The transition from foraging/hunting-gathering to settling in agrarian societies played a significant role in human evolution. Nonetheless, with these two lifestyles came pros and cons in regards to independence and sustainability. Due to the fact that foragers often traveled to gather their resources, they were able to gain a better understanding of the land around them. In addition, traveling caused them to be more versatile in different environments, helping them to survive in almost any area of land. However, because they didnʻt settle in one place, they constantly needed to be on the move to provide for themselves which is a major con. Furthermore, if a place lacked resources such as food and water, then the foragers would ultimately suffer from this deficiency. On the other hand, the people in the agrarian societies didnʻt have to worry about traveling all the time to obtain resources, for they used agricultural methods to survive. But although this way of surviving did allow agrarian societies to settle in one area, if their harvests were unsuccessful or damaged by nature, then they would ultimately face the consequences. Overall, even though these two ways of living allowed humans to be sustainable for a period of time, they came with consequences that jeopardized their survival.
Understanding the shift from the native skill set of being “hunter/gatherer & farming our own food” helps us to endeavor the attempts to be more sustainable in Hawaiʻi. Although we live in an environment with open lands suitable for farming/agriculture, approximately 50% of Hawaiʻiʻs land is used for military and state use. In addition, the cost of having a home in modern Hawaiʻi is on the rise, ultimately exacerbating the issue of land competition and causing the state to shy away from using land for agriculture even more. Moreover, with the latest methods of aquaponics/hydroponics and growing crops in general, it can be viable that every home can have some sort of their own food source. These methods could possibly be solutions to aid Hawaiʻiʻs endeavor to be more independent. Overall, taking the practice of growing our own food individually could be a great method to make Hawaiʻi more sustainable amidst the rise of land competition around the state.
Our Kahiau topic that we are doing our projects on is Ocean Pollution. The opposing views of the native traditions of foraging/hunter-gathering" and "modern Agricultural societies" directly impact Ocean Pollution because they are one of the main causes of it. According to my Kumu, M. Hōkū Akana, “Traditionally with our kalo terracing and fishponds, Hawaii was able to support population growth for ex: 800,000 upon contact with Cook”. This clearly shows that native Hawaiians had their own self-support system without the use of modern technology which further shows that our ancestors could take care of themselves without harming the environment at the same time. Several years later, when Hawaiʻi was overthrown, Hawaiʻi had most of its rights to the land and sea that it once had taken away. This is an issue because it forbids people from sharing ideas with each other to make a brighter future for everyone. Both the American and Hawaiian cultures have great ideas, philosophies, and ways of living, but they also have their areas of improvement. Being forced to focus on one culture forces us to only know the ways of that culture and therefore suffer the consequences because of it. One of these consequences is water pollution. The articles that I will talk about do not take place in Hawaii. Even though they donʻt , they show how modern fish farming, which is modern society's way of breeding fish, has its flaws and harms the environment. According to the article “In China, Farming Fish in Toxic Waters” by The New York Times back in 2007, Agricultural fish farms discharge wastewater and sewage which in turn decreases the quality of their water supply. This forces Chinese fish farms to put illegal veterinary drugs and pesticides into their fish food so they can keep their stocks alive and allow their fish to cope with the toxic waters. This however leads to another problem where the fish they were selling were becoming poisonous to eat which in then lead to a decrease in selling their product. Another more recent article published by “Frontier in Marine Science” shows how fish feed used to feed the fish in the fish farms actually hurts them. What it does is that it decreases the oxygen available in the water for the fish. Making it harder for the fish to survive long enough to sell. These two articles and the issue Hawaii faces come to show the importance of keeping our waters clean and also the importance of equality. They also contribute to the “poverty” our people face because we are “poor” in knowledge. If everyone still practiced our cultural ways and applied modern technology and ways of living, we could solve a lot of problems. Thus, having equal rights would allow both cultures to help each other with our current problems we face today in Hawaii, such as homelessness and water pollution.
Understanding the shift from the native skill set of being “hunter/gatherer & farming our own food” helps us to endeavor the attempts to be more sustainable in Hawaiʻi. Although we live in an environment with open lands suitable for farming/agriculture, approximately 50% of Hawaiʻiʻs land is used for military and state use. In addition, the cost of having a home in modern Hawaiʻi is on the rise, ultimately exacerbating the issue of land competition and causing the state to shy away from using land for agriculture even more. Moreover, with the latest methods of aquaponics/hydroponics and growing crops in general, it can be viable that every home can have some sort of their own food source. These methods could possibly be solutions to aid Hawaiʻiʻs endeavor to be more independent. Overall, taking the practice of growing our own food individually could be a great method to make Hawaiʻi more sustainable amidst the rise of land competition around the state.
Our Kahiau topic that we are doing our projects on is Ocean Pollution. The opposing views of the native traditions of foraging/hunter-gathering" and "modern Agricultural societies" directly impact Ocean Pollution because they are one of the main causes of it. According to my Kumu, M. Hōkū Akana, “Traditionally with our kalo terracing and fishponds, Hawaii was able to support population growth for ex: 800,000 upon contact with Cook”. This clearly shows that native Hawaiians had their own self-support system without the use of modern technology which further shows that our ancestors could take care of themselves without harming the environment at the same time. Several years later, when Hawaiʻi was overthrown, Hawaiʻi had most of its rights to the land and sea that it once had taken away. This is an issue because it forbids people from sharing ideas with each other to make a brighter future for everyone. Both the American and Hawaiian cultures have great ideas, philosophies, and ways of living, but they also have their areas of improvement. Being forced to focus on one culture forces us to only know the ways of that culture and therefore suffer the consequences because of it. One of these consequences is water pollution. The articles that I will talk about do not take place in Hawaii. Even though they donʻt , they show how modern fish farming, which is modern society's way of breeding fish, has its flaws and harms the environment. According to the article “In China, Farming Fish in Toxic Waters” by The New York Times back in 2007, Agricultural fish farms discharge wastewater and sewage which in turn decreases the quality of their water supply. This forces Chinese fish farms to put illegal veterinary drugs and pesticides into their fish food so they can keep their stocks alive and allow their fish to cope with the toxic waters. This however leads to another problem where the fish they were selling were becoming poisonous to eat which in then lead to a decrease in selling their product. Another more recent article published by “Frontier in Marine Science” shows how fish feed used to feed the fish in the fish farms actually hurts them. What it does is that it decreases the oxygen available in the water for the fish. Making it harder for the fish to survive long enough to sell. These two articles and the issue Hawaii faces come to show the importance of keeping our waters clean and also the importance of equality. They also contribute to the “poverty” our people face because we are “poor” in knowledge. If everyone still practiced our cultural ways and applied modern technology and ways of living, we could solve a lot of problems. Thus, having equal rights would allow both cultures to help each other with our current problems we face today in Hawaii, such as homelessness and water pollution.