Standing on Sacred Ground: Islands of Sanctuary

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Native Hawaiians and Aboriginal Australians resist threats to their sacred places in a growing international movement to defend human rights and protect the environment. In Australia's Northern Territory, Aboriginal clans maintain Indigenous Protected Areas and resist the destructive effects of a mining boom. In Hawai`i, indigenous ecological and spiritual practices are used to restore the sacred island of Kaho`olawe after 50 years of military use as a bombing range.

Featuring Patrick Dodson (Yawuru), Emmett Aluli and Davianna McGregor (Hawai`i), Winona LaDuke (Anishinaabe), Oren Lyons (Onondaga), Satish Kumar and Barry Lopez.

136-page Teacher's Guide (PDF) for the Standing on Sacred Ground series

'This monumental film series is superb. For many indigenous cultures throughout the world, sacred places are arenas of peace, power, and reverence. Standing On Sacred Ground sheds light on cases where religion and identity are under attack, where sacred places are being recklessly transformed into a focus of conflict, power struggles, desecration, and the violation of human rights. The films will prove to be of special interest to a wide range of scientific and academic disciplines, government and NGO personnel, and the general public. They will be most relevant for university, college, and high school classrooms covering subjects in anthropology, ecology, economic development, environmental studies, globalization, government, history, human rights, indigenous studies, law, social justice, sociology, political science, and religion.' Dr. Leslie E. Sponsel, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Author, Spiritual Ecology: A Quiet Revolution

'Standing on Sacred Ground is a tour de force! This is one of the most powerful documentary series ever made on indigenous peoples and their resistance to environmental exploitation. Toby McLeod has woven stories of first nations peoples resilience amidst images of searing beauty and unimagined destruction. An awakening call indeed that should be heard around the world.' Mary Evelyn Tucker, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, Co-author, Ecology and Religion

'This is a crucial theme, extremely timely. The visually exquisite films are made politically and culturally relevant through impressive cooperation with articulate indigenous leaders who understand the importance of getting their voices heard about the environmental destruction of their sacred lands. The films are educational, accessible, and occasionally profound.' Marjorie Mandelstam Balzer, Research Professor, Center for Eurasian, Russian and Eastern European Studies, Department of Anthropology, Georgetown University, Author of Shamanic Worlds, Editor of Anthropology and Archeology of Eurasia

'Nothing like this riveting series of four desperately-urgent films about the fate of our planet has ever been seen...Patiently, lucidly and devastatingly, director Toby McLeod and his team have traveled the globe and painstakingly tracked eight stories of struggles by indigenous peoples to save the ancestral landscapes that have given them sustenance and spiritual anchoring for thousands of years. Standing on Sacred Ground is a magnificent, one-of-a-kind achievement...Containing face-offs at strategic sites, incontrovertible visual documentation of environmental wastelands, poignant voices of clarity and appeal that speak with the grave, quiet wisdom of cultures that have survived centuries of crusades to convert, exterminate, or assimilate them - these four dramatic films keep us on the edge of our seat and at the edge of tears. They absolutely must be seen by every citizen on earth.' Peter Nabokov, Anthropologist, Professor of World Arts and Cultures, University of California - Los Angeles

'An extraordinary film series highlighting the struggles, losses, and strengths of indigenous peoples working today to protect their sacred places in an industrialized world. Through beautifully filmed case studies where indigenous leaders speak for themselves, this series illustrates how history, law, science, and religion converge in the indigenous world and how critical these struggles are for the well-being of the planet as a whole.' Dr. Melissa K. Nelson, (Turtle Mountain Chippewa), Associate Professor of American Indian Studies at San Francisco State University, President of The Cultural Conservancy, Author of Original Instructions: Indigenous Teachings for a Sustainable Future

'From the local to the global, from the ancient world to the modern world, from developers to ecological preservationists, from indigenous peoples to outsiders, Standing on Sacred Ground explores the many sides of resource development on indigenous lands...The series provides considerable insight into the issues Indigenous Peoples face, and shows how and why they are fighting to preserve their sacred lands, their traditions, their life-ways, and their cultures. No study of contemporary ecological issues would be complete without hearing and seeing this aspect of ecology and development controversies.' Thomas D. Hall, Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Anthropology, DePauw University, Co-author, Indigenous Peoples and Globalization: Resistance and Revitalization

'Standing on Sacred Ground is one of the most powerful educational films, reminding us that Indigenous peoples are the true guardians of Mother Earth and their wisdom needs to be heeded - our future depends on it. Beautifully produced. Outstanding Indigenous commentary on the sacredness of Mother Earth and how we need to stop the plunder before we all vanish.' Dr. Julian Kunnie, Professor of Religious Studies/Classics, University of Arizona, Author, Indigenous Wisdom and Power: Affirming our Knowledge Through Narratives

'This important educational documentary demonstrates the unsustainable cost of rampant resource extraction and development and the devastating impacts on those who hold sacred the duty to protect the earth, Indigenous peoples. In documenting cases from the Pacific to the remote mountains of Altai and across the Americas, it demonstrates the vital importance of traditional Indigenous knowledge in the preservation of biodiversity and shows that, far from being a primitive relic from the past, Indigenous knowledge is vital to the recovery of the biosphere and to our collective future existence. This is a well-executed documentary, suitable for post-secondary educational programs.' Makere Stewart-Harawira, Associate Professor of Theoretical, Cultural and International Studies in Education, University of Alberta, Author, The New Imperial Order: Indigenous Responses to Globalization

'Beautifully illuminates indigenous peoples' resistance to environmental devastation and their determination to protect our common future.' Robert Redford

'Words that seem most appropriate in characterizing this documentary include awesome, beautiful, ugly, dramatic, revealing, disturbing, heroic, moving, and inspiring...A unique and historic achievement...The film exposes contemporary cultural, ecological, religious, and political realities, transcending the usual 'just-so-stories' of the ethnographic present dominating many textbooks. The film both tests anthropological viewers' adherence to cultural relativism and challenges any scientism because for indigenes nature is alive and spiritual with its sacred foci of power, reverence, and healing...This educational film series is most relevant for instructors and students in universities, colleges, and high schools for a wide variety of disciplines, topics, and courses. The four DVDs will allow instructors to easily use any of the individual eight cases, each 25 minutes long, making the series ideal for classroom use, or for students to pursue their individual interests.' Anthropology News (April 2014)

'Moving...A beautiful and informative series, which should cause Westerners to rethink their (lack of) relationship to land and nature...Suitable for high school classes and college courses in cultural anthropology, anthropology of religion, anthropology of place, development anthropology, anthropology of endangered cultures, and Oceanian studies, as well as for general audiences.' Jack David Eller, Anthropology Review Database

'Standing on Sacred Ground does well to not only allow the voices and experiences of actual Indigenous peoples, scholars, and activists shine throughout the films, but also calls out to viewers asking them what they can do for the land so 'the land can love them back.' This film series is thorough, critically engaging, inclusive, and very well produced. The eight case studies of Indigenous communities around the world offer the viewer a glimpse into the everyday lives of these people and can therefore be an excellent educational tool for students and activists of most ages. I highly recommend this film series for anyone who wants to learn about Indigenous cultures across the globe, as well as anyone who wants to fully understand how and why the earth is slowly being destroyed by the efforts of 'progress,' along with what they can do to help reverse the process of ecological destruction.' Jennifer Loft, University at Buffalo, Educational Media Reviews Online

Citation

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Main credits

McLeod, Christopher (film director)
McLeod, Christopher (film producer)
Abbe, Jessica (film producer)
Abbe, Jessica (screenwriter)
Huang, Jennifer (film producer)
Greene, Graham (narrator)
Busby-Neff, Luana (storyteller)
Roberts, Rhoda (storyteller)

Other credits

Edited by Quinn Costello; director of photography, Will Parrinello, Andrew Black; composer, Stefan Smith, Charles Johnson, Kawika Kahiapo.

