Marine sanctuaries and native peoples work together to preserve our cultural connection to the coast, for generations to come
By Joshua Marcus

A ring of lava rocks encircles the shallow waters fronting the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary's new Maui office. It is Ko'ie'ie fishpond, a native Hawaiian fishpond that dates back several hundred years. Still used today to trap and stock fish, the fish pond serves as a visible reminder of the rich cultural connection between humans and coastal waters.

Although not every marine sanctuary includes such a recognizable cultural resource like the fish pond, each comes with a unique connection to the past and great potential for containing cultural resources. In several sanctuaries native peoples continue to use the waters for traditional purposes.

National marine sanctuaries coordinate with native peoples in the planning and management process consistent with the laws protecting our rich cultural heritage. This coordination helps sanctuaries achieve their resource protection goals while respecting diverse uses.

This summer's designation of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary featured ceremonial drumming and dancing from representatives of the coastal tribes. Their participation symbolized the cooperation of the tribal leaders and sanctuary officials throughout the designation process. The relationship between the four coastal Native American Indian Tribes--the Makah, Quinault, Hoh, and Quileute--and sanctuary officials has been a complex and rewarding experience.

Several treaties signed by the U.S. government and American Indians over 140 years ago apply to the sanctuary and are integrated into its management. Essentially they are treated as international treaties which the sanctuary management plan should incorporate. To allay fears the sanctuary would interfere with existing treaty rights, particularly fishing rights, regulations explicitly maintain the rights of the tribes. Sanctuary and tribal officials strive to strike a proper balance between protecting natural resources and preserving traditional rights to those resources in a manner compatible with resource protection.

The young sanctuary includes tribal representatives on its advisory committee to ensure that this cooperation continues, and education and interpretive programs are sure to incorporate native culture.

Indian legend has it that the giant sea stacks of Olympic Coast are the eyes of ancestors. For sanctuary officials and tribal representatives alike, they serve as watchful symbols of the important work to be done.

As on the Olympic Coast, the main concerns of local native peoples along Michigan s Thunder Bay at Lake Huron centers on the effects of the proposed sanctuary on existing treaties. The reservations of the three local Great Lakes tribes--the Bay Mills, the Sault Ste. Marie, and the Grand Traverse--are not directly adjacent to the proposed sanctuary line. However, a treaty signed in 1836 extended their rights into sanctuary waters.

One example of the types of issues to be worked out is a standing tribal agreement to not fish in several areas in the Great Lakes, including an area in the proposed sanctuary. The agreement expires in the year 2000, when local tribes want to once again commercially fish in sanctuary waters. Tribal and sanctuary officials have begun discussions on this and other issues.

If the sanctuary is designated, on-site liaison Michele Malarney predicts that an advisory committee will be established that will include Native American members. "I expect research and education efforts to draw even more attention to the rich culture of the native tribes," she adds.

The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale Sanctuary aims to facilitate Native Hawaiian uses of the sanctuary that are compatible with resource protection. Currently, Native Hawaiians are active participants in the development of the sanctuary management plan.

Project specialist Allen Tom hopes to involve the Native Hawaiian community in researching the ancient Hawaiian fishpond next to the sanctuar' s Maui office. Native Hawaiians could help interpret the fish pond and other cultural resources through lectures and outreach materials, says Tom.

Some Native Hawaiian groups support the sanctuary program's resource protection mission noting its similarity to their ancient kapu system. This ancient system set strict rules regulating the harvest of marine resources. The kapu system was so strict that the punishment for a violation was death.

Since almost all residents of American Samoa are Native Samoan they handle enforcement of sanctuary rules. Sanctuary manager Nancy Daschbach says that this approach works so well that the main role of the sanctuary has become education, not enforcement.

"Both the native Samoans and the sanctuary want to protect the natural resources, so that while Samoans are protective of their land, they also support the sanctuary," says educational advisor Puni Lagai. One of Lagai's programs teaches elementary students about the reef ecosystem, why the reefs are protected, and how the sanctuary works to preserve the reefs.

The relationship between sanctuary staff and the Samoans is built on a personal and informal level rather than a bureaucratic one. Advisory committees and memoranda of understanding are replaced by trust and camaraderie.

How the different sanctuaries work with native peoples is as diverse as the groups themselves. The various approaches described here demonstrate that the common denominators are respect, communication, and coordination. This collaboration is important towards achieving the goals of the sanctuaries, and in preserving our nation's cultural connections to the coast.

Intern Joshua Marcus is majoring in Anthropology at the University of California at Berkeley.