By Courtney Tagay, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Being born and raised in Waiehu, I witnessed the ecological, cultural, and environmental damage that Western agricultural practices have had on Maui. I went to elementary school in Waiheʻe where we had access to loʻi kalo and freshwater streams. Inherently, we learned that water is life; ola i ka wai. I grew up hearing stories about Nā Wai ʻEhā, the four great bodies of water that serve as Maui’s largest freshwater resource. One of the streams, ‘Īao stream—also known as Wailuku stream, has a huge irrigation ditch that diverts thousands of gallons of water to the island’s agricultural and hospitality industries. Learning the meaning of mālama ʻāina through these stories sparked my interest in conservation and ultimately, inspired me to study power dynamics in Hawaiʻi.
Truly, this project marks a pivotal moment in my life. For the past few years, I have been neglecting my interests so that I could work to pay for school. However, the Tyler Fellowship program has allowed me to hone in on my interests in conservation and environmental governance through our research in Indonesia. Since I will be researching how land boundaries have impacted the livelihoods of local communities in Indonesia, this project has also inspired me to pursue graduate studies in urban planning. When I am not in school or at work, I like to skate, create art, and do volunteer work related to sustainability. I try my best to find ways to intertwine my personal hobbies with the areas of studies in my academic life.
In preparation for the research we will be doing in Indonesia, I created a StoryMap to practice conducting oral history as a research method. My narrator for that project was Uncle Skippy Hau, Maui’s leading aquatic biologist. Uncle Skippy was also the person who taught me the importance of streamflow in Nā Wai ʻEhā. While working on that project, I developed a deep appreciation for the impacts qualitative research can have on local communities.
Uncle Skippy catching fish in Wailuku Stream
In Indonesia, we will be conducting oral histories in South Sulawesi near Bantimurung Bulusaraung National Park. We are fortunate enough to have access to the Hasanuddin University’s teaching forest campus which will also serve as our lodging accommodation and classroom while we are not in the villages. My project will be focusing on issues related to land dispossession, border conflicts, and resistance in the village of Lima Poccoe, quite near the campus.
This will be a new experience for me; so, I have some uncertainties but also many hopes. Prior to this project, I never thought that I would have the opportunity to do a research project or even go abroad. So, I am looking forward to gaining experience in the field. I am especially excited because we will be in such a rural location, which will also be my first time in a village. My biggest anxiety would be not knowing how to speak enough of the local language because a large part of conducting oral history interviews is building trust and an ethical relationship with the narrators. That being said, to acclimate myself to the villages we will be staying in, I have been studying Bahasa Indonesian and will be accompanied by other researchers who speak the local language, Makassar. I have also been studying the historical events that have shaped the foundations of South Sulawesi’s current political environment as these are sensitive issues to villagers who have been displaced or impacted by state and institutional land boundaries.
As a political science major, my fieldwork in Indonesia will relate directly to my interests in the land governance and power dynamics of Hawaiʻi. I want to use my time in Indonesia to explore the sociopolitical issues that have impacted the livelihoods of the villagers, especially from a decolonial perspective. My hope is that my work in Sulawesi will assist my political and planning studies in Hawaiʻi since they share many similarities, both physical and political. Most importantly, the thing that I want the most is for my research to give a voice to those who are silenced in the face of environmental injustices.
Volunteer workday in Papahana Kualoa
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