MARC Record See Worldcat record

Keywords

Aboriginal Australians, Native Hawaiians, reclaiming land from the government, reclaiming land from the military, resisting cultural erosion, resisting enviromental degradation, resisting threats to sacred places, international movement to defend human rights, protecting the environment, Northern Territory, Indigenous Protected Areas, resisting mining boom, indigenous ecological practices, spiritual practices, restoring sacred island, Kah'olawe, 50 years of military use, bombing range, Patrick Dodson, Emmett Aluli, Davianna McGregor, Winona LaDuke, Oren Lyons, Satish Kumar, Barry Lopez.; "Islands of Sanctuary"; Bullfrog Films; Standing on Sacred Ground,doc,env; science; religion; sociss

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01:00:00,876 --> 01:00:03,768
[solemn string music]

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01:00:03,792 --> 01:00:11,792
♪ ♪

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01:00:15,999 --> 01:00:19,975
(Dodson)
We are born into a world
where we already have meaning.

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01:00:19,999 --> 01:00:21,935
We have meaning,

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01:00:21,959 --> 01:00:24,852
because we're born
with a particular kinship.

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01:00:24,876 --> 01:00:26,351
We're born with a name.

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01:00:26,375 --> 01:00:28,810
We're born with a spirit being

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01:00:28,834 --> 01:00:31,435
that will return to the land
when we die.

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01:00:31,459 --> 01:00:32,477
We know that.

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01:00:32,501 --> 01:00:33,685
[children laughing]

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01:00:33,709 --> 01:00:35,268
[percussive rhythm playing]

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01:00:35,292 --> 01:00:37,685
(Dodson)
I think the West
hasn't quite understood

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01:00:37,709 --> 01:00:39,975
the need to have a spirituality

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01:00:39,999 --> 01:00:42,751
that links to the land
upon which they live.

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01:00:47,334 --> 01:00:48,852
(male narrator)
Around the world,

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01:00:48,876 --> 01:00:52,435
indigenous people fight
for their islands of sanctuary,

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01:00:52,459 --> 01:00:55,101
where restoration
of the environment and culture

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01:00:55,125 --> 01:00:57,560
go hand in hand.

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01:00:57,584 --> 01:01:00,435
(Yunupingu)
We can live on the land
like nobody does.

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01:01:00,459 --> 01:01:02,810
How come we lived this long

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01:01:02,834 --> 01:01:04,975
and the Australian government
is still running around

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01:01:04,999 --> 01:01:06,792
trying to kill us off?

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01:01:12,918 --> 01:01:14,727
(narrator)
In Northern Australia,

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01:01:14,751 --> 01:01:18,310
Aboriginal clans
confront a mining boom

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01:01:18,334 --> 01:01:21,999
and fight to establish
Indigenous Protected Areas.

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01:01:23,292 --> 01:01:25,975
And native Hawaiians
restore an island,

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01:01:25,999 --> 01:01:28,602
regained after 50 years
of bombing.

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01:01:28,626 --> 01:01:31,852
(McGregor)
We had to challenge
U.S. control over this land

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01:01:31,876 --> 01:01:36,768
with continued occupation
in the face of the military.

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01:01:36,792 --> 01:01:40,393
(Derek Mar)
If we can fight
the most powerful armed force

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01:01:40,417 --> 01:01:41,975
the world has ever known

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01:01:41,999 --> 01:01:45,268
and win,

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01:01:45,292 --> 01:01:46,975
the possibilities are endless

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01:01:46,999 --> 01:01:49,560
for other indigenous peoples
throughout the world.

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01:01:49,584 --> 01:01:52,560
[gentle music]

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01:01:52,584 --> 01:01:59,584
♪ ♪

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01:02:01,959 --> 01:02:04,852
(female announcer)
Funding for theStanding
on Sacred Groundseries

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01:02:04,876 --> 01:02:05,975
has been provided by

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01:02:05,999 --> 01:02:09,560
the Corporation
for Public Broadcasting.

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01:02:09,584 --> 01:02:12,584
Additional funding was provided
by the following:

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01:02:17,999 --> 01:02:19,999
A complete list is available at:

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01:02:25,626 --> 01:02:28,602
[traditional Aboriginal music]

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01:02:28,626 --> 01:02:36,626
♪ ♪

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01:02:55,751 --> 01:02:57,768
(narrator)
Australia's Northern Territory

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01:02:57,792 --> 01:03:00,975
is marked by conflicts
over Aboriginal lands:

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a mine on the McArthur River,

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the birthplace
of the land rights movement

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on the Gove Peninsula,

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01:03:07,125 --> 01:03:08,685
and in Arnhem Land,

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01:03:08,709 --> 01:03:12,125
reclaimed country
now under indigenous management.

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01:03:14,250 --> 01:03:16,602
Unseen by Western eyes,

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01:03:16,626 --> 01:03:19,101
song lines have guided
Aboriginal culture

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01:03:19,125 --> 01:03:22,918
since the era of creation--
the Dreamtime.

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01:03:25,209 --> 01:03:27,518
(McCarthy)
The land tracks
around the Gulf Region

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01:03:27,542 --> 01:03:31,518
are based on what we called
song lines orgudjiga.

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01:03:31,542 --> 01:03:35,975
And thatgudjiga
tells the story like a map.

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01:03:35,999 --> 01:03:38,959
It's the singing of the map
of the country.

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01:03:39,999 --> 01:03:43,975
So when a person
would walk across country,

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01:03:43,999 --> 01:03:45,351
they would sing that country,

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01:03:45,375 --> 01:03:46,727
and they would name
that tree,

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and they would name
that river,

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and they would name
that rock.

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That way, there was
a sense of knowing,

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"Well, this is where I am.

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"I'm not lost.

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I can see that sacred site
over there."

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01:03:58,959 --> 01:04:01,999
[speaking
native language]

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01:04:20,042 --> 01:04:22,935
European humans have been
on the Australian continent

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01:04:22,959 --> 01:04:25,143
only for about 200 years.

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01:04:25,167 --> 01:04:28,143
There's absolutely clear
archaeological evidence

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01:04:28,167 --> 01:04:31,584
that Aboriginal people
have been here for 50,000 years.

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01:04:33,375 --> 01:04:35,975
It's the longest continuous
existing culture

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we know about on the planet.

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01:04:37,918 --> 01:04:40,727
[laughter]

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01:04:40,751 --> 01:04:42,351
(Mackey)
And if you look
around the world

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01:04:42,375 --> 01:04:44,975
where nature is still in plenty,

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01:04:44,999 --> 01:04:49,143
everywhere in those lands,
there are traditional people.

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01:04:49,167 --> 01:04:53,143
The natural ecosystem
still exists here.

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And that's why it's healthy

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and the people are healthy,

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countries are healthy.

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(narrator)
The Arnhem Land Plateau

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is part of the biggest, oldest,
and most diverse

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tropical savanna
in the world.

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01:05:08,042 --> 01:05:09,975
In the last century,

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the plateau was abandoned
by an essential species.

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01:05:12,999 --> 01:05:15,518
People left Arnhem Land,

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01:05:15,542 --> 01:05:17,975
lured by missions
and white towns

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and the promise of protection
from vigilantes.

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After a half century of exile,

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Kunwinjku people
have come back.

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Wamud Namok
was the visionary artist

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01:05:30,250 --> 01:05:32,975
who led his people
back to Arnhem Land,

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where he lived as a child,

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sheltered under rocks
now covered in his own paintings

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and those
thousands of years old.

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(Yibarbuk)
It's a spiritual country.

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When we look
at the whole landscape,

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01:05:57,999 --> 01:05:59,393
you know, people may think,

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"Oh, it's just an ordinary hill
or an ordinary rock."

