By Cherry Y.E.W. Yamane, Jordyn Pourier, LaShai Jake, and Deana Around Him, Child Trends, Image: from article, December 3, 2024
Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) are the Indigenous People of the Hawaiian Islands. Their connections to the ‘āina (land) and moana (ocean) are deeply spiritual: ‘āina and moana are considered both ancestors—linked directly to Native Hawaiians through their genealogy and creation stories, and serving as a healer—and the foundation of Native Hawaiian identity and well-being. These connections also underpin Indigenous Knowledges and cultural practices, which can serve as an asset for Native Hawaiians’ well-being.
More specifically, engaging Indigenous Knowledges through culturally-driven and land-based approaches (see box below) can promote the mental health and well-being of Kānaka Maoli youth by facilitating connectedness, instilling a sense of pride and positive self-identity, and emphasizing healing and resilience. Community-based initiatives that center culturally-driven and land-based healing approaches can cultivate environments that support not only the well-being of individuals, but also a thriving Lāhui (Nation; Native Hawaiian community inclusive of people, lands, waters, animals). Therefore, these approaches are essential for fostering health, healing, and resilience within Native Hawaiian communities.
This brief first provides historical background on Native Hawaiian cultural Traditions and on geopolitical shifts that have impacted their connections to the land, which serves as the foundation for their well-being; such shifts have also compounded the cumulative impacts of intergenerational trauma. We then review the potential for Indigenous culturally-driven and land-based approaches to improve Native Hawaiian youth’s mental health, and provide several illustrative examples of community-based programs. Finally, we offer additional considerations for policy and funding strategies to incorporate culturally-driven and land-based approaches, and conclude with recommendations to policymakers, practitioners, and researchers.
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