Ka Leo O Hawaii

Issue date: 12/3/07 Section: Mixed Plate

Media Credit: Courtesy of University of Hawai‘i Press Literally means "back country." Professor McGregor's book "Na Kua‘āina: Living Hawaiian Culture" is a documentary of native Hawaiian culture surviving through the preservation of the ahupua‘a practices on the outer islands.

Professor Davianna McGregor has gone to great lengths to understand the cultural practices of the ancient Hawaiians, and how those practices are preserved today.

McGregor wrote a book on Hawaiian culture, and is in the process of writing another book on Hawaiian politics.

Her first book details her personal journey in investigating Hawaiian culture. She writes of the kua‘aina, or Native Hawaiians, and the rural communities that they live in (kipuka). "From the examination of the lives of kua‘aina in Hawaiian cultural kipuka emerges a profile of the strongest and most resilient aspects of the Native Hawaiian culture and way of life," McGregor writes.

Her passion extends not only to the culture of the islands, but to the politics as well. She is now in the process of writing a second book on Hawaiian politics. McGregor says that "together, the two books provide a good foundation for advocating Hawaiian rights."

McGregor was a key organizer on the island of Kaho‘olawe, a former military open-fire target range. Kaho‘olawe is a Hawaiian cultural reserve where "traditional Hawaiian cultural customs, beliefs, and practices can be freely practiced and can flourish for future generations," according to www.kahoolawe.org/ohana.

McGregor is a member of Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana, "a grassroots organization dedicated to the island of Kaho‘olawe and the principles of Aloha ‘Aina," according to the Kaho‘olawe Web site. The organization controls access to Kaho‘olawe. Teams visit the island regularly to work on revitalization projects, and McGregor often takes students from her ethnic studies classes on these trips.

Kaho‘olawe offers a natural environment for the teams that visit the island. The teams of about 60 people strive to preserve the ancient Hawaiian cultural practices by taking turns cooking, cleaning and looking out for one another. There is no electricity or running water. "We bathe in the ocean and wash our dishes with sea water," McGregor said. She admires the physical ability that is required to survive and enjoys the feeling that everyone is part of one large ‘ohana.

McGregor used her time on Kaho‘olawe to grow personally and spiritually. "It's a place to really reflect and to come into balance with nature," she said. "You have to face your limits and challenge yourself to go beyond those limits."

McGregor was raised on O‘ahu, but spent her summers with her grandparents in Hilo. She is now a professor of ethnic studies at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, lives part-time on the island of Moloka‘i, and authored a book called "Na Kua‘aina: Living Hawaiian Culture."

On local politics

McGregor has strong opinions about current political situations regarding Hawaiian culture, rights, and the preservation of the islands.

"I am quite a vocal supporter of the Akaka Bill," she says. The Akaka Bill seeks to establish a process for Native Hawaiians to gain federal recognition.

She relates the relationship between the government and the Native Hawaiians to the relationship between the government and the Native Americans. She emphasizes that there is a trust in both of these relationships, one that Congress has "repeatedly acted to recognize."

McGregor does not think the Akaka Bill gives extra rights to Native Hawaiians; rather, she sees the bill as something "to protect the entitlements we [Native Hawaiians] already have."

She has also spoken out about the current Superferry conflict. She says that the Superferry will "increase the spread of urbanization to outer islands" and that it should not be allowed to operate.

McGregor argues that locals from O‘ahu who travel to outer islands will over-harvest the well-preserved lands, steal resources and bring more vehicles than the islands can handle.

"The problem with the Superferry is the transport of vehicles, not the transport of people," she says, adding that more vehicles will increase traffic and negatively affect the camping grounds.

It's also a cultural problem, in her opinion. She says that many people on O‘ahu don't understand or respect the cultural practices of Native Hawaiians, whom she says are "protective of their resources."

By bringing O‘ahu's urbanized culture to the outer islands, it "increases dilution in the uniqueness of each island," McGregor said.

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