E Ho'i I Ka Waiwai: 'Ōiwi-Driven Monitoring to Effectuate Response-ability in Hawaiʻi's Streams

Abstract

Anthropogenic climate change threatens to disconnect each of us from our water sources and each other, which sets a precedent for a collective disconnection from our relationships with water. In Hawaiʻi, this was not always the case. Despite colonization, Kanaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiians) to this day think of wai, or freshwater, and its surface forms as embodiments of the akua (elemental forces, deity) Kāne. This relationship allowed Kanaka ʻŌiwi to create and sustain abundance across the archipelago, never taking for granted their role as hoaʻāina (one with relationship to place). In 2019, the Commission of Water Resource Management identified two important issues associated with freshwater in Hawaiʻi. First, current water resource management alienates communities when decision-making is top-down. Second, there is a lack of reliable, long-term data to inform current and future stewardship of Hawaiʻi’s streams. To address these issues, I propose to compile a comprehensive ‘Ōiwi-Driven Stream Monitoring Toolkit for multi-actor use. I propose to do this in three parts: (i) conduct a literature review on stream monitoring protocols; (ii) interview experts and key users of water resources about current knowledge gaps in Hawaiʻi’s streams; and (iii) lead case study investigations on stream monitoring programs within Kauaʻi’s northern moku (region) of Haleleʻa. This project is founded upon established relationships with case study collaborators, Limahuli Garden & Preserve and Waipā Foundation. Access to field sites and personal equipment has been acquired. Gathering perspectives through interviews, literature review, and case studies will be completed by Fall 2022. The Toolkit and supplemental outputs, including educational materials for case study participants, will be shared by May 2023. The Toolkit will be made into a website for accessibility but may be made available as a hard copy upon request. In the medium-term, Toolkit users will re-strengthen intimate relationships with streams and waterways across Hawaiʻi. In the long-term, this can sustain effective and proactive decision-making in the future, and serve as a model for monitoring streams based on relationality frameworks globally.