Most recognised conservationists come from a strictly scientific and westernised background. Not so Dr. Sam ʻOhu Gon III. He was born and raised in Nuʻuanu, on the island of Oʻahu, in Hawai’i and gained his first scientific qualifications using the Hawai‘i language. By Jeremy Torr.
Hawai’i, April 2022. To be recognised as a Living Treasure of Hawaiʻi, thanks to his work on conservation and linked traditional values, is pretty special. Eight years ago, Dr Sam ʻOhu Gon III saw his name etched in the annals of his island’s history – but even though he has a PhD in spider behaviour, he is not just an academic. He is a recognised traditional knowledge keeper and chanter too.
“Hawaiian chant is part of the oral tradition of Hawai‘i and Polynesia,” he said in a recent interview. “(Chanting) is a major source of traditional knowledge of Hawai‘i, its people – and its environment.” His traditional chanting recognises the gods, the elements – and also the land.
To Gon, chanting is an integral part of interacting with the forest. Courtesy gohawaii.com.
This cultural connection has helped him with restoring parts of the island’s fauna to something like it was before the white man arrived, colonised and established commercial farming practices. Following traditional beliefs, he has stuck to a multidisciplinary approach, researching all aspects of natural and human landscapes from pre-human to pre-contact and post-contact times across his home islands. This has led him to an understating of how to employ a cross-cultural methodology to forest restoration.
“It has become evident that for the original inhabitants, there was a remarkably small ecological footprint (by humans) on pre-contact Hawaiʻi — and one which was also 100% self-sufficient. This contrasts this with the huge loss of native ecosystems today and our current low level of self sufficiency,” he says.
Although he believes in supporting work that preserves old ecosystems, he is realistic about the likelihood of turning the clock back across large-scale landscapes.
“There are not many places in Hawai’i where you don't have to do much to keep it in a 100% native state. But we still have places where there are some native trees overhead, still some native plants under them, but where they are being (threatened) by non-native species.” These areas, says Gon, will yield most rapid and beneficial results if his conservation methods are applied.
“You know that if you give the native (species) a chance and you deal with the non-natives species, you can return the place back to its original integrity. That’s where groups like the Manoa Cliff Forest Restoration project come in. Volunteers come in, and plant seedlings to restore forests.”
Gon notes that the tide is turning as today’s Hawai’ian inhabitants – both native and migrant – are taking an increasing interest in indigenous flora.
“Now we see a trend of people growing native plants in their yards, native plants being placed in urban landscapes, and of native plants being returned to the natural landscape,” he says. This shift means that volunteer groups can now source rare native plants from special nurseries, take them to a suitable habitat, remove introduced plants that would compete with them, and plant them - with a good chance of them being long-term viable.
Although he has mixed ancestry, with Japanese, Chinese, and Native American blood as well as Hawaiian, he has kept the island’s (and his) heritage right at the front of his work. Before he goes into the forests to help regenerate their original makeup, he often stops and offers a chant to a particular plant or tree.
His traditional chant usually seeks permission to enter any wao akua (sacred realm) that has traditionally been recognised by local people. And although he grew up in Hawai‘i at a time when it was against the law to teach Hawaiian language in schools, he still uses the old, old language to communicate with the forest spirits and gods.
Volunteer teams helping to replant forest natives are a key part of Gon’s approach. Courtesy gohawaii.com.
“When we do (forest) restoration in Hawaii, like say with the ohia lehua, our main watershed forest tree … it is ecologically really important. It forms a dense beautiful canopy over most of the islands’ wettest areas,” he explains. “Or to sing of land snails evokes stories of searching for a beloved or desired person.”
Gon is convinced that as his fellow re-forest volunteers are advancing the biology and ecology of the place, they are also enhancing also preserving Hawai’ian culture.
“Each of those (plant) species is part of the identity of the Hawaiian people. So when you're restoring the biology of a place, you're also restoring its culture,” he says.
With his unique mix of tradition, ritual and science, Gon is totally committed to his 40-year path of restoration for an ecosystem, a culture and a place.
“I hope that the practice of chanting continues to grow, and that it becomes more and more a normal part of life in Hawai‘i,” he explains. “In this way, future generations can continue to express their connections and aloha to the land as well as the people of this very special place.”