Aloha ʻAina

Aloha okinaĀina, which literally means "love of the land", is a central concept of ancient Hawaiian thought, cosmology and culture. The concept is felt by many people in Hawaiokinai as a locus of ecological and cultural understanding.

History

Traditionally, the concept goes back to mythical times, and is illustrated extensively in creation chants such as the Kumulipo, which emphasize the connection between the land and the people. In everyday practice, it embodies a deep passion for the land, as is often demonstrated in songs, hula, stories, and regular lifestyle practices such as farming, which have many celebratory, and sometimes sensual, elements. As a political term, it came into wide use during the late nineteenth century through the Aloha okinaĀina Party, which transformed into the Home Rule Party of Hawaii in 1900, after the annexation of Hawaiokinai in the last decade of the 19th century. Since that time some connotations of Hawaiian nationalism have often been associated with the term. Many practitioners, however, assert that Aloha okinaĀina is not itself a political term but rather a tenet of spiritual and cultural understanding which "drives one into action (George Helm, 1977)". These actions may be political, or they may simply involve prayer, lifestyle choices, and deep love and respect for the land and sea.

Hawaiian Renaissance

During the "Hawaiian Renaissance" of the 1970s, the term again came into common use, and a strong social movement arose based upon it. Land struggles were the locus of this movement, which brought together ecological principles, ancient practices, historical interests, demilitarization/peace concepts, and Hawaiian Sovereignty claims.

The pinnacle of the 1970s Aloha okinaĀina movement came in 1976-77, with the occupation of the island of Kahookinaolawe by the group PKO (Protect Kahookinaolawe okinaOhana). Kahookinaolawe had been used as training area for the military since World War II, and was still an active bombing target practice range for the U.S. Navy at the time. A group of activists, kupuna (elders) and cultural practitioners led by Kawaipuna Prejean and George Helm [http://starbulletin.com/96/03/19/features/story1.html] reached the island by boat, but were later arrested. They returned, and two of the group, Walter Ritte and Richard Sawyer, were left behind on the waterless island when the others were again removed. George Helm, who had become the clear leader of the struggle and a hero to many people, paddled from Maui on a surfboard, along with Kimo Mitchell in an attempt to return to Kahookinaolawe. Helm, who was a lauded musician and speaker, disappeared along with Mitchell. Since his disappearance, George Helm has become one of the Aloha okinaĀina movementʻs famous human symbols.

Modern movement

Today, the Aloha okinaĀina movement largely focuses on the growing of kalo, or Hawaiian taro. Kalo is a sacred plant in traditional Hawaiian culture, believed to be the elder sibling of the first humans, and the plant from which Hawaiiansʻ beloved poi [http://www.poico.com/artman/publish/article_3.php] is made. Kalo requires copious water and is very sensitive to pollutants (hence, urbanization); therefore, anti-development and water rights struggles are ubiquitous elements of traditional lookinai (kalo culture) in the present day. Kalo culture also relates directly to health issues; studies have shown very high rates of heart disease, diabetes, many cancers, and most other preventable, diet-related diseases among native Hawaiians, and a major factor in these statistics is suspected to be the abandonment of traditional dietary practices. The goals of Aloha okinaĀina include the harmonization of human health with the health of the land, through the culturally pono (righteous) protection and care of the natural resources that sustain it.

Recent issues of concern for the Aloha okinaĀina movement include the hotly contested creation of a genetically modified taro variety and the proposed arrival of 240 Stryker tanks to Hawaiokinai.