promoting ancestral ways to address impacts of climate change · 2012 high school photo essay...
TRANSCRIPT
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NOAA Fisheries ServicePacific Island Regional Officewww.fpir.noaa.gov
Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Councilwww.wpcouncil.org/
www.firststewards.org
Today: Micro Beach, Saipan.March 08, 2008.Gerald Zinnecker (photographer)
Alongwithitsbreathtakinglandscapeandmixtureofcultures,thebeautifulislandofSaipanencompassesrichhistorywithinitsshores.Overthedecades,Saipanhasundergonedrasticchangesthathaveaffectedthecultureofitspeopleanditslandscape.However,peoplesuchasInesSemanAdarecallwhatlifeonSaipanwaslikebeforesuchchangestookplace.
WhenaskedaboutMicroBeachduringtheTrustTerritorytimes,Mrs.AdadescribedalargepavilionwithinMicroBeachthatwasusedtoholdDistrictAdministrationreceptionsandentertainmentshowsforoff-islandgovernmentofficialsfromGuam,Micronesia,andWashington,DC.Mrs.AdaalsodiscussedthatthelocalswouldutilizeMicroBeachto“barbecueandenjoythebeach.”Sheexplainedthattheshorewaswideenoughtocastvolleyballnets,andduringLaborDaycelebrationsthelocalswouldplayvolleyballonthebeach.
Today,newdevelopmentssuchasrestroomfacilitiesandaplaygroundhavebeenaddedtotheMicroBeacharea.Thebeachisseldomusedtoholdreceptionsorentertainmentshows,asitwasfrequentlyusedduringtheTrustTerritorytimes.Thebeachisstillusedforrecreationalpurposes;however,itisnotbeingutilizedlikeitwasduringtheTrustTerritorytimes.
WhilecomparingthetwophotosofMicroBeach,Mrs.Adaimmediatelyrecognizedthedifferencesintheshore,astheshoreintheolderphotowasmuchwider.Sheexpressedthatthepotentialimpactduetoclimatechangewouldbesanderosion,andthaterosionmaybeevidentwheneverSaipanexperiencestyphoons.Mrs.Adasuggestedthatinordertoprotectthesite,thegovernmentshouldcontinuetomaintaincleanlinessinthearea.
Inanyculture,preservationisthekeyfactortoitssurvival.BypreservingMicroBeach,futuregenerationsmaycontinuetocarryonitstraditionofrecreationandenjoyment.
2012 HigH ScHool PHoto ESSay contESt WinnErPromoting ancEStral WayS to addrESS imPactS of climatE cHangECommonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Tatiana Ada Calvo12th gradeSouthern High School
Micro Beach
Before: Micro Beach, Saipan.Trust Territory Times. 1950s-1970s
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NOAA Fisheries ServicePacific Island Regional Officewww.fpir.noaa.gov
Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Councilwww.wpcouncil.org/
www.firststewards.org
Before: Healthy limestone forest lush with greenery and habitat.
Today: Introduced, invasive species have silenced the jungle and inhibited growth.
Forapproximately3,500yearsamysteriousanduniquecultureevolved:theChamorroculture.Ourpeopleheavilydependedonthebirds(paluma),bats(fanihi),andplants(tinanom)thatgrewonlandandthefish(guihan)andotherlifethatgracedtheoceanencompassingourisland.Theseresources,onceabundant,continuetodisappearbeforeoureyes.
Changeisinevitable.AnexampleofamajorchangeonGuamisthesilencewithinthejungle.Theintroductionofthebrowntreesnakemadenativebirdandfruitbatpopulationsdrasticallydecline,leadingtotheextinctionofonespecies(theGuamFlycatcher)andsubspeciesonGuam.Inaninterviewwithmygrandparents(Mañaina),whogrewupwiththebirds,memorieswerereawakened.Theystatedthatmusicfilledthejungles,andnowtheyareamazedwithitssilence.Withtheabsenceofnativebirdsanddecliningpopulationsofbatcolonies,theonceabundantsourceoffoodandentertainmentarenowabsent;ourpollinatorsoftheforestsaregone.Withoutpollinators,newtreescannotgrow.Whentreescannotgrow,therearenorootstoholdthesoiltogether.Soilwillerodeintotheriversthatflowintotheoceanandcoverthecoralsfromthesunlightthusleadingtothedeathofcoral.
Alongwithtoday’schanges,amajorcontributorisclimate.AswithanyislandacrossthePacific,wearesurroundedbywater.Inthefuture,ourshoreswillgetsmallerduetothedramaticriseinsealevels.Thecoralthathaveadaptedtoacertaintemperatureanddepthwilldisappear.ThedisappearingcoralwillleadtothedisappearanceoffishandimportantspeciesthatwereonceavitalpartoftheancientChamorros’lives.
Withouttheseresourcestoday,wewilllosethefuture.Savingmycultureandislandaremypriorities!
