*Article* **Ritual + Sustainability Science? A Portal into the Science of Aloha**

**Kekuhi Kealiikanakaoleohaililani 1, Natalie Kurashima 2,\*, Kainana S. Francisco 3, Christian P. Giardina 3, Renee Pualani Louis 4, Heather McMillen 5, C. Kala Asing ¯ 6, Kayla Asing 7, Tabetha A. Block 3, Mililani Browning 2, Kualii Camara 8, Lahela Camara 9, Melanie Leila Dudley ¯ 5, Monika Frazier 10, Noah Gomes 11, Amy Elizabeth Gordon 12, Marc Gordon 13, Linnea Heu 14, Aliah Irvine 15, Nohea Kaawa 5, Sean Kirkpatrick 16, Emily Leucht 9, Cheyenne Hiapo Perry 17, John Replogle 18, Lasha-Lynn Salbosa 19, Aimee Sato 20, Linda Schubert 21, Amelie Sterling 9, Amanda L. Uowolo 3, Jermy Uowolo 6, Bridget Walker 22, A. Namaka Whitehead ¯ <sup>2</sup> and Darcy Yogi <sup>23</sup>**


Received: 1 August 2018; Accepted: 19 September 2018; Published: 28 September 2018

**Abstract:** In this paper, we propose that spiritual approaches rooted in the practice of Hawai'i ritual provide a powerful portal to revealing, supporting, and enhancing our collective *aloha* (love, fondness, reciprocity, as with a family member) for and dedication to the places and processes that we steward. We provide a case study from Hawai'i, where we, a group of conservation professionals known as Halau ' ¯ Ohi'a, have begun to foster a collective resurgence of sacred commitment to the places ¯ and processes we steward through remembering and manifesting genealogical relationships to our

landscapes through Indigenous Hawaiian ritual expression. We discuss how a ritual approach to our lands and seas makes us better stewards of our places, better members of our families and communities, and more fulfilled individuals. We assert that foundations of the spiritual and the sacred are required for effectively advancing the science of sustainability, the management of natural resources, and the conservation of nature.

**Keywords:** sacred ecology; biocultural conservation; Hawai'i

#### **1.** *Welina***—Welcome and Orientation**

You have come to Hilo to the USDA Forest Service to visit the *halau ¯* (traditional Hawaiian school of learning). You arrive, park your car, and wait a little bit. If you leave your car now, you will be drenched because Hilo is still raining until we can bid Hurricane Lane "*aloha*" and greet the next storm. What was his name? Anyway, someone runs out wth umbrellas to bring you into the *lanai ¯* (outdoor covered area) where we meet before transforming the facility's conference room into our learning space. As you transition from dry to wet, your attention turns to the voices of men, women, children swelling and pulsing with song in rhythm with the *pakapaka* (pitter patter) of the rain. You do not even notice that your left shoe is soaked through to the sock. As you get closer, your vision glimpses a wonderful eclectic collection of the world in welcoming, chanting you into Halau ' ¯ Ohi'a: ¯

*Ua lu kinikini ka hua ' ¯ ohi'a lehua mai ' ¯ oa' ¯ o o Lononui ¯ akea ¯* Two million lives in the seeds of *'ohi'a ¯* strewn about from near and far in Hawai'i *Halihali 'ia e ka 'eheu hulu makani ¯* Carried on the wings of the wind *Hi'ipoi 'ia e ka Poli mahana o Kanehoa, o Honuamea ¯* Caressed in the warmth of Honuamea, the volcanic earth; nourished by Kanehoa, the sun ¯ *Ua a'a, ua mole, ua mohala a'ela ¯* We are rooted, tapping the source of water—unfurling and peaking towards full bloom *'O ka 'apapane, 'o ka mamo, 'o ka nuku 'i'iwi, 'o ka 'ahihi ¯* A diversity of hues, brilliant scarlet, golden, salmon, and the rare white *Mai hiki lalo a i hiki luna e waiho nei i hali'i moku l ¯ a¯* We are blankets of *'ohi'a ¯* forests that extend beyond the horizons of my vision *Ua 'ikea! A he leo no ia. ¯* It is done with the simple offering of the voice.

