaii utility faces scrutiny for not cutting power to reduce fire risks]

The entire operation buzzed with urgent efficiency. But this was not the National Guard, or the Federal Emergency Management Agency, nor state or local government. This was scores of residents, led mostly by native Hawaiians, who had battled immense grief and unreliable communications to coordinate a large-scale disaster relief effort serving everyone in need after Tuesday’s ruinous Maui fire.

And this, a parade of boats that brought desperate locals thousands of pounds of supplies, was one of many.

“There’s no government agency helping us — this is it,” said Jareth Lumlung, a native Hawaiian who helped arrange the de facto donation hub. “This is our home, our community.”

[Live updates on Hawaiian wildfires]

In the days since a ferocious wildfire decimated whole swaths of Maui, including the historic west island town of Lahaina, those who live here have said they’ve received little help from the county and state, small entities which are struggling to respond to an unprecedented calamity.

For people whose cultural traditions have been threatened by American colonization and the state’s embrace of tourism and development, government help was never expected. Instead, the community has relied on itself.

Many, native Hawaiians in particular, see the absence of visible official support as a continuation of long-standing frustrations and pain, which began with the destructive arrival of Europeans and lives on in struggles over water rights.

The displacement of native Hawaiians is a particularly acute concern now, as much of the island has been targeted for gentrification, driving up the costs of living and forcing many native Hawaiians to move to mainland cities like Las Vegas.

[After five hours in ocean, Maui fire survivor is ‘blessed to be alive’]

Government officials have said they were focused on putting out the flames, housing and feeding survivors in evacuation centers outside the burn zone, protecting damaged areas, clearing roads in and around the town and helping to restore essential utilities. Some of the aid is out of reach of survivors, however, because they lack transportation or working phones to alert them about services. In Lahaina, the private efforts have been more visible, survivors said.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) estimated that nearly all of Lahaina had been destroyed. But in Kahana, the town’s spirit remained completely alive.

“If you take away all Hawaiians, there’ll be no more Hawaii,” Lumlung said. “It’ll be just a place. This is what it’s all about right here. We’re all raised the same way; this is something that’s just naturally instilled. You don’t have to be asked to do these things.”

Residents gather at Napili Plaza in Lahaina, Hawaii, to connect to Starlink satellites to contact their loved ones on Friday. (Mengshin Lin for The Washington Post)

The supply boats began arriving on Wednesday, as first responders were still battling the blaze and recovering bodies amid burned-out homes and businesses. Two days later, they hadn’t slowed. On Friday, they began arriving early, and volunteers had tents set up to sort the goods: a pile of men’s pants here, a pyramid of diapers there and vast mounds of bottled water.

“We lost everything. We lost our town,” said Jerica Naki, whose home in Lahaina was destroyed. “That’s why we’re here.”

On this day, the volunteer boats largely came from neighboring islands, Oahu and Molokai, northwest of Maui in the Hawaiian archipelago, traveling far on choppy seas. Naki was helping sort donations and she described an emotional whirlwind, from escaping with nothing to seeing a staggering amount of volunteer support for those who have been displaced like her.

[These maps show where wildfires are burning in Hawaii]

“A lot of us are born and raised here,” Naki said, looking around as the chain of volunteers hauled in boxes of tinned sausage. “There’s a l xd ot of pride in Lahaina, so it hurts, a lot. But this is all we have here now, each other, and we’re making do.”

As the response has worn on, the greatest needs have shifted. There is now plenty of nonperishable food and bottled water. Generators, fuel and Starlink satellite internet systems would be most useful, volunteers say.

Sheryl Nakanelua knew instinctively where she needed to go when she fled her Lahaina home as flames spread. She made her way to Kahana and set up a tent across from Lumlung’s house, where she’ll stay until her family is let back into her subdivision, one of the few that was spared.

“This is our family place, it’s home,” she said of the Kahana neighborhood. “This is the best part to be at. It’s what’s keeping us positive.”

Other such spots have popped up. Napili Plaza, once a destination for groceries, ribs and tattoos, is now a donation drop-off center. And some 100 cars lined up for free gas near the town’s former railroad station. Coordinating the boats and other donation sites is a massive task that involves maddening games of phone tag in a place largely without cell service and requires a relentless dedication and extensive Rolodex.

