Hawaiian Religious Perspective Towards The Environment

One traditional proverb that captures the Hawaiian religious perspective towards the environment is, “He aliʻi ka ʻaina, he kaua ke kanaka.” The phrase literally translates as, the land is a chief, and the people are its servants,” which defines the relationship that Native Hawaiians have with their ecological environment. Prior to western contact, native Hawaiians structured their society around the ideology that the land they inhabited was their superior and that it was their responsibility to serve as its stewards. This ideology was formed from the understanding that the since the land provides the resources to sustain human life, all humans are obligated to care for the land collectively in return. Ancient Hawaiian civilization operated …show more content…
It describes how the universe was formed from darkness, and that the creation of the Earth followed, along with all of its inhabitants. In the chant, humans are created last. In summary, the chant structures the relationship between humans and every other species and assigns us the responsibility of caring for the environment since we are created as the only living creatures capable of doing so. The lifestyle of the Hawaiians of old embodied the concept of neighbor-love that Moe-Lobeda articulates because it recognized the intrinsic relationship that humans have with other living species and extended their respect and consideration to all parts of nature (Moe-Lobeda, 199). Another example within our traditions is the myths of gods that represent symbols in nature, including Lono, the god of peace and agriculture. During Makahiki season, the ancient Hawaiians honored Lono by promoting peace and refraining from waging wars. In return, it is believed that Lono would bless the land with rain and fertility so that the Hawaiiansʻ crops would thrive. These are few of many examples that illustrate the deep respect that ancient Hawaiians had for the environment that allowed them to become responsible stewards. This harmonious lifestyle that benefited both the ancient Hawaiian …show more content…
As more of these settlers colonized the archipelago of Hawaiʻi, the native population declined rapidly due to exposure to foreign diseases, and their cultural traditions suffered as a result. By the time representatives from the United States arrived and attempted to overthrow the Hawaiian Kingdom, native Hawaiians were already marginalized within their own homeland. After the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, Hawaiians continued to endure land dispossession, ailing health, and forced assimilation. In 1896, the use of the Hawaiian language was prohibited from all public and private schools in Hawaiʻi, which entailed that teachers who spoke Hawaiian in school would be dismissed and students would receive severe punishment. At this period in history, non-Hawaiians throughout Hawaiʻi assumed that the Hawaiian language and culture would soon become