*"The real root of these [sustainability] issues, both cause and cure, lies not in our science or technology but in our own spiritual and intellectual poverty or more hopefully, in our own spiritual and intellectual resources"*. [1] (p. 3)

#### *1.1. Why the Need for Ritual in Conservation?*

In Hawai'i, spiritual foundations continue to define relationships among many cultural practitioners, community members, places, and processes [2–4]. We propose that sacred ritual plays a central role in elevating these foundations and enhancing the well-being of all members of the coupled socioecological system. Specifically, this paper makes the case that spiritually oriented ritual is a powerful portal to revealing, supporting, and building up our collective love for and devotion to the places and processes that we steward. It is this path that we believe is required for effectively advancing the science of sustainability, the management of natural resources, and the conservation of nature. In advancing these disciplines, we also believe that spiritual approaches that engage different levels of personal and communal ritual enhance our ability to interact with our landscapes and seascapes and so can best position Hawai'i to achieve biocultural well-being.

Halau ' ¯ Ohi'a is both a venue for and a process whereby we can explore the meaning of family life ¯ and our connections to a broadly defined genealogy of place. "*Halau ¯* " translates to traditional Hawaiian school of learning, literally meaning "many breaths," and is often associated with the traditional dancing art of *hula*. "*'Ohi'a ¯* " is the name of Hawai'i's most common, widespread, and bioculturally important native tree (*Metrosideros polymorpha* Gaudich, Myrtaceae), and the name literally means "to gather." The spiritual venue and the sacred process are created by engaging native Hawaiian rituals, which include the use of Hawaiian language, the retelling of sacred stories, the performing of traditional chants and dance, and the creation of our own poetic texts and art forms. Through these practices and the resulting deep learning of cultural and physical geographies that surround us, we are able to establish and deepen our kincentric relationships to the world around. The ultimate goal of this learning is no less than to transform the way we view and steward our lands and seas. As in the *halau ¯* setting, this paper is made up of the many breaths, voices, and ideas from our group. Like the *'ohi'a ¯* , we are a diverse group of resource managers, field technicians, researchers, interns, educators, cultural practitioners, administrators, students, and program leaders representing many organizations, generations, and life experiences. In short, we are people whose functions are foundational to the well-being of our Hawai'i landscapes, seascapes, and communities.

#### *1.2. What Is Ritual?*

Ritual rooted in spirituality is an ubiquitous feature of the human experience across planet Earth and throughout human history, and takes many forms across and within cultures. Ritual of a spiritual nature has been examined by countless scholars over many centuries, and has been characterized as serving a wide diversity of societal functions, including to name just a few ritual practices: bringing about an altered state, as with healing and shamanistic rituals [5]; expressing or presenting a system of beliefs, for example, about the structure of society or kinship relationships [6]; conserving resources, for example, by defining the taking of resources [7,8] or the imposition of food taboos [9]; managing resources and horticultural practices based on weather, phenology, and astronomical cycles [10]; avoiding contagion [11]; improving social cohesion [12] and protective social bonds that increase survival [13]; making pilgrimages to natural sacred sites [14], including to redefine oneself [15]; and burying family and friends [6,16]. While early theories framed rituals as functioning to protect the status quo, to resist change, and to relieve anxiety over uncertainty about observed or experienced phenomena [17], contemporary perspectives point to rituals as also serving as agents of cultural change, in both historic and contemporary contexts, as rituals are often "created by families, secular and religious celebrants, civil servants, or volunteers" [18] (p. 2). As such, rituals can play subversive, creative, or socially critical roles [19]. Where ritual catalyzes social transformations [18,20] through their performative, structured, and collaborative natures [18], they can be seen as providing "breakthroughs to the knowledge of the 'sacred'" the functions of which are "seen in a future we are not likely to be able to even guess" [19] (p. viii).

For our group, ritual has become a means to:

