[Return to Perspectives Main Page] What Does the Sanctuary Mean to Me as a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) Kilauea Point serves as important nesting grounds for protected seabirds and offers visitors stunning panoramic views of Kaua`i' s north shore. (Photo: Joseph Mobley) For me as a Kanaka Maoli the word "sanctuary" in 'Olelo Hawai'i (Hawaiian Language), is Pu'u Honua - a place of refuge, of peace, where one can be safe. Our whale sanctuary is far from that because unlike the Hawaiian interpretation of the word, human impact is constantly threatening the "sanctity" of the resources within. From the magnificent humpback whales to the metropolis of coral reefs on the bottom of the ocean, these resources have been negatively bombarded by mankind. Unfortunately, after Captain James Cook arrived in the Hawaiian Islands in 1778, our laws that protected the ocean were ignored by foreigners coming to these shores. Our ancestors thoroughly understood the importance of the ocean, primarily because their sustenance depended on it. To harm the ocean or its resources was sacriligious to the primordial gods Kanaloa, deity of the fish and marine mammals, and Kamakaokaha'i, the goddess of the sea. This is the reason that on his first arrival in Hawaiian waters, Captain James Cook wrote in his journals about how the ocean was "pristine" and"abundant" with fish. It is sad to see our own government trying to disturb the sanctity of the whales and other sea creatures with its sonic, sonar and other "military" practices, in the guise of national defense. Charles Maxwell interviews Dr. Sylvia Earle on board the NOAA research vessel Ka`imimoana for his regular Maui radio show. As a Kanaka Maoli, I will be very pleased to see the day when our humpback whale sanctuary has greater control over the amount of human impact and activity in our waters. Right now, it is being "loved to death" by the tourist industry and fishing industry. Runoff from developed land - with its lush golf courses, resorts and uncontrolled use of agricultural and industrial pollutants also negatively impact our waters. My ancestors knew that whatever you put in the land would eventually end up in the ocean. I am sometimes confused at our mentality when it comes to the ocean. What right do we have as human beings to dump sewage and everything else into the ocean which is another living being's environment? What gives us the right to kill for oil, or to use body parts to make soup while wasting the entire animal? It is the same logic that was used to collect fur and horns from land-based animals for the purpose of fashion and jewelry. Because we are supposed to be the most intelligent species in the world, one would think that common sense would kick in. Unfortunately, history has shown that it has not. I strongly feel that the only way to reverse this trend of destruction of the ocean and its resources is through education. Our generation has miserably failed to malama (take care) of the ocean and the life within. The only hope lies in our youth. Hopefully they will learn from our mistakes. Now is the time to teach them the importance of Malama I Ke Kai (caring for the ocean), for present and future generations.   Mahalo A nui loa (Thank you very much), Kahu (Reverend) Charles Kauluwehi Maxwell Sr. Native Hawaiian SAC Member and Hawaiian Practitioner Host of "Talk Story With Uncle Charlie"         [top] Revised by the HIHWNMS web team on August 12, 2000. URL: http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/perspectives/hawaiian.html.