Relational research to elevate cultural dimensions of marine organisms in Hawaiʻi

Abstract

With the increasing focus on elevating local and Indigenous Knowledge and culture in marine management, there has been a growing desire for methods that identify cultural attributes of marine species. We piloted one method to initiate discussion about how cultural connections to marine organisms in Hawaiʻi might be operationalized in conventional marine management systems. We first compared the taxonomic groups mentioned in NOAA management documents with those mentioned in foundational Hawaiian texts. We then used inductive content analysis to examine the cultural meanings associated with those taxa in a foundational primary source for Native Hawaiian fishing practices. Finally, we explored the implications of applying various biocultural frameworks that more explicitly include cultural considerations in conventional management. We discovered a difference in not only the specific marine taxa emphasized in NOAA management documents and those emphasized in Hawaiian texts, but also a difference in the cultural domains that the taxa represent. This mismatch illustrates gaps in conventional marine management with respect to consideration for biocultural aspects of marine taxa. Our study highlights one method that begins to bridge worldviews to ensure cultural dimensions of marine species are examined through Indigenized methodological approaches and place-based values, not just the conventional global frameworks typically used in marine management. Focusing on cultural connections, practices, and heritage not only broadens understanding of the marine environment as a part of a larger social-ecological system, but also enhances the types of science and knowledge considered in natural resource management.

Keywords

• biocultural approaches
• cultural practices
• heritage
• indigenous knowledge
• social-ecological systems