Residents like Zane Schweitzer have both. Schweitzer, whose family has lived around Lahaina for generations, has spent nearly every hour of the last 48 working his walkie-talkie and phone, frantically arranging aid from around Maui, Hawaii and the mainland. Working with the Oahu-based youth nonprofit Na Kama Kai, he helped coordinate one of Friday’s largest deliveries.

Officials said most of Lahaina, the historic town in West Maui, was destroyed when hurricane winds pushed fires to the coast.

On the south side of Lahaina, in Olowalu, Eddy and Sam Garcia are transforming their groundbreaking sustainable farm into a shelter for those who have lost their homes. The married couple, who themselves have lost farmland and fruit crops worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, are setting up temporary housing, a massive solar power system and a satellite internet connection that they’ll open to anyone who needs it.

“In the immediate moment, people need shelter, they need food, they need water, they need a place to get on the internet so they can look for their loved ones,” said Eddy Garcia, who grew up in Lahaina. “We’re shifting all of our attention to trying to feed and house our neighbors.”

The Olowalu farm is uniquely well-prepared to handle this sort of disaster. Run by the Garcias’ nonprofit, Regenerative Education Centers, it was already operating off the grid, with its own power, plumbing and food. The nonprofit has launched a fundraiser to help pay for the fire effort, which will continue as long as there’s a need.

The property, even after being raked by the fire’s severe winds, is verdant and shaded by tall mango trees. On Friday, volunteers and staff readied the farm to fill any needs. They butchered and smoked a wild pig, set up new solar panels and scoured the internet for portable toilets. Eddy Garcia whirred with adrenaline, his satellite-connected cellphone ringing every few minutes with someone offering help.

For locals like him, helping his neighbors is not only about their survival, but about preserving the island’s identity and keeping it livable for those whose families have been here for generations.

“It’s not about these giant hotels on the beach and all the big companies, but trying to take care of local people,” he said. “This is not a visitor’s destination spot, this is the kingdom of Hawaii. That hit the heart of it in Lahaina. It hurts to even talk about it.”

His phone rang again and he stood up to leave.

“I’m like a ball of rubber bands right now,” he said, “and the only thing keeping me going is I got to organize these things.”

——

[More photos and links to the latest news in and after article]

#maui fires #lahaina #relief efforts

[basuralindo]

Hi. I plan on talking to my relatives who take yearly trips to Hawai'i to stop going. Are there any good sources you'd recommend for the negative effects of tourism on native Hawai'ians (especially in regards to the current crisis on Maui).

Hi, thanks for trying to talk to them about it. I don't have any good sources on hand, and honestly I just don't have the emotional fortitude to go looking for them right now.

Your best bet would be to look up Kanaka Maoli on instagram or tiktok, as there are a lot of native people posting informational videos about the issue.

You can also try pointing them to the Hawaiian Airlines official statement requesting that all nonessential travel be postponed, or even the very softly worded state travel advisory. However, the advisory really makes it sound like everything's fine so long as they don't stay in the affected area, and that's just not the case.

If they're willing to listen, please try telling them that there currently aren't enough available structures to house all the people who have been displaced by the fires, and they are needing to use vacation rentals and hotels. If your relatives stay anywhere on Maui in these coming months, they will likely be forcing a family to stay in an already overcrowded shelter or on the street. There is a water shortage, as the fire damage has leaked toxic chemicals into the water supply in various parts of the island. My mom is currently reliant on volunteer supplies of fresh water, as it isn't even completely safe to bathe in her area. If your relatives stay anywhere on Maui, they will be supplied with water that is desperately needed by locals all over the island, and that water is in very short supply. If they drink and bathe there, my family and neighbors might not be able to. Yesterday I dropped off several blankets, first aid, and basic hygiene supplies to be flown over to Maui because there is not enough to go around on the island right now. It's in the middle of the ocean, all products typically take days and weeks to reach them, and several other residential areas were damaged by fires that are still going right now, there simply isn't enough to go around and the tourist industry demands A LOT of resources

#asks #Maui fires #every time I look for info I have to see my community suffering and the places I grew up destroyed #I haven't been able to sleep because of the shit I've already seen playing on in my head #and I can't bring myself to go searching through videos to pick out the most helpful for you. that's gonna have to be your job

[askcarlislecullen]

What are some ways you employ your wealth to help others? Do others in the family do the same?

