Day 2 - Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, Hawaii
📌APIA Every Day (2) - Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, situated in the remote expanse of the Northern Pacific Ocean, holds immense historic and cultural significance for Native Hawaiians. Covering 88 million acres of turbulent seas, basaltic islets, and coral atolls, this World Heritage Site is not only one of the largest environmentally protected areas on Earth but is deeply woven into the complex tapestry of Native Hawaiian history and traditions. Inscribed on the World Heritage List for both natural and cultural values in 2010, Papahānaumokuākea has long been regarded as a sacred landscape and seascape by Hawaii's traditional people. It's an area that tells the story of ancestral Oceanic people who navigated these open waters using traditional wayfinding techniques, connecting the remote islands through open-ocean voyaging over millennia.
These islands, such as Nihoa and Mokumanamana, are recognized in both the State and National Registers of Historic Places, bearing witness to Native Hawaiians' presence in these lands from as early as 1000 A.D. to 1700 A.D. With archaeological sites, agricultural terraces, religious places, and habitation features, these islands served as focal points for ritual ceremonies and continuous human occupation, rooted in Hawaiian religious and ritual practices. Mokumanamana, known for its celestial alignments for navigational purposes and other cultural significance, represents a connection between the worlds of spirits and the living, showcasing the enduring relevance of Native Hawaiian cultural heritage in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Today, Papahānaumokuākea remains an essential place for Native Hawaiians to preserve their rich cultural identity and knowledge systems, bridging the past and present in a living relationship with these sacred islands.
PHOTO 1: Spire-like Mokumanamana is one of the many dramatic features in the Monument. Credit: Wayne Levin
PHOTO 2: Bow of the Kaiyo Maru at Laysan Island. Credit: NOAA/Levin.
PHOTO 3: Map Credit: NOAA
LEARN MORE:
UNESCO: World Heritage Convention
Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA)
#apiaeveryday #historicpreservation #nativehawaiian #pacificislands #pacificislander #hawaii #nationalmonument #maritime
