Finding Pathways Toward Co-Managment of Hawaiʻi’s Feral Pigs (Puaʻa; Sus scrofa): A Historical Review of Biocultural Coevolution of Relationships Between Hawaiians and Pigs and Semi-Structured Interviews with Local Pig Hunters
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2020
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University of Hawaii at Manoa
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The State of Hawaiʻi’s Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is tasked with dual mandates under the Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes to both manage wildlife of the state for hunting opportunities and protect Hawaiʻi’s native flora and fauna. Moreover, engagement with local hunters has been infrequent in the past. These conflicting mandates and lack of engagement have led to a lack of trust and increased conflict between managers and local hunters for managing natural resources, such as feral pigs. Feral pigs are recognized as invasive, yet still hold value for food, cultural, and recreational purposes among Hawaiians and local families. To address this complex issue, my research examined how social-cultural values and practices held by Indigenous and local people for pigs, both past and present, can inform current management actions and the potential for co-management in relation to feral pigs and public hunting in Hawaiʻi. I answered four main research questions: (1) Which factors led to a biocultural evolution of the relationship between Hawaiians and pigs in Hawaiʻi? (2) How does this evolving relationship between Hawaiians and pigs inform current and future management actions for a species that is simultaneously a culturally important species, a game species, and an invasive species that impacts other culturally-valued native species? (3) What are social-cultural values and practices of local pig hunters on Oʻahu and Maui? and (4) How can knowing hunter values and practices aid to improve policies and collaboration for feral pig management? To answer the first two research questions, I investigated archived Hawaiian language newspapers, paying special attention to mentions of puaa hihiu, puaa ahiu, and alualu puaa in newspaper articles during the 19th century. To answer the last two research questions, I conducted semi-structured interviews with local pig hunters on the islands of Oʻahu and Maui. From my archival research, I found that relationships between Hawaiians and pigs shifted from an animal-husbandry relationship to a hunter-prey relationship in the mid 19th century. Results from my interviews suggest expanding mechanisms of access, balancing rights and responsibilities of hunters, and improving means of communication among stakeholders. Taking these into consideration can help increase hunting opportunities, meet agency management objectives, and enhance collaboration. Together, this study stresses the need for sound management decisions made in collaboration with Indigenous and local communities, regarding a culturally important invasive species.
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Feral swine--Control, Conservation of natural resources--Citizen participation
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Hawaii
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