We each have our own pet and preferred causes. I do not force anyone in our family to do anything with the money I see as rightfully theirs as a member of our family, but to a one, we recognize that we have more than is necessary for many lifetimes and much of it winds up given away. It is, therefore, difficult to detail each and every single gift—though I do get most of them during tax season—in a manner that would be appropriate for a short blog post. Esme and I give away around 50-60% of our income, both out of desire and necessity—it simply makes us harder to track. Over fifty years ago now I gave Esme the gift of founding a charity which addresses domestic violence on a variety of fronts, from operating shelters, to training crisis counselors, to providing direct aid to partners in flight. The organization, which is quite large, runs off its endowment, and needless to say therefore, the initial gift was quite substantial.

As for the others:

Alice's philanthropy tends to focus on the arts; museums, music, dance, theater. Jasper tends to give money toward issues pertinent to veterans. Rosalie directs a great deal of her giving toward charities which deal directly with children; the March of Dimes, for instance, but also her own foundation which works with children with genetic abnormalities. Emmett has kept up the tradition Edward started of directing money back toward his homeland of Appalachia, and is especially fond of the Dollywood Foundation.

Edward and Bella do most of their giving to organizations surrounding education, as it was an area they did not need to benefit from, and Edward also gives to the arts though usually in ways which directly benefit children who don't have access to things like music lessons. And they give a good deal of their money to causes associated with the needs of the Native American community. Despite our general peace brokered by our granddaughter, the Quileute nation has specifically asked that we not give directly to them, as they don't wish to receive charity from us, which I can understand. But with the tribe's permission, we give to other communities as is pertinent. At the moment, that next direction is looking to be the Native Hawaiians displaced in Maui. And finally, despite all the years intervening and my own somewhat fraught relationship with the church and its people, I still direct a steady tithe to the global Anglican Communion as I have for all my life. Old habits, I suppose.

#carlisle cullen #finances #giving

[freehawaii]

"THIS IS FOR US, GENOCIDE"

NATIVE HAWAIIANS FEAR MAUI WILDFIRE DESTRUCTION WILL LEAD TO THEIR CULTURAL ERASURE

     CBC News - August 17, 2023

 Keʻeaumoku Kapu has been handing out water, clothes, and emergency supplies to families in need out of the Walgreens parking lot in Lahaina, Maui. He said it is a way to keep himself occupied while he grieves the losses of his community. "I'm afraid we're not going to recover from this," said Kapu, speaking to CBC from his cellphone at the distribution centre Monday. Kapu is a Kanaka Maoli (a Hawaiian word for their Indigenous people) community leader in Lahaina, and head of the Nā ʻAikāne o Maui Cultural Center — which was destroyed by the fire that ripped through Lahaina. While members of the community are still grappling with their immediate needs and the death toll from the fire is still being counted, Kapu said he is "frantic" to make sure he is included in the conversations that are happening about what is next for Lahaina. "I'm hoping that we can get over this hurdle, but at the same time the fear of being erased ..." said Kapu. "Because our island is now turned into a cheaper commodity because there's nothing more important to save here, you have people coming in willing to buy burned-out places." Maui land grabs Kapu said his family and other members of his community have been contacted by realtors asking to buy their burned-up property. The office of the governor of Hawaii released a statement warning Maui residents about predatory buyers trying to capitalize on their fear and the financial uncertainty for those who have lost their homes. In a press conference Wednesday, Governor Josh Green said he is working with the attorney general to put a moratorium on property sales in West Maui. Social media posts from residents are pleading with people to not sell their properties to these realtors, fearing it will lead to Native Hawaiians being displaced from their homelands. A non-profit organization called Hawai'i Alliance for Progressive Action has started an online petition to call on governments to use their powers to stop Maui land grabs, support displaced families and ensure decisions are made with Native Hawaiians at the table. Kapu is urging people not to sell but is worried that people's fear and desperation may drive them to accept these offers. 

