The Indigenous Peoples of the Sea
We are the Indigenous Peoples of the Sea. Those of us who call Oceania home have the responsibility to be the caretakers of the greatest continent on the planet.
An important shifting that our global community needs to recognize is that when one looks at a map of the Pacific Ocean, they should see that we are not separated by land by rather connected by water. My ancestors moved along these watery superhighways using sophisticated oceangoing crafts.
Canoes are the rockets of my ancestors. At the time, this was the leading edge of technology because it enabled exploration to places that humanity had never seen. To this day, canoes developed in the Pacific are the most efficient way to move through the ocean and particularly sailing close into the direction of the wind. Sailing into the wind is what allowed my ancestors to move from Indigenous Taiwan down into Micronesia, Melanesia and then eventually finding all the islands and atolls of Polynesia.
As settlers from Europe moved into the Pacific Ocean, they marveled at the brilliance of our navigators to know where every reef, atoll, sea marker and island is. Navigators have a refined knowledge system that connects them to every clue nature provides within the sky, wind and water. To the detriment of our people, European explorers brought destruction to our ways of knowing by erasing our stories, killing our people and outlawing our practices.
The fact that we are still here is a testament to the resilience of our ancestors. Some of the Pacific Island Nations remained hidden to the exploiters and preserved their traditions. Others hid it away and passed it down in secret to the next generations. Whatever clever techniques our ancestors used, we are fortunate that we still have our languages, dances, canoes, weaving, and carving. Our gratitude runs deep to our Oceanic siblings who help us restore our generational practices.
Today, the rising swell of Oceania is upon us. As we get to know one another on a deeper level, we strengthen our Indigenous ways of knowing. Our voices become louder and clearer for the global community to hear to understand our cultural ties to the sea. To understand that our origin stories ties us to the depths of the ocean and the coral polyp itself. That the sea is our life source and the way we connect with our extended families.
I am looking forward to our future. As we continue to sail our seas again and step into bigger arenas where the world can hear us, I believe a shift will happen. We will shift into balance with the sea and humanity will be at peace.
Ua Kuluma Ke Kanaka I Ke Aloha — It Is Natural For People To Behave In a Loving Way
