Doctrine of Discovery and Rights of Indigenous Peoples

First Unitarian Church of Honolulu: Following the Lead of Kanenuiakea

People walking in a group near water and mountains in Hawaii

Kuma Glen Kila, of the Kanenuiakea community, leads UUs and indigenous Hawaiians along Oahu's West Coast to visit a sacred site.

Interfaith ‘Ohana: A Hawaiian Story

Note: This story appeared in the Fall 2015 issue of the UU World Family Pages. First Unitarian Church was a recipient of a 2013 UUA Doctrine of Discovery seed grant.

One Sunday in January, 2012, in the sanctuary, the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu shared worship with Kanenuiakea, an indigenous Hawaiian community. Few in the UU congregation had ever before witnessed chanting and dance in celebration of Kane (KAH-nay), the Hawaiian god of the sun, daylight, and Creation.

The service was also a first for Kanenuiakea. Their religion, though hundreds of years old, has mostly been practiced in secret since the Hawaiian Kingdom and its Constitution were overthrown in 1893. And, Kane is traditionally honored out of doors, at sacred sites called heiau (HAY-ow)—never indoors, not for 120 years.

“Quickly we recognized a kindred people,” recalls Steve Lohse, a lifelong Unitarian, who led the congregation’s Social Justice Council to invite the indigenous group. “Their religion has principles and values that resonate with UU Principles.” For example, aloha means a way of life in harmony and balance, treating ourselves and others with love, respect, trust, and support. ‘Ohana means family. It is about our interconnectedness with everyone and everything in the universe through cooperation and the sharing of knowledge and skills from one generation to the next.

After that Sunday, the door swung open. Kanenuiakea leaders helped write a curriculum to teach UU children about traditional Hawaiian values. Kanenuiakea invited the UUs on hikes to heiau in the Waianaeu mountains; together, they cleaned the grounds, watered plants, and shared worship rituals and food.

Long ago, the Waianaeu volcanic mountain range and its surrounding ocean supported Kanenuiakea ancestors who farmed and fished for their livelihood. But indigenous Hawaiians suffered as American settlers took over the land, diverted water for their own use, and suppressed Native Hawaiian culture, language, and religion. The UU congregation came to understand that, for Kanenuiakea, the public worship in their sanctuary had been a brave act of trust.

Still, today, business and government make demands on the land. For example, the University of Hawaii wants to add a large telescope to the observatory atop Mauna Kea, the tallest mountain in Hawaii and considered especially sacred. Many native Hawaiians oppose this. Some UUs have worked with Kanenuiakea to record oral histories about traditional use of the land, document sacred sites with GPS equipment, and register the sites with government agencies that can protect them. By the time Glen Kila, the kuma (ancestral leader) of Kanenuiakea, approached the Unitarian Universalists for support, the trust and respect of a good partnership were already in place. Leaders of the two communities shared ideas for what the congregation could do.

As a result, in April [2015], UU minister Jonipher Kwong and Susan Lebo, a congregational leader who is currently the chief archaeologist of the State of Hawaii, wrote to Hawaii’s governor about Mauna Kea. The letter respectfully offered an approach rather than demand an action:

Because we affirm and promote justice, equity, and compassion in human relations and the inherent worth and dignity of every person …we are concerned that various communities do not feel equitably represented over Mauna Kea, and we offer… [a] plea for leadership and healing.

Shortly afterward, Hawaii’s governor announced a new plan for both sides to be heard: an example of the power we can find in interfaith witness... and partnership.

The First Unitarian Church of Honolulu sponsored Kanenuiakea for associate membership in the International Association for Religious Freedom, which they now hold.

Updates to the Story (March 2016)

  • Kanenuiakea leadership and Kumu Glen Kila have stepped forward into the public discussion in their own name in matters of cultural and environmental stewardship.
  • Kanenuiakea has new websites available; see the Find Out More box on this page .
  • The First Unitarian Church of Honolulu sponsored Kanenuiakea for associate membership in the International Association for Religious Freedom, which they now hold.
  • First Unitarian also responded to a call from Kanenuiakea in the current Thirty-Meter Telescope controversy with a request to Governor Ige to, "Please, listen with compassion to Native Hawaiians and to traditional worshipers, as well as to University of Hawaii interests, and lead Hawaii from your heart toward respect and healing, not deeper into conflict." See the full letter of support from First Unitarian, as well as a letter of support from the IARF.
screen shot of the front page of Fall 2015 UU World Family pages

The Fall 2015 issue of UU World Family Pages featured the story of interfaith partnership and respect between the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu and Kanenuiakea.