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It's an object that is sacred
to our understanding.

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[singing
in native language]

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(Yibarbuk)
His last wish is trying

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to bring people back
and work

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in their own country,

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as been done
for thousands of years.

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01:06:18,792 --> 01:06:22,727
[people speaking
native language]

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01:06:22,751 --> 01:06:25,018
(narrator)
In the hunter-gatherer
tradition,

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01:06:25,042 --> 01:06:29,226
Aboriginal stewards of the land
find food everywhere

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and teach younger generations
how to care for species

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like the sugarbag,

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a bee that makes hives
in trees.

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For 50,000 years,

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every plant and animal species
that we see around us today

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coexisted
with Aboriginal people.

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01:06:46,209 --> 01:06:49,810
So for a start, they must have
been doing something right.

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[both speaking native language]

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Wamud?

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01:06:56,334 --> 01:06:58,560
(narrator)
Wamud Namok lived long enough

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to see his homeland
officially recognized

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as an Indigenous Protected Area.

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01:07:05,459 --> 01:07:07,185
Land management decisions

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are once again made
by clan elders,

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who have reintroduced
traditional ways

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of taking care of country.

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Early-season controlled burns

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thin undergrowth
without damaging big trees

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and prevent
catastrophic wildfires

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01:07:25,999 --> 01:07:29,018
later in the season.

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01:07:29,042 --> 01:07:31,226
The great accomplishment
of Aboriginal people

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was to learn how to tame
this fire-prone continent

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01:07:35,834 --> 01:07:38,810
by the intelligent use
of fire.

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And when the British came,

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01:07:41,751 --> 01:07:45,975
what they found
were parklike expanses

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01:07:45,999 --> 01:07:48,477
of lightly wooded pastures.

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And they thought
that they'd found Eden.

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01:07:54,459 --> 01:07:57,477
And they thought it was natural,
but it wasn't natural.

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It was a human-made landscape.

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And in 1770,

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Captain Cook declared

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the east coast of Australia
a British possession.

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And thereafter,
according to British law,

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Aboriginal people were no longer
the owners of their land.

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The Anglican chaplain
to the colony

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declared that Aboriginal people
did not have souls.

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And this view justified
the various attempts

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01:08:31,209 --> 01:08:33,999
to eliminate local populations.

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(narrator)
The English saw Australia
asterra nullius--

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no-man's-land,
belonging to no one.

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The newcomers were blind

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to thousands
of sacred natural sites

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revered by Aboriginal people
as the dwelling places

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of spirit beings
from an ancient past.

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Aboriginal defenders
of their country

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were massacred or imprisoned.

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[wind whistling]

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[chains rattling]

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01:09:07,834 --> 01:09:10,975
(Langton)
European powers
declared ownership

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over other people's lands

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01:09:13,667 --> 01:09:15,643
and enslaved peoples
around the world

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or destroyed them.

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Modern Australia is the result
of that history.

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(narrator)
Stolen generations of children

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were given to mission schools
or white families.

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Until the mid-1960s,

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Aboriginal people were governed
under wildlife laws.

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They simply couldn't believe
that these primitives,

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as they called us,

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had a religion

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01:09:42,459 --> 01:09:44,894
and that the religion
was based on

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attachment to places
imbued with ancestral beings.

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(Dodson)
The Western mind is linked

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to this private property notion.

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It's an absolutely
diabolical concept

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01:09:58,999 --> 01:10:00,685
to think that our relationship
to that land

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is extinguished
because some Western law says.

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01:10:03,918 --> 01:10:06,268
You know,
it is madness.

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01:10:06,292 --> 01:10:07,975
But our country has done that.

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01:10:07,999 --> 01:10:10,059
(all)
No mining on sacred sites!

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(narrator)
The land rights movement
in Australia

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was triggered
by mining on sacred sites.

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01:10:15,667 --> 01:10:17,643
It began in the 1960s

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01:10:17,667 --> 01:10:19,852
with a petition
demanding respect

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01:10:19,876 --> 01:10:23,250
for Aboriginal law,
painted on tree bark.

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Lawsuits
and a prolonged occupation

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01:10:27,167 --> 01:10:29,999
of the capitol at Canberra
followed.

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In 1976,

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Australia's Northern Territory
made history

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by enacting
the world's first law

190
01:10:40,999 --> 01:10:44,185
to protect indigenous rights
to sacred ground.

191
01:10:44,209 --> 01:10:46,209
But conflicts persist.

192
01:10:52,834 --> 01:10:54,852
The McArthur River
is an important

193
01:10:54,876 --> 01:10:57,059
wildlife and conservation area,

194
01:10:57,083 --> 01:11:01,435
from the dry country
to the estuary.

195
01:11:01,459 --> 01:11:03,143
In the last decade,

196
01:11:03,167 --> 01:11:04,975
the islands at the mouth
of the river

197
01:11:04,999 --> 01:11:08,226
were returned
to Aboriginal clans once again.

198
01:11:08,250 --> 01:11:10,852
The family of Steve Johnston
still lives

199
01:11:10,876 --> 01:11:14,268
on saltwater tucker--
food from the sea.

200
01:11:14,292 --> 01:11:17,083
But mining threatens
the marine habitat.

201
01:11:18,501 --> 01:11:21,935
60 miles upstream,
the McArthur River Mine

202
01:11:21,959 --> 01:11:25,268
extracts zinc from one
of the world's largest deposits

203
01:11:25,292 --> 01:11:27,393
and sells most of it
to China

204
01:11:27,417 --> 01:11:30,685
for rust-proofing steel in
products from cars and bridges

205
01:11:30,709 --> 01:11:33,042
to office towers and warships.

206
01:11:36,959 --> 01:11:38,435
For 20 years,

207
01:11:38,459 --> 01:11:41,018
locals have worried about
the environmental impacts

208
01:11:41,042 --> 01:11:42,768
of extracting lead and zinc

209
01:11:42,792 --> 01:11:44,876
in the floodplain
of a tropical river.

210
01:11:48,501 --> 01:11:50,894
In 2001,

211
01:11:50,918 --> 01:11:54,685
there was a big flood
in the river.

212
01:11:54,709 --> 01:11:56,393
We had a good wet that year.

213
01:11:56,417 --> 01:11:58,477
And the tailing dams
at the mine site

214
01:11:58,501 --> 01:12:01,768
burst their walls
and came down the river.

215
01:12:01,792 --> 01:12:03,226
There were thousands
of dead fish

216
01:12:03,250 --> 01:12:06,768
out in the bay here.

217
01:12:06,792 --> 01:12:09,310
(McLeod)
What do you think's
killing the mangrove?

218
01:12:09,334 --> 01:12:12,292
Well, I think it must be
the poison from the mine.

219
01:12:13,542 --> 01:12:15,351
(narrator)
Two years after the big flood,

220
01:12:15,375 --> 01:12:17,975
global mining giant Xstrata

221
01:12:17,999 --> 01:12:19,975
acquired
the McArthur River Mine,

222
01:12:19,999 --> 01:12:22,975
and a plan was announced
to convert underground tunnels

223
01:12:22,999 --> 01:12:24,935
into an open pit,

224
01:12:24,959 --> 01:12:28,518
a less expensive way
to unearth the minerals.

225
01:12:28,542 --> 01:12:32,351
But the zinc deposit is directly
under the McArthur River.

226
01:12:32,375 --> 01:12:34,018
Xstrata's solution?

227
01:12:34,042 --> 01:12:35,975
Move the river,

228
01:12:35,999 --> 01:12:39,834
an ancient pathway
created by the Rainbow Serpent.

229
01:12:41,417 --> 01:12:43,059
(Roberts)
In the Dreaming,

230
01:12:43,083 --> 01:12:45,310
the Rainbow Serpent
journeyed north,

231
01:12:45,334 --> 01:12:46,976
conjuring big storms

232
01:12:47,000 --> 01:12:49,268
and carving
a broad and winding river

233
01:12:49,292 --> 01:12:50,976
in the raw earth.

