It has taken more than six years to enact the Aha Moku Committee in state government, and local supporters will soon present the system and begin to work on its mission. The public is invited to learn about the recently
It has taken more than six years to enact the Aha Moku Committee in state government, and local supporters will soon present the system and begin to work on its mission.
The public is invited to learn about the recently enacted Aha Moku on July 30 at Kaua‘i Community College, OCET 106 C&D. The presentation starts at 6 p.m. with Q&A will follow from 7 to 8:15. p.m.
Hawai‘i Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed Aha Moku into law on July 9, establishing an advisory committee of appointed representatives from each island.
It is designed to give Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) people a direct advisory role on matters of concern to the Department of Land and Natural Resources, the state Legislature and the governor.
Each island elects its own ahamoku council. The state appointed body selects it chairperson from the members, and committee oversight is provided by the DLNR chairperson.
Aha Moku is a centuries-old oral tradition based on the concept of ‘ahupua‘a, the traditional land and ocean tenure system. It is formed from five elements of adaptive regulatory management, a non-regulatory process, community consultation, outreach education and verifiable knowledge to participate.
The legislation acknowledges centuries of deterioration regarding Hawaiian culture, language, values and land tenure system. The results is in part the over-development of the coastline, alteration of fresh water streams, watershed destruction, decimation of coral reefs and decline of endemic marine and terrestrial species.
The work for the resolution began with a Puwalu Ekahi conference in 2006, where participants established an educational framework to integrate knowledge school curricula.
The emphasis is on preservation of place names and mo‘olelo, seasonal closures and lunar calendars, fishing practices, the Northwestern islands, konohiki connections, marine protected areas, upena (nets), place-based kapu, limu and pu‘uhonua concepts.
For more information, call Sharon Pomroy at 346-6725.
