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Land Acknowledgment

Ka nui e ʻauamo ai i ka hue wai.

ʻAuamo

Land Acknowledgment

A land acknowledgment is a step towards our conscious recognition of the place we are in and its Indigenous roots. Land acknowledgments are often shared at the beginning of conferences/meetings, on syllabi, and on email signatures.

Through the President’s Emerging Leader’s Program, a group of staff and faculty from across the UH system prepared the following material to engage you in the process of acknowledging the land and Indigenous people of Hawai‘i. The example below is just that; one example you may choose to use in totality, in part, or to inspire your own creation.

Land Acknowledgment

For non-Hawaiians:

Aloha/greetings. My name is                    .

I am a (select one below or create your own):

  • Guest on this ‘āina visiting for the purpose of                    . I can currently trace my family’s roots to (any places you know of).
  • Settler/immigrant on this ‘āina who now calls (a place in Hawai‘i) home. I can currently trace my family’s roots to (any places you know of).

I would like to begin by acknowledging that the ‘āina on which we gather, _______, is part of the larger territory recognized by Indigenous Hawaiians as their ancestral grandmother, Papahānaumoku.

(We suggest you do a little bit of research on your own or in partnership with folks from the area. Helpful links include the Multilingual Multicultural multilayered map webpage  and the AVA Konohiki webpage).

 I recognize that her majesty Queen Lili‘uokalani yielded the Hawaiian Kingdom and these territories under duress and protest to the United States to avoid the bloodshed of her people. I further recognize that Hawai‘i remains an illegally occupied state of America.

I recognize that each moment I am in Hawai‘i she nourishes and gifts me with the opportunity to breathe her air, eat from her soils, drink from her waters, bathe in her sun, swim in her oceans, be kissed by her rains, and be embraced by her winds. I further recognize that generations of Indigenous Hawaiians and their knowledge systems shaped Hawai‘i in sustainable ways that allow me to enjoy these gifts today. For this I am grateful and as a guest/settler/immigrant, I seek to support the varied strategies that the Indigenous peoples of Hawai‘i are using to protect their land and their communities, and I commit to dedicating time and resources to working in solidarity. Mahalo. 

For Native Hawaiians:

Aloha/greetings. My name is                    .

 I am a Native Hawaiian/kanaka maoli/kanaka whose ancestors come from the ‘āina of (places in Hawai‘i known to the person). Some of my family names include _________________.

 I would like to begin by acknowledging that the ‘āina on which we gather,_________ , is part of the larger territory recognized by Indigenous Hawaiians as their ancestral grandmother, Papahānaumoku.

(We suggest you do a little bit of research on your own or in partnership with folks from the area. Helpful links include the Multilingual Multicultural multilayered map webpage and the AVA Konohiki webpage)

I recognize that her majesty Queen Lili‘uokalani yielded the Hawaiian Kingdom and these territories under duress and protest to the United States to avoid the bloodshed of her people. I further recognize that Hawai‘i remains an illegally occupied state of America.

 I acknowledge that each moment I am in Hawai‘i she nourishes and gifts me and every other person here with the opportunity to breathe her air, eat from her soils, drink from her waters, bathe in her sun, swim in her oceans, be kissed by her rains, and be embraced by her winds. I further recognize that generations of my ancestors’ knowledge shaped Hawai‘i in sustainable ways that allows all of us to enjoy these gifts today. For this I am grateful and as a Native Hawaiian/Kanaka maoli/kanaka, I recognize my kuleana – both my responsibilities as well as my dear privileges – to care for this ‘āina for the many generations yet to come. I also recognize my kuleana to invite each of you to help me in this most important endeavor and I do so at this time. Mahalo.

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