234
01:12:51,000 --> 01:12:53,059
Sing to the river.

235
01:12:53,083 --> 01:12:54,975
Sing to country.

236
01:12:54,999 --> 01:12:56,975
Country will hear you.

237
01:12:56,999 --> 01:12:58,852
But beware.

238
01:12:58,876 --> 01:13:02,560
The one who enforces the law
is watching.

239
01:13:02,584 --> 01:13:04,975
The spirit
of the Rainbow Serpent

240
01:13:04,999 --> 01:13:08,560
still lives in the water.

241
01:13:08,584 --> 01:13:10,518
(McCarthy)
It has been the river of life,

242
01:13:10,542 --> 01:13:13,643
a source of water
and food and enjoyment

243
01:13:13,667 --> 01:13:17,059
for thousands
and thousands of years.

244
01:13:17,083 --> 01:13:19,852
But it's also got
an even more significant role

245
01:13:19,876 --> 01:13:21,101
in Aboriginal culture,

246
01:13:21,125 --> 01:13:23,975
and that is the sense
of spirituality and association

247
01:13:23,999 --> 01:13:25,602
with the river
through thegudjiga

248
01:13:25,626 --> 01:13:27,975
of the Rainbow Serpent,

249
01:13:27,999 --> 01:13:30,894
because it's the Rainbow Serpent
that weaves its way

250
01:13:30,918 --> 01:13:34,894
across the country
and creates the country.

251
01:13:34,918 --> 01:13:36,894
It is powerful,

252
01:13:36,918 --> 01:13:39,918
and it needs to be treated
with much respect.

253
01:13:41,918 --> 01:13:43,351
(narrator)
Malarndirri McCarthy

254
01:13:43,375 --> 01:13:45,351
represented
the McArthur River area

255
01:13:45,375 --> 01:13:47,894
in the Northern Territory
Parliament.

256
01:13:47,918 --> 01:13:49,226
With other officials,

257
01:13:49,250 --> 01:13:52,101
she came to Borroloola
to hear local concerns

258
01:13:52,125 --> 01:13:53,894
about the mining plan.

259
01:13:53,918 --> 01:13:57,518
That is the tail
of the Rainbow Snake,

260
01:13:57,542 --> 01:13:59,143
and they're gonna cut off
that tail.

261
01:13:59,167 --> 01:14:03,059
Why don't you think
about Aboriginal sites?

262
01:14:03,083 --> 01:14:05,101
That's why we are losing
our culture.

263
01:14:05,125 --> 01:14:07,852
There are no sacred sites
affected by this mine,

264
01:14:07,876 --> 01:14:10,143
and that's the report
we've got,

265
01:14:10,167 --> 01:14:13,018
and we have to--
have to listen to that.

266
01:14:13,042 --> 01:14:15,477
One of the first things we did
when we started off

267
01:14:15,501 --> 01:14:18,310
with the proposal for
the open pit at McArthur River

268
01:14:18,334 --> 01:14:22,685
was to identify all the
cultural sites around the area.

269
01:14:22,709 --> 01:14:25,727
The Gudanji people came up
and went through

270
01:14:25,751 --> 01:14:27,393
the sites of significance,

271
01:14:27,417 --> 01:14:31,018
and we've obtained
the Aboriginal Area

272
01:14:31,042 --> 01:14:32,685
Protection Authority
certificates

273
01:14:32,709 --> 01:14:34,685
for the works
that we want to do.

274
01:14:34,709 --> 01:14:37,143
And there's
no sacred sites affected

275
01:14:37,167 --> 01:14:39,459
as far as they're concerned.

276
01:14:40,999 --> 01:14:43,852
I think the mine can be
the economic generator

277
01:14:43,876 --> 01:14:45,018
of the region.

278
01:14:45,042 --> 01:14:48,310
We've never had anything
like that before.

279
01:14:48,334 --> 01:14:50,935
Mining is one
of those industries

280
01:14:50,959 --> 01:14:52,894
that can link in with

281
01:14:52,918 --> 01:14:56,143
a rural tradition like ours.

282
01:14:56,167 --> 01:15:00,975
At the moment, it's television,
grog, drugs

283
01:15:00,999 --> 01:15:04,768
that is capturing
a lot of our people.

284
01:15:04,792 --> 01:15:07,975
The mine can give
the Aboriginal people here

285
01:15:07,999 --> 01:15:11,810
a "normal" life
as is possible out here.

286
01:15:11,834 --> 01:15:15,310
(narrator)
For the first 15 years
of operation,

287
01:15:15,334 --> 01:15:17,727
the mine paid no royalties

288
01:15:17,751 --> 01:15:20,975
and received millions
in government subsidies.

289
01:15:20,999 --> 01:15:23,435
Most employees were flown in.

290
01:15:23,459 --> 01:15:26,602
Recently, Xstrata has hired
some local workers

291
01:15:26,626 --> 01:15:30,351
and has started contributing
to a community fund.

292
01:15:30,375 --> 01:15:32,768
Contaminants released
by earlier floods

293
01:15:32,792 --> 01:15:33,975
weren't documented

294
01:15:33,999 --> 01:15:35,975
by the mine
or the government,

295
01:15:35,999 --> 01:15:38,727
but independent monitoring
of water quality

296
01:15:38,751 --> 01:15:41,185
is now required.

297
01:15:41,209 --> 01:15:43,643
(Moriarty)
I was born
across the river there.

298
01:15:43,667 --> 01:15:48,477
So we have a stake in what
comes downstream from the mine.

299
01:15:48,501 --> 01:15:52,477
And it's been stated
that the water is poisoned here,

300
01:15:52,501 --> 01:15:54,685
and that's totally wrong.

301
01:15:54,709 --> 01:15:56,143
They say we can't eat
the mussels.

302
01:15:56,167 --> 01:15:58,975
We can't eat the oysters.

303
01:15:58,999 --> 01:16:01,018
So that's coming from doctors.

304
01:16:01,042 --> 01:16:04,059
They reckon there's
too much heavy metals in 'em.

305
01:16:04,083 --> 01:16:05,935
- All right?
- Yeah.

306
01:16:05,959 --> 01:16:07,059
(narrator)
Human health

307
01:16:07,083 --> 01:16:09,975
depends on the health
of the land and water.

308
01:16:09,999 --> 01:16:11,975
But Aboriginal culture

309
01:16:11,999 --> 01:16:14,852
also depends
on respect for the land

310
01:16:14,876 --> 01:16:17,685
as the dwelling place
of the sacred.

311
01:16:17,709 --> 01:16:20,975
And now this line here
is the Rainbow Serpent

312
01:16:20,999 --> 01:16:23,727
coming down
the McArthur River.

313
01:16:23,751 --> 01:16:26,518
There is Dreaming tracks
right up to the headwaters

314
01:16:26,542 --> 01:16:29,268
of the McArthur River,

315
01:16:29,292 --> 01:16:32,918
all the way from Borroloola
up to McArthur Mine itself.

316
01:16:34,999 --> 01:16:37,268
(Langton)
Aboriginal people who follow
the old traditions

317
01:16:37,292 --> 01:16:40,435
believe that the most
important sites are the places

318
01:16:40,459 --> 01:16:44,852
where the ancestral beings
remain in their place.

319
01:16:44,876 --> 01:16:47,975
That's where they live,
and they live there forever.

320
01:16:47,999 --> 01:16:50,250
[children shouting and laughing]

321
01:16:53,125 --> 01:16:56,477
(Langton)
There's always a set of rules

322
01:16:56,501 --> 01:17:00,975
about how one approaches
Rainbow Serpent places.

