History and Principles

HISTORY OF THE ‘AHA COUNCILS

Aha Moku Background with Luʻukia Nakanelua (Part 1 of 2)
Aha Moku Background with Luʻukia Nakanelua (Part 2 of 2)

Framework for the Aha Moku System and Collaborative Governance

“There is no man familiar with fishing least he fishes and becomes an expert. There is no man
familiar with the soil least he plants and becomes an expert. There is no man familiar with hō`ola
least he be trained as a kahuna and becomes expert at it.” ¹

Following this principle, leaders who govern people manage the resources should be those who are actual practitioners; i.e those who have gained a comprehensive and masterful understanding of the biological, physical, and spiritual aspects of the ʻāina. In traditional Hawaiian resource management, those with relevant knowledge comprised what were called the ‘Aka Kiole — the people’s council.

‘Aha – The kūpuna metaphorically ascribed these councils and the weaving of
various ʻike, or knowledge streams, as an ʻaha. The individual aho or threads
made from the bark of the olonā shrub were woven together to make strong
cordage, called ʻaha. Thus the early Hawaiians referred to their councils as ʻaha
to represent the strong leadership created when acknowledged ʻike holders came
together to weave their varied expertise for collective decision-making that
benefited the people, land, and natural resources.

Kiole – The term kiole described the abundant human population, likened to the
ʻiole or large schools of pua (fish fingerlings) that shrouded the coastline en
masse. Thus, Molokai’s councils were called ʻAha Kiole — the people’s council.

ʻAha council leadership was determined by the people who collectively understood who the experts were in their community. These were experts in fisheries management, hydrology and water distribution, astronomy and navigation, architecture, farming, healing arts, etc.

According to Kumu John Kaʻimikaua the purpose of the ʻaha councils was to utilize the expertise of those with ʻike (knowledge) to mālama ʻāina, to care for the natural resources, and to produce food in abundance not just for the people, but for successive generationsm of holistic problem solving.

HOLISTIC PROBLEM SOLVING OF THE ANCIENT ‘AHA COUNCILS

Identify problem or issue

Critically examine potential solutions including potential effects upon the āina using eight resource realms. These realms provided the ethical foundation for the decision making process²:

a. Moana-Nui-Ākea – the farthest out to sea or along the ocean’s horizon one could perceive from atop the highest vantage point in one’s area.

b. Kahakai Pepeiao – where the high tide is to where the lepo (soil) starts. This is typically the splash zone where crab, limu, and ʻopihi may be located; sea cliffs; or a gentle shoreline dotted with a coastal strand of vegetation; sands where turtles and seabirds nest; or extensive sand dune environs.

c. Ma Uka – from the point where the lepo (soil) starts to the top of the mountain.

d. Nā Muliwai – all the sources of fresh water, ground/artesian water, rivers, streams, springs, including springs along the coastline that mix with seawater.

e. Ka Lewalani – everything above the land, the air, the sky, the clouds, the birds, the rainbows.

f. Kanaka Hōnua – the natural resources important to sustain people. However, management is based on providing for the benefit of the resources themselves rather than from the standpoint of how they serve people.

g. Papahelōlona – knowledge and intellect that is a valuable resource to be respected, maintained, and managed properly. This is the knowledge of the kahuna, the astronomers, the healers, and other carriers of ʻike.

h. Ke ʻIhiʻihi – elements that maintain the sanctity or sacredness of certain places.

Implement solution with 3 considerations:

a. Honor ancestral past

b. Address the needs of the present

c. Set up future generations to have more abundance

Kumu John Kaʻimikaua expressed that this procedural management resulted in lōkahi, “the balance between the land, the people that lived upon the land and the akua (gods).” In turn, lōkahi manifested “pono, the spiritual balance in all things.”

ʻAHA MOKU SYSTEM UNDER STATE LAW

The ʻaha were created under Act 288, which recognized that over the past 200 years, Hawaii has suffered through extensive changes to the Native Hawaiian culture, language, values, and land tenure system, resulting in the following:

• Over-development of coastlines;
• Alterations of fresh water streams;
• Destruction of watersheds;
• Decimation of coral reefs;
• The decline of endemic marine and terrestrial species³

In addition to these consequences, Act 288 recognized the value of cultural practitioners and their use of knowledge that has been passed down through kupuna, experienced farmers, and fishers to engage and enhance sustainability, subsistence, and self-sufficiency.  The Aha Moku System is a system of best practices based on the indigenous resource management practices of site-specific moku boundaries.  These boundaries acknowledge the natural contours of land, the specific resources located within those areas, and the methodology necessary to sustain resources and the community.

The ʻaha moku system is a land, water, and ocean system of best practices that is based upon indigenous resource management practices of ahupua‘a and moku (regional) boundaries. Its goal is to find methods of sustaining, protecting and keeping the natural balance among the different ecosystems existing within the eight main Hawaiian Islands. It serves in an advisory capacity to the chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR). An important focus of the ʻaha moku system is to bring regional concerns from island communities forward to the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) so issues can be addressed and if needed, mitigated. The revivification of the ʻaha moku system and island councils see to:

• to integrate indigenous resource management practices with western management

• to identify a comprehensive set of indigenous practices for natural resource management

• to foster understanding and practical use of Native Hawaiian resource knowledge, methodology, and expertise

• to sustain the State’s marine, land, cultural, agricultural, and natural resources

• to provide community education and foster cultural awareness of the benefits of the ʻAha Moku system.

 

Through the combined efforts of kupuna and Native Hawaiian resource practitioners of the 43 moku in the State of Hawai’i, the Aha Kiole Advisory Committee restored the Aha Moku System of land and ocean resource management. Dating back to the 9th Century and handed down through oral history and generational knowledge, the Aha Moku System was proven to sustain the natural ecosystem and environment of Hawai’i. It is a site-specific and resource based methodology that balances land and ocean resources needed to sustain healthy thriving communities. The Aha Moku System uses a foundation based on Native Hawaiian generational knowledge that ensures a community consultation process focused on the health and welfare of natural and cultural resources in Hawai’i.

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Aha Moku Bills introduced in the 2012 Legislature

The purpose of this Act is to formally recognize the aha moku system and to establish the aha moku advisory committee within the department of land and natural resources.

Aha Kiole Reports

Aha Moku Documents:

Aha Kiole Archive – Click here

  • Proposed ‘Aha Moku System of Natural Resouce Management

    • Watch a Powerpoint presentation about the Aha Moku system