Halom Tano’ (Forest, Jungle)
Anthony Tornito12th gradeOkkodo High School
2012 HigH ScHool PHoto ESSay contESt WinnErGuam
Surviving climatE cHangE tHrougH cHamorro cultural traditionS and valuES
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NOAA Fisheries ServicePacific Island Regional Officewww.fpir.noaa.gov
Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Councilwww.wpcouncil.org/
www.firststewards.org
Today: Utulei gas station, April 24, 2012. Farrah Tulia (photographer)
Before: August 23, 1906. Dr. E. Schultz (photographer)
Borntothemarvelsandconvenienceofthemodernage,Ineverthoughtthatusingcarstorunerrandscouldaffectourclimate,norhaveIconsideredwalkingwhenIrunerrands;butfromtalkingwiththeelders,Ihavelearnedthatalothaschangedfromthentonow.Inthepast,peopleusedtheirstrengthtowalkfromplacetoplace,andtogototheirdestinations.Thistraditionalroutinedidnotcausepollutionintheair.Now,peopleusecarstoreachtheirdestinations.
Theuseofcarscausespollutionintheairandfuelshortagesontheisland,whichpushestoimportmorefuelfromotherplaces.Thisdoesnotonlyaffecttheair,butalsotheocean.Whenfuelfromshipsspills,itaffectstheseacreaturesandmostlyeverythingintheocean.Whenthishappens,wewillallbeuncomfortablywarmduetoclimatechange.
Theimportanceofcultureandtraditionalknowledgeisthatitpreventsandlessenspollution.Usingourownstrengthandpowertowalkinsteadofusingcarswillnotleadtoclimatechange.Itwillalsohelpustobecomestrongerandtobeunwary.Wearenotonlydoingthisforourhealth,butalsoforourplanet.
Ithasbeenalongjourneyforourancestorstokeepourislandbeautiful.Letushaveourownjourneyintryingtokeepitpollutionfree.Letusridelessandwalkmore.
TransportationFarrah Tulia11th gradeNu’uuli Vocational Technical High School
2012 HigH ScHool PHoto ESSay contESt WinnErAmerican Samoa
climatE cHangE and rElatEd traditional KnoWlEdgE
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NOAA Fisheries ServicePacific Island Regional Officewww.fpir.noaa.gov
Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Councilwww.wpcouncil.org/
www.firststewards.org
Today: Makaha (sluice gates used to separate the fish) were displaced and swept out to sea
BeforeCaptainJamesCooklandedHawaiiin1778,achildofrank,powerandpurposewasborn.AtthebirthofKalaninui`iamamao,theKumulipo(Hawaiiancreationchant)wasfirstrecited.HewasalsogiventhenameLonoikamakahiki,whichisoneofthefourmajorHawaiiangods.Hisfatherbuilthimalokoi`a(fishpond)ashisplacetobatheandfish.ItwasnamedHaleOLono(HouseofLono).
WhenHawaiiwasoccupiedandturnedintoastate,HaleOLonowasneglected,turnedintoarestaurantandthenanovergrowndump-site.Inthe1990s,theEdithKanaka`oleFoundationtookthepond.Studentsnowuseitasalearningtool.
Recently,HaleOLonowashitbytwokaiakahinali`i(tsunamis,ortidalwaves).ThefirstwasgeneratedonFebruary27,2010,whenChilesufferedan8.8magnitudeearthquake.Fourplacesinthepond’souterrockwallwerepunchedout.Thepondwasinundatedwithwateranddebrisrangingfromstickstotires.Themākāhā(sluicegatesusedtoseparatethefish)weresweptouttosea;plantsweresmashedandcoveredwithsediment.About70%ofthemulletstockwaslost,andnewpredatoryfishwereintroducedalongwithinvasiveplantspecieslikemangroves.Thepondtookthreemonthstoclean.
ThepondwasnearlyrecoveredwhenJapanwasrockedwitha9.0magnitudeearthquakeonMarch11,2011.AtHaleOLono,twolargechunkswentmissingfromtheouterwall,onemākāhāwasdisplaced,anddebrisfloatedin.Todaythepondisnearlybacktonormalwithrestoredgrowthcyclesoffloraandfauna.
Thekai(ocean)totheHawaiianshasgreatsignificance.Itcarriedustowherewelivenow,weworkitforourlivelihoodandrespectitasoneofourmajorgods,butit’sfullofdangers.Arisingseacandestroyourcoastlinecommunitiesandsignificantplacesmentionedinstoriespassedonforgenerations.Hawaiiansdon’twanttolosemoreoftheirculture.
AnHawaiianproverb(`ōlelono`eau)states“Ilikikekaiika`ope`opela,lilo;ililonohehawawa.Theseasnatchesthebundleanditisgone;itgoeswhenoneisn’twatchful.Apersonwhofailstowatchoftenloses.”Inotherwords,knowandunderstandwhat’sgoingoninyourenvironmentsoyouareabletointerpretitsoyoucanbemoreprepared.
Hale O Lono Loko I`a and Kaiakahinali`i(Fishpond and Tsunami)
Roice Gariando11th gradeKe Ana La`ahana Public Charter School
2012 HigH ScHool PHoto ESSay contESt WinnErHawaii
may our ancEStorS EStEEmEd Way of lifE tHrivE
Before: Makaha (sluice gates intact)