323
01:17:00,999 --> 01:17:02,059
So for instance,

324
01:17:02,083 --> 01:17:04,999
one must go with
the senior traditional owner.

325
01:17:06,459 --> 01:17:07,975
A sacred site
will heal the sick.

326
01:17:07,999 --> 01:17:10,852
(narrator)
Senior traditional owner
Harry Lansen

327
01:17:10,876 --> 01:17:13,167
was not one of Xstrata's
paid consultants.

328
01:17:20,918 --> 01:17:24,810
(Rory)
They knew he was
the right person to see,

329
01:17:24,834 --> 01:17:26,185
but they was working
around him,

330
01:17:26,209 --> 01:17:28,976
working around him
every time.

331
01:17:29,000 --> 01:17:32,101
[both singing
in native language]

332
01:17:32,125 --> 01:17:34,935
(Rory)
They got no right
to tell us what to do.

333
01:17:34,959 --> 01:17:39,268
It's our country.
It's our land right here now.

334
01:17:39,292 --> 01:17:45,643
[people singing
in native language]

335
01:17:45,667 --> 01:17:48,667
[children shouting]

336
01:17:52,709 --> 01:17:54,727
(narrator)
When Gudanji families
tried to visit

337
01:17:54,751 --> 01:17:57,810
their sacred sites
near the McArthur River Mine,

338
01:17:57,834 --> 01:17:59,810
they were blocked
by company personnel

339
01:17:59,834 --> 01:18:01,975
and their Aboriginal consultants

340
01:18:01,999 --> 01:18:04,417
and threatened with arrest
for trespassing.

341
01:18:08,375 --> 01:18:10,375
Don't sell us to the mine.

342
01:18:14,999 --> 01:18:16,643
(Green)
We couldn't get back
in there today.

343
01:18:16,667 --> 01:18:18,268
That really hurt.

344
01:18:18,292 --> 01:18:20,999
They came in with two vehicles
to stop us and the chopper.

345
01:18:23,209 --> 01:18:24,810
(narrator)
Xstrata's request

346
01:18:24,834 --> 01:18:27,351
to move the McArthur River
was denied,

347
01:18:27,375 --> 01:18:29,935
but mining company bulldozers
broke ground

348
01:18:29,959 --> 01:18:31,975
on the river diversion anyway.

349
01:18:31,999 --> 01:18:34,685
So Aboriginal custodians sued,

350
01:18:34,709 --> 01:18:37,518
and the court ruled
in their favor.

351
01:18:37,542 --> 01:18:39,018
It was a win
for the Aboriginal people

352
01:18:39,042 --> 01:18:40,435
in the Gulf Region.

353
01:18:40,459 --> 01:18:43,852
And on that day when the judge
made the announcement,

354
01:18:43,876 --> 01:18:46,518
all work on the expansion plan
had to stop

355
01:18:46,542 --> 01:18:48,185
because it was illegal.

356
01:18:48,209 --> 01:18:50,351
They were beaten in the court,

357
01:18:50,375 --> 01:18:54,185
but then they just turned around
and legislated the day after

358
01:18:54,209 --> 01:18:56,975
and made new rules.

359
01:18:56,999 --> 01:19:00,101
Today government
has decided to legislate

360
01:19:00,125 --> 01:19:02,018
to ensure
the continued operation

361
01:19:02,042 --> 01:19:04,602
of the open cut section
of the McArthur River Mine.

362
01:19:04,626 --> 01:19:06,852
There's hundreds of jobs there.

363
01:19:06,876 --> 01:19:08,975
And Cabinet made a decision
based on a lot of facts

364
01:19:08,999 --> 01:19:10,018
that we had before us,

365
01:19:10,042 --> 01:19:13,226
and this is the most efficient
way to move.

366
01:19:13,250 --> 01:19:15,226
(Roche)
What are you gonna say
to the traditional owners

367
01:19:15,250 --> 01:19:16,894
about their river?

368
01:19:16,918 --> 01:19:19,999
When are you going to tell
the traditional owners, Claire?

369
01:19:21,375 --> 01:19:23,975
We're all together.
We must fight this thing.

370
01:19:23,999 --> 01:19:25,059
This ground here, look,

371
01:19:25,083 --> 01:19:27,894
Gudanji and Mambalya
country.

372
01:19:27,918 --> 01:19:29,975
Over here,
they've been damaging country.

373
01:19:29,999 --> 01:19:30,976
[speaks indistinctly]

374
01:19:31,000 --> 01:19:32,643
They're frightened to show us.

375
01:19:32,667 --> 01:19:36,000
We will start as one,
and we'll finish as one.

376
01:19:42,918 --> 01:19:44,185
(narrator)
With bulldozers at work

377
01:19:44,209 --> 01:19:46,435
rechanneling the sacred river,

378
01:19:46,459 --> 01:19:50,435
a delegation of elders
traveled 17 hours to Darwin

379
01:19:50,459 --> 01:19:53,999
to protest government collusion
with industry.

380
01:19:55,999 --> 01:19:58,268
They crushed our sacred site.

381
01:19:58,292 --> 01:20:00,059
They never listen
to Aboriginal people--

382
01:20:00,083 --> 01:20:03,268
elders, senior elders.

383
01:20:03,292 --> 01:20:05,894
You know,
they've been stomped on.

384
01:20:05,918 --> 01:20:07,351
So it's time for them
to stand up and say,

385
01:20:07,375 --> 01:20:09,417
"Hey, you're not
doing this to me anymore."

386
01:20:21,918 --> 01:20:24,975
Our people had taken
a government and a company

387
01:20:24,999 --> 01:20:26,975
to court and had won

388
01:20:26,999 --> 01:20:30,975
and felt vindicated
by the win

389
01:20:30,999 --> 01:20:33,560
and then felt
absolutely demoralized

390
01:20:33,584 --> 01:20:36,167
when goalposts
were being moved again.

391
01:20:37,375 --> 01:20:46,101
[women singing
in native language]

392
01:20:46,125 --> 01:20:49,310
(Rory)
We're up here to say no
to the people

393
01:20:49,334 --> 01:20:53,727
that are trying to destroy
our way of life

394
01:20:53,751 --> 01:20:54,975
by cutting up the river,

395
01:20:54,999 --> 01:20:58,393
diverting it,
digging the holes.

396
01:20:58,417 --> 01:21:01,083
And they don't realize
what they're doing to us.

397
01:21:18,751 --> 01:21:21,268
It's the river
that keeps us going.

398
01:21:21,292 --> 01:21:22,602
Keep fighting.

399
01:21:22,626 --> 01:21:25,602
[women singing
in native language]

400
01:21:25,626 --> 01:21:33,626
♪ ♪

401
01:21:34,999 --> 01:21:38,518
Madam Speaker, mining is alive
and well in the Territory,

402
01:21:38,542 --> 01:21:40,975
and I reassure Territorians,

403
01:21:40,999 --> 01:21:44,459
so is our commitment as
a Territory to our environment.

404
01:21:46,542 --> 01:21:48,602
(Langton)
If you cut the McArthur River,

405
01:21:48,626 --> 01:21:51,518
you are cutting
the Rainbow Serpent,

406
01:21:51,542 --> 01:21:55,975
and there is a great sense
of fear that comes from that.

407
01:21:55,999 --> 01:21:58,975
It is a relationship
with the river

408
01:21:58,999 --> 01:22:01,976
that indigenous people
want so much

409
01:22:02,000 --> 01:22:06,685
for non-Aboriginal people
to understand and respect

410
01:22:06,709 --> 01:22:09,268
and that no amount of money

411
01:22:09,292 --> 01:22:12,477
can take the place
of something

412
01:22:12,501 --> 01:22:15,975
that has been
within the family

413
01:22:15,999 --> 01:22:18,000
for thousands and thousands
of years.

414
01:22:21,042 --> 01:22:24,935
(narrator)
The McArthur River
now runs in a diversion channel.