"You're gonna make our children tomorrow orphans within their own land," said Kapu. Lahaina holds deep cultural significance to the Hawaiian people and was once the capital of the Hawaiian kingdom. The city is where King Kamehameha III had his royal residence and modernized the Hawaiian central government with the creation of Hawaii's constitutional order. Many Hawaiians still recognize it as the original capital today, long after the capital was moved to Honolulu in 1845. The fire destroyed Lahaina's historic Front Street, where the cultural centre Kapu ran was located. Inside, the building held many cultural artifacts, like feather capes and helmets, implements, maps and documents. They were all destroyed. "Our place was a living place, it was a living museum. It was things that you could actually touch, books that you could actually read, maps that showed a lot of families where they originated from," said Kapu. But the loss is bigger than that. Kapu describes the centre as a gathering place for Indigenous people internationally, where culture was shared for the next generations and people could learn from each other. Kapu is heartbroken over the loss, and holds himself responsible for the care of the objects inside, though he barely escaped trying to save it, only having time to grab his laptop as he ran out. Ten minutes later the building was engulfed in flames. "For Lahaina, I'm afraid what this place can turn into now," said Kapu, who worries the historic buildings that have been lost could be replaced by private development. "This is, for us, genocide."  

Maui Fires Linked To Colonization The devastation of the Maui fires is directly tied to colonial greed, said Uahikea Maile, who is Kanaka Maoli from Maunawili, Oahu, and an assistant professor of Indigenous politics in the department of political science at the University of Toronto. Maile said pre-colonial Lahaina was a wetland ecosystem abundant with life and that was one of the reasons it was chosen for the royal residence. But Maile said in the late 19th and early 20th centuries white-owned sugar plantations on Maui started to illegally divert water to their crops, drying up the wetlands. "It's really devastating to think about the situation that over time transformed this place because it was strategically and purposefully altered to feed colonial forms of profiteering and wealth accumulation and greed," said Maile. These plantations also introduced non-native plant species for animal grazing that have helped fuel the Maui fires, said Maile. "The question of what to do next? How to heal? How to regenerate? And how to rebuild? Is a really crucial one that is on the minds of everyone," said Maile. Maile can see the island's colonial history repeating itself with realtors exploiting the wildfire devastation to generate future wealth. "It's a really important time in Hawaiian history to ensure that our people have a say in their own lands," said Maile. Native Hawaiian Land Control But how much control Hawaiians have over their land can be a complicated question. The first concept of private land ownership in Hawaii can be traced back to the Mahele, or division of lands, in 1848, where King Kamehameha III divided the land into three categories: Crown, government, and lands for the Hawaiian chiefs. Lance D. Collins is a private practice attorney in Maui who researches Hawaiian law during the American colonial period. Collins is also Kapu's attorney, representing him in cases to show his family's claim to their ancestral land in Kaua'ula Valley. Through the Mahele, about one-third of the land was given to Hawaiian families. That land has been passed down, usually to a person's children, but after several generations and for those without children it has led to confusion over who has interest in the land, said Collins. "Most Hawaiians know which lands they have an interest in, but as long as there's no contest over use, there's no issue," said Collins. The state is obligated to preserve and protect Native Hawaiian traditional and customary rights. Meaning if a private development was proposed on a parcel of land that was used for traditional practices, this right would limit the developers ability to exclude Hawaiians from the land. "There is a tremendous amount of opportunity for the Hawaiian people and for the Lahaina community, and there's also grave, grave danger," said Collins.

#free hawaii #hawaiian kingdom #maui strong #lahaina strong

[kiloskywalker]

An update

I know I said I was gonna try to be more active on here but life kinda got in the way.

As many of you probably know, there was a devastating wildfire that tore through the island of Maui in Hawai'i leaving billions of dollars in damage, many people without homes, businesses destroyed and as of now over 100 people dead. I made several trips in the aftermath of the fire between the West Coast and Kahului as part of my airline's decision to send aid and evacuate people from the island. All in all, I've made about 7 round trip flights between San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Kahului helping as many people as possible get aid that they need and, trying to evacuate as many people as possible. I'm back for the time being with a few days before resuming a normal flight schedule, so I hope to be back to constantly obsessing over Tarlos (as per usual), writing more of my fic (I'm currently at a little over 100 pages!), and watching and rewatching the "Red, White, and Royal Blue" movie! If you are wondering how you can help some of the victims of the Maui Wildfires check out these links below:

Hawaii Community Foundation Maui Strong fund: Focusing on rapid response and working with local nonprofits to understand community needs. More details.

Maui Food Bank: Collecting and distributing food to help the hungry in Maui County. More details.

Maui United Way: Providing direct relief to families and nonprofits. More details.

The Salvation Army Hawaiian and Pacific Islands Division: Providing food and resources for evacuees. More details.

Public Schools of Hawaii Foundation: Partnering with the state Department of Education to support school communities in West Maui through Oct. 1. More details.

Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement: Working to match every donation to Maui fire victims as of Friday evening. More details.

Catholic Charities Hawaii: Actively working with other organizations to assess the critical needs of individuals affected by the wildfires.

Maui Humane Society: Supporting shelters for displaced people and animals, and caring for injured animals. More details.

Hawaii Chamber of Commerce Hawaii Business Relief Fund: Assisting the business communities on Maui.

World Central Kitchen: Providing meals to people in need by partnering with local organizations. More details.

Hawaii Lions Foundation: Matching up to $25,000 in donations for Maui disaster relief efforts. More details.

Hawaiʻi People’s Fund: Providing immediate relief to those directly impacted by the wildfires on Maui Island. More details.

#kilo writes #kiloskywalker #kilo talks #ask kilo

[catdotjpeg]

A historic seaside town that once was the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii has been largely reduced to ash as wildfires continued to rip through the state Wednesday.  The town of Lahaina, situated on the west coast of Maui, was evacuated along with several others on both Maui and the Big Island. Video obtained by NBC News shows the town in chaos, with local businesses ablaze and heavy smoke filling the streets. Some residents jumped into the ocean seeking safety from the flames.  According to official updates on the town’s website, “Hundreds of families have been displaced, dozens of businesses have burned, and there’s a strong chance some people have died.” Officials confirmed Thursday that at least 36 people have died.  Hawaiians say Lahaina’s disaster leaves them mourning the loss of a place dense with Native Hawaiian history and culture — and they’re bracing for what the tragedy will mean for their communities in the long term.  “People are worried about their loved ones, their homes, their businesses, their jobs,” said David Aiona Chang, who is Native Hawaiian and a professor of history at the University of Minnesota. “So many of the disasters that hit Hawaii hit Native Hawaiians the hardest. It’s something that we are going to be dealing with for a long time.” Many visitors know Lahaina as a popular vacation destination, but Kaniela Ing, who grew up in the area and co-founded the Native Hawaiian-focused organization Our Hawaii, underscored that the town’s significance long predates Western interest.  He said the fire is a “scorching warning” of what’s to come if indigenous communities aren’t protected from the impacts of climate change.   “Our home is on fire right now. There needs to be more action and more investment,” said Ing, who’s seventh-generation Kānaka Maoli, or indigenous Hawaiian. “People hit first and worse by the climate crisis tend to be Black, indigenous and low income. Yet we’re the keepers of the knowledge of how to build a society that wouldn’t cause ecological collapse and societal doom.” [...] As residents begin to process the damage and destruction caused by the fires, Ing said it’s critical to consider indigenous communities when making decisions about next steps for the community.  “When native folks are resourced to do this kind of work, it’s generally to stop the bad and not necessarily build the good,” Ing said. “There needs to be a lot of intention and hard intervention there to make sure that federal resources and philanthropic resources go to support native folks, not to stop acute harm like this, but actually, lead us on the positive path forward.”

-- From "Wildfire decimates Lahaina, once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom" by Sakshi Venkatraman and Kimmy Yam for NBC News, 9 Aug 2023.

Consider donating to the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, Nā ‘Āikane O Maui Cultural Center, ‘Āina Momona, and the Maui Mutual Aid Fund.

For on the ground updates on the situation, check out Kāko'o Haleakalā, ʻĀina Momona, and Our Hawai'i on Instagram.

#hawai'i #lahaina #fire / #death m / #indigenous sovereignty #climate justice

[peligrosapop]

oye, since you are a puerto rican with a post about palestine goin around now, i’m curious (with all the caveats about no group is a monolith you are not representative of the whole island or leftists on the island etcetc): would you rather puerto rico become a state? or full sovereign independence ? i know the vibe is Change, but i’ve never understood in which direction the winds want to blow

Hola! Gracias por la pregunta. Thank you for the question.

I am pro independence as it is the only true decolonization option, becoming a state is just furthering our colonization. Just like what happened with Hawaii and Alaska. What has happened to Hawaii, even though it is a state now, is awful. Full displacement and gentrification everywhere of native Hawaiians and mixed ethnicities that have respect Hawaii to make room for colonizers, especially rich ones. The Jones Act (look it up) is another example of colonizer policies still in place even though Alaska and Hawaii are states now.

I think a free Puerto Rico should be given economic reparations

and have an agreement to be able to move freely to and from the US as we do know as US Citizens and a transitional period with international oversight to help with further reparations. Also all people who have contributed to US institutions like Social Security etc for more than 20 years should be able to be eligible for them when they retire etc. Just some ideas.

On the island, most people are culturally pro-independence, but when it comes to economic-politics a lot dont see the US as an oppressor but as a goal….more young people are understanding the opposite but a lot of old people are still stuck in the “US is our savior, rich country you want to be a part of” shit regardless if the US government everyday looks more like the KKK. But most people I think want to be autonomous with a good relationship with the US, like something less restrictive that now. But if the US vs Puerto Rico in any competition comes up, they are all rooting for Puerto Rico lol. Everyone is Puerto Rican first. No one considers themselves Americans; more like Puerto Ricans with US Citizenship. It is really complicated bc colonized mentality is a mind-fuck bc propaganda has done a number on people. The pro independence movement was persecuted forever, it was even illegal to fly/have a Puerto Rican flag in the 1950s; so pro US prop was always stronger (Thanks CIA and FBI) SOooo yea. Also look up the US diaspora Puerto Rican Independence movements especially in New York and Chicago, they were FIRE.

People want change, for real, just stuck on consensus. Last plebiscite of the issue was heavily boycotted.

Here is the Puerto Rican Independence flag (different type if blue as the emoji 🇵🇷)

Viva Puerto Rico Libre

#puerto rico #anon answered

[thecreaturecodex]

Menehune

Image by Hugo Solis, © Frog God Games. Accessed at the artist's deviantArt page here

[This is art from an actual Pathfinder product! These menehune appeared in Razor Coast, a long delayed (and sadly, not very good) 3pp Pathfinder module. The mechanics that game used for menehune was as a variant of gnomes, which makes a certain amount of sense, with fire themed powers, which doesn't. That kind of sums up all of Razor Coast: it was more interested in stereotypes about Pacific Islanders and riffing on vaguely Hawaiian themes (like Pele and volcanoes) than it was about actual Pacific Island cultures.

Interestingly, there's a fair amount of debate about the age and origins of menehune legends. Some folklorists believe that they're syncretic, a combination of Native Hawaiian stories with European fairy lore. Others say that, because "manahune" is Tahitian for "commoner", that the original menehunes were an ethnic minority that was disenfranchised and displaced following Tahitian immigration to Hawaii. I was unable to find a scholarly or semi-scholarly reference to the idea that menehune use arrows, Cupid style, to make people fall in love, but it's commonly reported on Hawaiian tourism websites. Plus, it gives them a unique ability.]

Menehune CR 4 CN Fey This little humanoid is stout and heavily muscled, with red hair and a mischievous twinkle in their eyes.

Menehune are especially human-like fey who live on tropical islands. They are expert craftsmen and builders, and their monuments and achievements crop up overnight. Literally—menehune are strangely perfectionist, and if a construction job takes them more than a single night, they will abandon it. Fortunately, they work with supernatural speed, and a team of menehune can create roads, aquifers or ramparts in a matter of hours. Menehune dislike being interrupted or observed in this work. Menehune sleep during the day and work at night, typically in hollow trees, caves or other places that are comfortably dark. They are omnivorous, and feed on a diet of fruit, tubers and fish. Bananas are a particular favorite. Menehune are afraid of owls.

Few menehune relish a fight, but their incredible strength makes them relatively skilled combatants.  If interlopers attempt to spy on their work, the menehune will usually flee, although they may fire magical charming arrows as they go. These arrows do not charm the struck creature to the menehune, but instead cause brief, rapturous love towards the first compatible person the victim sees. If the menehune are pursued, or if their constructions are damaged, they may well respond with lethal force.

A menehune stands between two and three feet tall. Most have brown skin and red hair. They may be mistaken for especially burly halflings, especially at a distance.

