While many view Hawaii as a paradise, Hawaii’s history is marked by occupation, displacement, and the struggle for control for land and water that has rapidly eroded the islands’ once vast natural food systems. From the proliferation of the sugar plantation economy that led to colonization and the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, to the militarization of the islands following WWII, the legacy of foreign occupation has driven the Kānaka Maoli—the Native people of Hawaii—away from their lands and devastated Native foodways.

This session explores how occupation, militarization, and cultural appropriation have shaped Hawaii’s food systems, and how community leaders are cultivating aloha ‘āina (“love of land”) in the struggle for Hawaiian self-sufficiency by restoring Native foodways, fighting to reclaim land and water, and educating future generations about the importance of connectedness to the land. Speakers will challenge what you think you know about Hawaii, offer valuable lessons about food sovereignty and the sanctity of land, and demonstrate what role we can all play in uplifting Native foodways across the country.

Read the full article about food justice at The Aspen Institute.