415
01:22:24,959 --> 01:22:27,351
Xstrata plans to expand again,

416
01:22:27,375 --> 01:22:31,143
this time doubling the size
of the mine.

417
01:22:31,167 --> 01:22:33,310
(Dodson)
We have to live
in a framework,

418
01:22:33,334 --> 01:22:37,975
constantly
trying to defend land

419
01:22:37,999 --> 01:22:39,976
and sacred places

420
01:22:40,000 --> 01:22:44,185
that governments
and developers

421
01:22:44,209 --> 01:22:45,894
want to extinguish.

422
01:22:45,918 --> 01:22:48,018
And so when we come
to the country,

423
01:22:48,042 --> 01:22:50,685
it's important for us
to wake it up

424
01:22:50,709 --> 01:22:53,975
and remind it
that we haven't neglected it.

425
01:22:53,999 --> 01:22:57,975
We haven't forgotten
that we are still part of that,

426
01:22:57,999 --> 01:23:01,975
and we need the country
to look after us.

427
01:23:01,999 --> 01:23:05,975
[light tapping]

428
01:23:05,999 --> 01:23:08,975
[singing in native language]

429
01:23:08,999 --> 01:23:16,999
♪ ♪

430
01:23:23,584 --> 01:23:26,975
(narrator)
Called by the sound
of the didgeridoo, oryidaki,

431
01:23:26,999 --> 01:23:29,602
clans unite
at the Garma Festival,

432
01:23:29,626 --> 01:23:31,810
an annual celebration
at the site

433
01:23:31,834 --> 01:23:35,334
where the ancient instrument
was first brought into being.

434
01:23:37,375 --> 01:23:40,101
The festival inspires
cultural dialogue

435
01:23:40,125 --> 01:23:44,810
and brings economic benefits
from ecotourism.

436
01:23:44,834 --> 01:23:51,975
[traditional Aboriginal music
playing]

437
01:23:51,999 --> 01:23:55,975
(Yunupingu)
This is the last frontier
of Aboriginal people

438
01:23:55,999 --> 01:23:59,185
still hanging on to the culture
and lore and languages

439
01:23:59,209 --> 01:24:02,101
and sacred sites.

440
01:24:02,125 --> 01:24:04,101
We are people of the land.

441
01:24:04,125 --> 01:24:05,351
We love our land.

442
01:24:05,375 --> 01:24:09,101
We sit down,
and we don't play politics.

443
01:24:09,125 --> 01:24:11,643
Our law is here...

444
01:24:11,667 --> 01:24:14,560
to stay.

445
01:24:14,584 --> 01:24:17,975
(narrator)
Galarrwuy Yunupingu
has defended sacred sites

446
01:24:17,999 --> 01:24:20,185
from mining for 50 years,

447
01:24:20,209 --> 01:24:23,975
since he helped his father
write the first bark petition.

448
01:24:23,999 --> 01:24:26,975
His clan territory
on the Gove Peninsula

449
01:24:26,999 --> 01:24:29,768
is the birthplace
of the land rights movement

450
01:24:29,792 --> 01:24:32,584
and is now
an Indigenous Protected Area.

451
01:24:34,751 --> 01:24:37,351
Under the dance ground
lies bauxite,

452
01:24:37,375 --> 01:24:39,685
coveted by the mining industry.

453
01:24:39,709 --> 01:24:42,185
[all chanting]

454
01:24:42,209 --> 01:24:45,999
When white men sees the land,
they also see a dollar sign.

455
01:24:47,959 --> 01:24:51,643
I will never give away my land
for dollars.

456
01:24:51,667 --> 01:24:53,643
That's my practice,
to be able

457
01:24:53,667 --> 01:24:58,268
to pass it on
to my little ones

458
01:24:58,292 --> 01:25:02,975
so that the song cycle
must continue.

459
01:25:02,999 --> 01:25:04,435
Whether it is in a dance,

460
01:25:04,459 --> 01:25:05,852
whether it is in a song,

461
01:25:05,876 --> 01:25:08,560
it's all related back
to the things you find

462
01:25:08,584 --> 01:25:10,792
on and in the land.

463
01:25:26,999 --> 01:25:29,768
(Mackey)
One of the great sorrows,
if you like, of modern life

464
01:25:29,792 --> 01:25:31,975
is the extent to which
modern urban humans

465
01:25:31,999 --> 01:25:34,959
are so dissociated
from the natural world.

466
01:25:36,792 --> 01:25:38,685
So when I talk
to Aboriginal people about

467
01:25:38,709 --> 01:25:40,143
their relationship to an animal,

468
01:25:40,167 --> 01:25:42,810
they can, in the same sentence,
talk about

469
01:25:42,834 --> 01:25:44,768
how tasty it is to eat...

470
01:25:44,792 --> 01:25:46,976
It's really good
for your body.

471
01:25:47,000 --> 01:25:50,185
(Mackey)
And the responsibilities
they have to it.

472
01:25:50,209 --> 01:25:52,185
And I think this is where
we have to get

473
01:25:52,209 --> 01:25:54,975
if we want to have
a rich natural world, you know,

474
01:25:54,999 --> 01:25:58,518
to leave to future generations.

475
01:25:58,542 --> 01:26:01,185
(Dodson)
And I think if we can get
the Western people to understand

476
01:26:01,209 --> 01:26:04,393
that they're born
inside this world

477
01:26:04,417 --> 01:26:06,059
and not as astronauts
that have landed

478
01:26:06,083 --> 01:26:07,810
from some other alien place,

479
01:26:07,834 --> 01:26:10,975
then I think there'll be
a lot more harmony

480
01:26:10,999 --> 01:26:13,501
in how we look after
the globe.

481
01:26:15,999 --> 01:26:18,975
(Kumar)
This was Mahatma Gandhi's idea.

482
01:26:18,999 --> 01:26:20,976
We belong to the land.

483
01:26:21,000 --> 01:26:23,226
We are not the owners
of the land.

484
01:26:23,250 --> 01:26:26,975
We are the friends of the land,

485
01:26:26,999 --> 01:26:30,435
like friends of the earth.

486
01:26:30,459 --> 01:26:34,101
(LaDuke)
In this recovery
of our humanity

487
01:26:34,125 --> 01:26:37,226
as indigenous peoples,
where we rid ourselves

488
01:26:37,250 --> 01:26:41,226
of the cloaks of Christianity

489
01:26:41,250 --> 01:26:43,310
or the cloaks of consumerism

490
01:26:43,334 --> 01:26:47,393
and remember who we were
supposed to be,

491
01:26:47,417 --> 01:26:50,834
it is important to be reverent.

492
01:26:59,959 --> 01:27:02,351
(Lopez)
When you have a sacred place,

493
01:27:02,375 --> 01:27:04,975
it's not exactly
like a church,

494
01:27:04,999 --> 01:27:07,560
and it's not like
a national park.

495
01:27:07,584 --> 01:27:10,185
It's a place that raises

496
01:27:10,209 --> 01:27:12,975
the level of awareness

497
01:27:12,999 --> 01:27:16,810
about the mystery and power
and possibility and joy

498
01:27:16,834 --> 01:27:18,975
that is present in life.

499
01:27:18,999 --> 01:27:20,768
You know who you are

500
01:27:20,792 --> 01:27:23,792
because you are in contact
with this place.

501
01:27:26,334 --> 01:27:30,351
So if there is something
that we have to relearn,

502
01:27:30,375 --> 01:27:33,643
it's the idea of sharing

503
01:27:33,667 --> 01:27:36,351
and being responsible.

504
01:27:36,375 --> 01:27:39,268
And to learn,
you have to have teachers.

505
01:27:39,292 --> 01:27:40,477
And who is your teacher?

506
01:27:40,501 --> 01:27:41,999
And the teacher is...

