HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0326.007 2020-2022 66,I '21 j
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INI HAWAIIAN ;
CIVIC CLU
Shane Akoni Palacat-Nelsen, President shane.nelsenggrnail.corn
July 19,2021
Hawaii County Council
West Hawaii Civic Center
74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Building A
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Re: Resolution 166-21: URGES THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC
ADMINISTRATION (NOAA) TO PROMPTLY FINALIZE AND ISSUE ITS PUBLICATION
OF PROPOSED RULE "PROTECTIVE REGULATIONS FOR HAWAIIAN SPINNER
DOLPHINS UNDER THE MARINE MAMMAL PROTECTION ACT" (FEDERAL
REGISTER CITATION: 81 FR 57854; DOCKET NUMBER: NOAA-2005-0226.
Reference: Communication. 326
Aloha e Madame Chair David and members of the Council,
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Hanau ka i`a, hanau ka nai`a i ke kai la holo, when the fish emerge, the dolphins emerge
and they travel about the sea (Kumulipo— Ka WA Elua, line 138). Schools of fish and
dolphins have a long standing relationship. Fishermen rely on the pods of dolphins to
shephard the schools of fish, but there is more. In the Kumulipo sharks are mentioned
immediately after the dolphins, making dolphins superior to sharks in rank and order.
The epistomological relationship between dolphins and sharks allow us to understand
why nai'a is a kinolau (physcial embodiment) for a primal major deity - Kanaloa, and a
person of chiefly rank who often is poetically depicted as a shark. This is the ancestral
guidance and discipline of how mankind should conduct itself towards dolphins, that
allows for the ecological cycles to nurture a healthy fish population in the wild. This is
how the ancestors identified value to build wealth and sustainability. The imagery of
Kumulipo is foundational to the many kapu that has managed fisheries for centuries.
Fish was and still is recognized as a healthy and favorable protein source, and that
wealth is depended upon the viability of the dolphin population. If those cycles are
distorted due to prioritizing the importance of recreation and personal fulfilment of joy,
then we are compromising and mismanaging resources and undermining our own
community's wealth.
The necessary h6ailona, or phenomenons that physically reveal itself, to complete
important ceremonies associated to the governance of natural resources such as those
in the Makahiki season and those associated to the `Aha seasons was dependent upon
hanau ka nai`a — the emergence of the nai`a. If that natural cycle is distorted, then
governance, conservation and resource management is now distorted.
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There are many County funded initiatives, and projects that support `aina — based
localized economy, stewardship and development which are dependent on The Marine
Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Therefore, urging NOAA to complete their process
would support these County initiatives.
Today, our governments have assumed the chiefly and leadership roles in our
community, and here is a gentle reminder of the kinolau of Kanaloa and its role in the
waters of Hawaii Nei. This urgency comes timely to address the community and
commercial sectors who exploit and are irresponsible in respecting the MMPA. I hope
this testimony has provided insight into a world of science that has upheld ecosystems
in Hawaii for centuries. We urge this Council to support Resolution 166-21.
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Mahalo nui,
Shane Akoni Palacat-Nelsen
Pelekikena
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