Pacific Islanders steering ocean conservation
by Lauren Swaddell –
As we continue our efforts to call on the Biden Administration to fully protect the Pacific Remote Islands before he leaves office, we are proud to count on supporters from across Oceania.
Lauren Swaddell, an Indigenous CHamoru and Micronesian, PRI Coalition member and conservation expert has written a LinkedIn article in which she shares a hopeful vision for inclusive reciprocal partnership between the Administration and Indigenous Pacific Island leaders through this process.
Lauren continues to advocate for the protection of the Pacific Remote Islands because of their deep historical significance for Pacific Islanders and rich ecological biodiversity. In her article, she calls for action from the Biden-Harris Administration to set a global example of partnering with Indigenous communities to conserve natural and cultural heritage.
We are so appreciative of Lauren sharing her voice and perspective and have reposted her article below:
Four thousand years ago, my ancestors navigated the vast Pacific Ocean under the glow of the starry constellations, charting and singing their way to other islands for trade and connection. Intuiting the sounds and signs of their surroundings, they used their canoes to map out Oceania long before the colonizers came to “discover” our islands. When the colonizers did come, they set fire to the canoes, severing my ancestors’ identity, legacy, culture, and connection to family across the Pacific.
I am Indigenous CHamoru and Micronesian through my matrilineal line connecting me to the first peoples of the Låguas yan Gåni (the Mariana Islands). I am from Afame, Sinajana, Guåhan (Guam), and have lived on Guam for most of my life. The more I’ve learned about this canoe burning, the more I see that it was a symbolic and practical measure to assert control, directly affecting the livelihoods and culture of Pacific Islanders.
I share this brutal history because it’s time for us to chart a new path, one in which Pacific Islanders from the U.S. territories are not only respected and listened to but at the decision-making table. The United States can take important steps during President Biden’s final months in office.
Today, I’m part of the Pacific Remote Islands (PRI) Coalition, which for the last 10 years has brought together elders, fishers, cultural practitioners, nonprofits, and scientists from the Pacific region to preserve the natural and cultural heritage of the PRI by creating the largest highly protected marine area in national waters. The area includes Howland, Baker, Jarvis, and Wake islands; Johnston and Palmyra atolls; and Kingman Reef; and they lie between Hawaii, the Marianas, the Marshall Islands, and Kiribati in the Central Pacific. They are home to some of the last wild ocean ecosystems on Earth. The islands and atolls hold deep historical significance for Marshallese, Hawaiians, CHamorus, and other Pacific Islanders.
The U.S. government has a legacy of limiting the involvement of territories in decision-making, prioritizing other objectives over the interests and political representation of our islands. This is why Indigenous Pacific Islanders must have a seat at the table and be part of the decision-making process for their future management.
Co-management is a pathway for shared stewardship with Indigenous communities. The Biden administration can follow the call from Indigenous leaders to create a co-management plan for the PRI.
We already have successful models to follow and learn from. Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is co-managed by government agencies with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, a semiautonomous state agency for native Hawaiians, which has an equal say over the monument. The Bears Ears National Monument, which encompasses 1.9 million acres of ancestral land on the Colorado Plateau, is co-managed by government agencies with the five Tribes of the Bears Ears Commission.
By designating a national marine sanctuary at the PRI, the largest marine protected area in the world, the United States can continue to set a global example of partnering with Indigenous communities to conserve precious natural and cultural resources.
Another aspect of our coalition’s request has been to give the PRI a culturally appropriate name that honors the deep, interconnected history that many Pacific communities have with this place.
There’s been progress on renaming the region to recognize its history pre-colonization. Several agencies have led interviews and listening sessions, including in-person gatherings at the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture this past June. They have collected input from participants from more than 16 nations, republics, commonwealths, states, territories, and countries across the Pacific.
We look forward to the administration’s upcoming announcement of the official name for this group of islands. Next, we urge it to focus on a process to rename the individual islands, reefs, and atolls to reflect the rich cultural significance Pacific Islanders have to these places instead of the names of colonizers and Westerners whose connections are built on destruction and injustice.
I’ve seen bridge-building already, especially when I participated in last year’s official comment period for the PRI sanctuary in Guam, Saipan, Rota, and Tinian. Throughout the visit, our team guided the federal sanctuary office on how to engage our communities. When community members voiced their concerns with the process, the sanctuary office staff adjusted its approach. We visited canoe huts, local elected officials, radio stations, sacred sites, Indigenous media production offices, and local museums. By the end of the trip, we shared a meal and sang songs with local families at sunset.
As the administration finalizes its national marine sanctuary designation for the PRI, I urge it to continue the meaningful, reciprocal partnership with Indigenous Pacific Island communities. Through mutual listening and respect, we are taking steps toward reconciliation. Today, our canoes are voyaging again, embodying our strength, knowledge, and connectivity. It is time to chart a new course for the future that honors our common Pacific Island heritage and the ocean that unifies us.
A big shout out and saina ma’åse’ to the PRI Coalition, Blue Nature Alliance, Patagonia for being the backbone of this effort. This work takes a dedicated group of people, often volunteers, with diverse backgrounds and expertise from all over the Pacific and country. Some of them are Sheila Raha Sarhangi Breanna Rose Naiʻa Lewis David Benavente Eva Aguon Cruz Sabrina Suluai-Mahuka, PhD Kekuewa Kikiloi `Aulani Wilhelm Makaala Kaaumoana E. Grace Reville Whitney Clapper and many, many more!