Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 3, Number 7, 1 July 1986 — Burgess Calls for Reexamination of Man's Conquest [ARTICLE]

Burgess Calls for Reexamination of Man's Conquest

Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee Hayden Burgess was among those testifying in May before the United Nation's World Commission on Environment and Development, meeting in Ottawa, Canada. Burgess attended the conference in his capacity as vice-presi-dent of the World Council of Indigenous Peoples. He said that some of the most important advances in protecting the environment may have been made as a result of the Ottawa meeting. In his testimony. Burgess called on the Comrrusston to reexamine the present philosophy of man's conquest over nature. He cited a Hawaiian approach tofive basic "god" elements. The sun representing light forces, the air representing time, the waters representing "fluidity" and change, the land for stability and human kind for values of humanity. He said, "all of these god elements are on the same creational plain. All forming part of and sharing the existence embodied in this life, this time, this ever changing yet stable existence from whieh men and women constantly seek to harmonize. There ean be no ownership of one over the other; n<5r ean there be domination of one over the other . . . an attempt to dominate may appear successful for awhile but will fail in the end causing great pain until these god elements are returned to this balance, this natural harmony. To what purpose do we want to protect and preserve the environment? Are we seeking the limits to whieh we ean stretch the natural resources to serve us before it breaks down or is it our purpose to maintain balance among this life giving element to perpetuate a eonhnual harmony among us?"

Burgess said officials of the commission expressed appreciation for these contributions and assured him that these thoughts would play an important role in the commission's report. The World Commission will report to the UN's General Assembly in 1987. Following the UN Commission's hearing, the three largest international environmental organizations met to review its world conservation strategy. Hawaii had three people participating: Conservationist Stephen Montgomery, writer/poet Puanani Burgess, who assists several Hawaiian subsistence lifestyle projects in Waianae and Hayden Burgess as political spokesperson for the World Council of Indigenous Peoples. Following several days of meetings in whieh people from throughout the world attended and participated, the indigenous workshop eame forth with what Burgess called some of the strongest recommendations yet proposed on environmental practices to such world bodies. Among the recommendations are the following: 1. That the world conservation strategy recognizes the special relationship of the indigenous people to the earth. 2. States shall allow the traditional movements of indigenous peoples across their boarders insofar as these movements are central to the survival strategy, such as grazing, fishing, hunting, harvesting, trading, gathering and cultivating. 3. lt is recommended that when nahonal parks and related reserves are established and maintained, that the indigenous peoples remain and be a part of those national parks and reserves.

4. lt is recommended that all conservation initiatives recognize and respect the right of indigenous peoples to self-determination; including the right to control the use of their traditional territories; including terrestrial, subsurface, air space and marine resources.