Menehune         CR 4 XP 1,200 CN Small fey Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.,low-light vision, Perception +7 Defense AC 15, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +1 dodge, +1 natural) hp 45 (7d6+21) Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +5 DR 5/cold iron; SR 15 Weakness light blindness Offense Speed 20 ft. Melee heavy mace +8 (1d6+6) Ranged masterwork composite shortbow +8 (1d4+4/x3) Special Attacks arrow of love Spell-like Abilities—CL 4th, concentration +6 Constant—ant haul, pass without trace At will—invisibility 3/day—charm animal (DC 13), charm person (DC 13) Statistics Str 18, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 15 Base Atk +3; CMB +6; CMD 19 Feats Dodge, Endurance, Point-Blank Shot, Power Attack Skills Acrobatics +9 (+3 when jumping), Bluff +9,Climb +10,Craft (stonemasonry) +11, Diplomacy +9, Knowledge (engineering) +4, Knowledge (nature) +7, Perception +7, Stealth +13, Survival +7, Swim +10; Racial Modifiers +4 Craft (all) Languages Common, Sylvan SQ expert labor Ecology Environment warm forests and mountains Organization solitary, pair, gang (3-8) or crew (9-24) Treasure standard (Small heavy mace, Small masterwork composite shortbow (+4 pull), 20 arrows, other treasure) Special Abilities Arrow of Love (Su) Three times per day, a menehune can infuse an arrow with charming magic as a swift action. A creature struck by this arrow takes no damage and must succeed on a DC 20 Perception check to realize they’ve been shot at all. A creature struck by this arrow must succeed a DC 15 Will save or fall in love with the first acceptable creature it sees (of a species and gender to which it would ordinarily be attracted to). This functions as an elixir of love, except that it can affect humanoids, fey, native outsiders and animals. This is a charm effect, and the save DC is Charisma based. Expert Labor (Su) A menehune can do as much work in a half hour as a human laborer can accomplish in a day.

#menehune #hawaii #hawaiian folklore #pathfinder 1e #fey

[cardiac-agreste]

A Proclamation on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, 2021

Since time immemorial, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians have built vibrant and diverse cultures — safeguarding land, language, spirit, knowledge, and tradition across the generations.  On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, our Nation celebrates the invaluable contributions and resilience of Indigenous peoples, recognizes their inherent sovereignty, and commits to honoring the Federal Government’s trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations.

Our country was conceived on a promise of equality and opportunity for all people — a promise that, despite the extraordinary progress we have made through the years, we have never fully lived up to.  That is especially true when it comes to upholding the rights and dignity of the Indigenous people who were here long before colonization of the Americas began.  For generations, Federal policies systematically sought to assimilate and displace Native people and eradicate Native cultures.  Today, we recognize Indigenous peoples’ resilience and strength as well as the immeasurable positive impact that they have made on every aspect of American society.  We also recommit to supporting a new, brighter future of promise and equity for Tribal Nations — a future grounded in Tribal sovereignty and respect for the human rights of Indigenous people in the Americas and around the world.

In the first week of my Administration, I issued a memorandum reaffirming our Nation’s solemn trust and treaty obligations to American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal Nations and directed the heads of executive departments and agencies to engage in regular, meaningful, and robust consultation with Tribal officials.  It is a priority of my Administration to make respect for Tribal sovereignty and self-governance the cornerstone of Federal Indian policy.  History demonstrates that Native American people — and our Nation as a whole — are best served when Tribal governments are empowered to lead their communities and when Federal officials listen to and work together with Tribal leaders when formulating Federal policy that affects Tribal Nations.

The contributions that Indigenous peoples have made throughout history — in public service, entrepreneurship, scholarship, the arts, and countless other fields — are integral to our Nation, our culture, and our society.  Indigenous peoples have served, and continue to serve, in the United States Armed Forces with distinction and honor — at one of the highest rates of any group — defending our security every day.  And Native Americans have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, working essential jobs and carrying us through our gravest moments.  Further, in recognition that the pandemic has harmed Indigenous peoples at an alarming and disproportionate rate, Native communities have led the way in connecting people with vaccination, boasting some of the highest rates of any racial or ethnic group. 

The Federal Government has a solemn obligation to lift up and invest in the future of Indigenous people and empower Tribal Nations to govern their own communities and make their own decisions.  We must never forget the centuries-long campaign of violence, displacement, assimilation, and terror wrought upon Native communities and Tribal Nations throughout our country.  Today, we acknowledge the significant sacrifices made by Native peoples to this country — and recognize their many ongoing contributions to our Nation. 

On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor America’s first inhabitants and the Tribal Nations that continue to thrive today.  I encourage everyone to celebrate and recognize the many Indigenous communities and cultures that make up our great country. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 11, 2021, as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.  I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.  I also direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of our diverse history and the Indigenous peoples who contribute to shaping this Nation.  

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-sixth.

#joe biden #indigenous peoples day #US politics #US history #fuck christopher columbus #USA #united states of america