507
01:27:43,626 --> 01:27:44,751
nature.

508
01:27:49,959 --> 01:27:54,310
(McGregor)
Hawaiians honored
the life forces of nature

509
01:27:54,334 --> 01:27:56,876
in these various energy forms
as deities.

510
01:27:58,292 --> 01:28:02,143
Christianity had severed
that relationship

511
01:28:02,167 --> 01:28:04,268
of our soul to the land,

512
01:28:04,292 --> 01:28:05,975
which is really the heart

513
01:28:05,999 --> 01:28:09,375
of our culture
here in Hawaii.

514
01:28:16,834 --> 01:28:19,999
(Aluli)
Most of us grow up
loving the land.

515
01:28:21,999 --> 01:28:25,685
We hunt, and we fish,
and we gather.

516
01:28:25,709 --> 01:28:29,976
Different places where we know
that the ancestors are from,

517
01:28:30,000 --> 01:28:31,435
you know, we worship.

518
01:28:31,459 --> 01:28:35,810
It's all part of being Hawaiian.

519
01:28:35,834 --> 01:28:38,417
Take care of land;
land takes care of you.

520
01:28:41,501 --> 01:28:42,976
(narrator)
Guided by stars,

521
01:28:43,000 --> 01:28:45,643
early Hawaiians sailed
double-hulled canoes

522
01:28:45,667 --> 01:28:47,185
across the Pacific,

523
01:28:47,209 --> 01:28:50,518
headed for the smallest
of eight Hawaiian islands.

524
01:28:50,542 --> 01:28:52,059
Kanaloa Kaho'olawe,

525
01:28:52,083 --> 01:28:54,894
in the center
of the island chain,

526
01:28:54,918 --> 01:28:56,852
was a place to teach navigation.

527
01:28:56,876 --> 01:29:00,477
Off-limits for 50 years
of weapons testing,

528
01:29:00,501 --> 01:29:04,810
Kaho'olawe has once again become
a place of learning

529
01:29:04,834 --> 01:29:08,727
and a refuge, considered sacred
from its highest peaks

530
01:29:08,751 --> 01:29:11,999
to the depths of the ocean
around it.

531
01:29:14,584 --> 01:29:17,351
(Kulolo'io)
I'm always asking myself
the question,

532
01:29:17,375 --> 01:29:21,999
is Kaho'olawe
really a sacred place?

533
01:29:23,918 --> 01:29:27,477
It's been always on my mind.

534
01:29:27,501 --> 01:29:28,975
What is sacred?

535
01:29:28,999 --> 01:29:33,125
How does sacred fit
into an island?

536
01:29:34,999 --> 01:29:38,101
For a lot of Hawaiians,
if you come here,

537
01:29:38,125 --> 01:29:40,059
you get some direction.

538
01:29:40,083 --> 01:29:42,976
But it also helps you
to navigate

539
01:29:43,000 --> 01:29:45,602
not only on the ocean

540
01:29:45,626 --> 01:29:48,852
but in your life.

541
01:29:48,876 --> 01:29:52,975
(Aluli)
Kanaloa is the ancient name

542
01:29:52,999 --> 01:29:55,975
of the island.

543
01:29:55,999 --> 01:29:58,435
It's one of the four major
Polynesian gods.

544
01:29:58,459 --> 01:30:02,268
It's the god of the ocean
and everything in the ocean.

545
01:30:02,292 --> 01:30:05,292
You know, this is his realm.

546
01:30:07,375 --> 01:30:09,976
(McGregor)
Kaho'olawe gave us
this spiritual connection

547
01:30:10,000 --> 01:30:13,018
to our ancestors

548
01:30:13,042 --> 01:30:15,852
and to our spiritual beliefs,

549
01:30:15,876 --> 01:30:18,334
and we were able
to call back our gods.

550
01:30:20,584 --> 01:30:23,584
[conch blaring]

551
01:30:29,959 --> 01:30:32,435
(narrator)
When Christianity
came to Hawaii,

552
01:30:32,459 --> 01:30:34,894
a new god was welcomed
into the pantheon

553
01:30:34,918 --> 01:30:36,685
worshipped by Hawaiians.

554
01:30:36,709 --> 01:30:39,975
But missionaries said
the old gods must die,

555
01:30:39,999 --> 01:30:41,975
and merchants replaced
communal sharing

556
01:30:41,999 --> 01:30:44,018
with a profit system.

557
01:30:44,042 --> 01:30:47,435
Native Hawaiians, who had been
rich in land and culture,

558
01:30:47,459 --> 01:30:51,101
became the poorest people
in the islands.

559
01:30:51,125 --> 01:30:54,894
In 1893, businessmen
overthrew the government

560
01:30:54,918 --> 01:30:56,477
and imprisoned the queen

561
01:30:56,501 --> 01:30:59,101
with the help
of the U.S. military.

562
01:30:59,125 --> 01:31:03,018
Hawaiian lands were seized,
and the language was banned.

563
01:31:03,042 --> 01:31:06,727
American naval power found
a permanent home in the Pacific

564
01:31:06,751 --> 01:31:11,393
and eventually set sights
on the island of Kaho'olawe.

565
01:31:11,417 --> 01:31:14,643
The character of that island
is still alive.

566
01:31:14,667 --> 01:31:17,626
And yet this island's
being bombarded.

567
01:31:20,667 --> 01:31:23,975
[plane engine droning]

568
01:31:23,999 --> 01:31:28,226
[explosions]

569
01:31:28,250 --> 01:31:32,810
We all experienced
the loud noises and vibrations

570
01:31:32,834 --> 01:31:35,602
of the bombs.

571
01:31:35,626 --> 01:31:39,810
We could see the dust
coming up every so often

572
01:31:39,834 --> 01:31:41,602
during the military exercises.

573
01:31:41,626 --> 01:31:44,626
[explosion]

574
01:31:57,334 --> 01:31:58,768
Wiped off.

575
01:31:58,792 --> 01:32:01,975
Wipeout.

576
01:32:01,999 --> 01:32:04,042
A disregard for nature.

577
01:32:05,459 --> 01:32:08,852
The day after
Japan bombed Pearl Harbor

578
01:32:08,876 --> 01:32:10,975
and the United States
declared war,

579
01:32:10,999 --> 01:32:13,976
it also declared martial law
over all of Hawaii.

580
01:32:14,000 --> 01:32:16,975
(Naho'opi'i)
And the island of Kaho'olawe
was taken over

581
01:32:16,999 --> 01:32:18,310
under military law.

582
01:32:18,334 --> 01:32:20,975
It was a weapons test range.

583
01:32:20,999 --> 01:32:23,810
Every major amphibious battle
in the Pacific

584
01:32:23,834 --> 01:32:25,976
was first practiced
on Kaho'olawe.

585
01:32:26,000 --> 01:32:28,602
And all of this was--
the people of Hawaii supported

586
01:32:28,626 --> 01:32:32,667
because we were so fearful
of Japan invading Hawaii.

587
01:32:34,292 --> 01:32:36,059
(Naho'opi'i)
"This island is off-limits,

588
01:32:36,083 --> 01:32:37,768
so you can't go there."

589
01:32:37,792 --> 01:32:39,975
People accepted that,
for a long period of time.

590
01:32:39,999 --> 01:32:43,643
It wasn't until that era
of the late '60s, early '70s

591
01:32:43,667 --> 01:32:45,226
that people
started questioning,

592
01:32:45,250 --> 01:32:47,143
"Why can't I go there?"

593
01:32:47,167 --> 01:32:49,351
You know,
my ancestors used to go there.

594
01:32:49,375 --> 01:32:51,976
How come
I can't go there today?

595
01:32:52,000 --> 01:32:55,351
(Aluli)
It was the era of the protests

596
01:32:55,375 --> 01:32:57,810
against the war in Vietnam.

