Goodyear/Baker & Waziyatawin

"Outside of massive repentance and a society turned completely around, there appears to be no solution to modern problems" (Vine Deloria, Jr.,  Indigenous Survival, pg. 8).

"The American way of life is not negotiable" (Bush, George H.W. at the Earth Summit in 1992, Indigenous Survival, pg.11).

"Solar electric and wind power therefore might be viewed as accessories of the fossil fuel economy" (James Kuntsler, Indigenous Survival, pg. 13).

"There is no technological fix the will allow industrialized civilization to continue. We haved been a part of the mos rapacious and destructive human era in history." (Waziyatawin, Indigenous Survival, pg.14).

What are Kanaka `Oiwi obligations in the malama of the `aina? Waziyatawin tells us to prepare by anchoring our ancestral, spiritual, and cultural foundations not only within our families, but within the communities we live in. Even further, to prepare for armed resistance upon the oncoming collapse of industrialized captialism, defending the land at all costs. Taking the quotes above, the ramifications of "Omega Point" or downturn of the peak oil crisis, has far reaching implications that must be wrested from the comfortable complacency, or belief in the indestructable monolith called the empire. His activity worksheets provide a valuable tool in assessing the survivability of your own family/community, and the most difficult prospect would be in the acceptance that such preparations are necessary, inspite of what is going on in the Middle East.

Goodyear & Baker show us what happens in a contentious community where self-sustainability is not just a practice but a critical means of provision of food for one's family. In spite of what appears to be benefits for the community, those benefits are derived through a industrialized capatalistic agenda, hence violence to the land no matter what the benefit to the community. If we were to take Waziyatawin's premise, cmmunity meetings would not have occured simply because violence would be done to the land (development, resource depletion, etc.) in exchange for benefits (no matter how much needed, i.e. cash/job) `aina.  We keep saying our kupuna did not do that, but collective, firm, strong voices and presence is needed. We saw that Moloka`i was successsful, but ruptures occured in the community. Are those part of the process of malama `aina as a collective obligation to the `aina? To self-determined reclamation of our ancestress...Papahanaumoku. If we are the land and the land is us...what is our individual and collective obligation to the `aina and community as we look toward the future?

I like the idea of a collective community. While serious consideration of Waziyatawin's preparations for the collapse of the contemporary industrialized system in which we live, should be given, there are projects happening now in the return to the aina for the planting of food. Perhaps what Cuba did when all of their acces to imported oil stopped, is a very good example of what can be done now, BEFORE major events occur. We need to plant food and medicine plants. We need to reclaim our survival kits, the means and ways in which the provision of food, water, medicine are self-sustained. This requires skill and knowledge...those must be learned.

As LaDuke (Indigenous Survival, pg. 25), points out, a inventory of resources in the community, food, la`au lapa`au or grown medicines, water sources, and building self-sufficiency and capacity, is a very good idea. Getting to know your immediate community.  Everyone at this point should begin to grow food where ever you can. As to land base, that is more complicated, but not impossible. The maka`ainana need to realize the prophecy of rising when everthing else shall fall, it is inevitable and is what our ancestral wisdom provides for us as that time approaches...the means to survival
 that require a natural or land based reciprocal relationship with that land.

I suppose in the end of my mana`o, it sounds like those Doomsday prepper shows, but the reality is...we know its coming so...are we going to stand in the way of the wave or ride it in?

Kamehaiku