597
01:32:57,834 --> 01:33:02,351
It was the era of Wounded Knee,
Alcatraz.

598
01:33:02,375 --> 01:33:05,894
It was the era
of a lot of unrest.

599
01:33:05,918 --> 01:33:08,685
(McGregor)
Hawaiians were not all
happy natives, playing music,

600
01:33:08,709 --> 01:33:10,976
dancing the hula,
being beach boys,

601
01:33:11,000 --> 01:33:12,976
and it was time
that we begin to do something

602
01:33:13,000 --> 01:33:16,626
to challenge U.S. control
over Hawaii.

603
01:33:18,834 --> 01:33:22,727
[gentle acoustic melody]

604
01:33:22,751 --> 01:33:30,310
[men singingPua Mamane]

605
01:33:30,334 --> 01:33:33,727
(McGregor)
The real spiritual and
inspirational leader at the time

606
01:33:33,751 --> 01:33:35,143
was George Helm.

607
01:33:35,167 --> 01:33:39,975
He had the vision
of Kaho'olawe becoming a place

608
01:33:39,999 --> 01:33:43,417
to get back to our roots
as Hawaiians.

609
01:33:44,999 --> 01:33:48,810
The culture exists
only if the life of the land

610
01:33:48,834 --> 01:33:51,143
is perpetuated in righteousness.

611
01:33:51,167 --> 01:33:54,143
(narrator)
George Helm
and the new activist group

612
01:33:54,167 --> 01:33:57,643
Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana,
or "family,"

613
01:33:57,667 --> 01:34:01,185
launched a grassroots campaign
to stop the bombing.

614
01:34:01,209 --> 01:34:04,101
This organization is to see
that Kaho'olawe is protected.

615
01:34:04,125 --> 01:34:06,810
We got to go fight
the military,

616
01:34:06,834 --> 01:34:11,226
the politicians,
different ways of thinking.

617
01:34:11,250 --> 01:34:13,935
(Aluli)
It was taking on
the power structure,

618
01:34:13,959 --> 01:34:16,976
the largest naval force
in the world,

619
01:34:17,000 --> 01:34:20,351
and the only thing that we knew
to end the bombing

620
01:34:20,375 --> 01:34:22,143
was to occupy the island.

621
01:34:22,167 --> 01:34:24,185
(McGregor)
People showed up
from all the islands,

622
01:34:24,209 --> 01:34:26,768
got on boats to occupy it

623
01:34:26,792 --> 01:34:29,435
to demand justice
for native Hawaiians.

624
01:34:29,459 --> 01:34:33,018
(Aluli)
And Coast Guard was there
to intercept and confiscate

625
01:34:33,042 --> 01:34:35,768
whatever boats were to land.

626
01:34:35,792 --> 01:34:37,975
So all the boats
turned around at that point,

627
01:34:37,999 --> 01:34:41,518
except one boat
made it through.

628
01:34:41,542 --> 01:34:43,268
Those who landed were arrested,

629
01:34:43,292 --> 01:34:46,727
except for Walter Ritte
and Emmett Aluli,

630
01:34:46,751 --> 01:34:50,310
who managed to go
into the backlands

631
01:34:50,334 --> 01:34:52,542
and begin to explore the island.

632
01:34:53,999 --> 01:34:57,226
(Aluli)
As you walked up to the summit,

633
01:34:57,250 --> 01:35:01,975
you saw more and more
dumping of ordnance.

634
01:35:01,999 --> 01:35:04,059
Whether they exploded or not,

635
01:35:04,083 --> 01:35:05,768
they were all over the place.

636
01:35:05,792 --> 01:35:08,143
I mean,
it was just an ugly scene.

637
01:35:08,167 --> 01:35:12,584
But yet there was beauty
in the land.

638
01:35:15,209 --> 01:35:19,125
Kaho'olawe was talking to us...

639
01:35:21,375 --> 01:35:24,999
the voices we'd now call
the voices of Kanaloa.

640
01:35:27,125 --> 01:35:30,894
And so Walter and Emmett
were there on the island

641
01:35:30,918 --> 01:35:32,894
for two nights
before they were picked up

642
01:35:32,918 --> 01:35:34,727
by the military
and arrested.

643
01:35:34,751 --> 01:35:37,268
(Aluli)
And we worried.

644
01:35:37,292 --> 01:35:38,810
I mean, I worried.

645
01:35:38,834 --> 01:35:40,602
For me personally,
if it was a felony,

646
01:35:40,626 --> 01:35:43,975
I would not be able
to practice medicine.

647
01:35:43,999 --> 01:35:45,975
(narrator)
Emmett Aluli and George Helm

648
01:35:45,999 --> 01:35:48,393
fought back
by suing the U.S. Navy

649
01:35:48,417 --> 01:35:51,768
for violating
environmental laws.

650
01:35:51,792 --> 01:35:55,435
This is the seed today
of a new revolution.

651
01:35:55,459 --> 01:35:57,975
The kind of revolution
we're talking about

652
01:35:57,999 --> 01:36:02,685
is one of consciousness,
awareness, facts, figures.

653
01:36:02,709 --> 01:36:05,518
(Aluli)
I mean, this is
all occurring intensely

654
01:36:05,542 --> 01:36:07,393
and gets more intense when

655
01:36:07,417 --> 01:36:10,975
George Helm and Kimo Mitchell
disappear.

656
01:36:10,999 --> 01:36:14,226
(McGregor)
They went to Kaho'olawe,

657
01:36:14,250 --> 01:36:17,852
and there was a big storm,

658
01:36:17,876 --> 01:36:21,351
gale-force winds
and huge swells.

659
01:36:21,375 --> 01:36:24,226
(Aluli)
The story is that
George and Kimo disappeared

660
01:36:24,250 --> 01:36:28,975
on a broken surfboard
trying to leave Kaho'olawe.

661
01:36:28,999 --> 01:36:30,643
People didn't really
honestly believe

662
01:36:30,667 --> 01:36:31,975
that they would have done that.

663
01:36:31,999 --> 01:36:33,727
[thunder crashing]

664
01:36:33,751 --> 01:36:35,560
(Aluli)
Did they drown?

665
01:36:35,584 --> 01:36:37,768
Did the sharks take them?

666
01:36:37,792 --> 01:36:40,518
(McGregor)
There's other thoughts--
that it was in the interests

667
01:36:40,542 --> 01:36:42,975
of many powers
to do away with George

668
01:36:42,999 --> 01:36:45,375
and that they found
the opportune moment.

669
01:36:48,584 --> 01:36:51,976
(Aluli)
Their bones, their bodies,
their clothes were never found.

670
01:36:52,000 --> 01:36:53,727
We still don't know why,

671
01:36:53,751 --> 01:36:57,935
but it's a feeling from within

672
01:36:57,959 --> 01:37:01,935
that they were assassinated,

673
01:37:01,959 --> 01:37:03,975
because it was

674
01:37:03,999 --> 01:37:08,727
the most powerful movement

675
01:37:08,751 --> 01:37:11,417
that Hawaii has ever seen
in 100 years.

676
01:37:14,709 --> 01:37:17,975
(Neff)
I look at George and Kimo
and all of thekupuna

677
01:37:17,999 --> 01:37:20,685
who have given so much
for this island

678
01:37:20,709 --> 01:37:25,268
and have passed on
as guides for us now.

679
01:37:25,292 --> 01:37:27,810
They have laid the path down.

680
01:37:27,834 --> 01:37:29,918
They have laid their life down.

681
01:37:33,999 --> 01:37:37,393
A certain time,
we needed a fighter.

682
01:37:37,417 --> 01:37:40,999
Now we need healers.

683
01:37:56,501 --> 01:37:58,727
(narrator)
The Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana

684
01:37:58,751 --> 01:38:02,975
was granted regular access
to the island in 1980,

685
01:38:02,999 --> 01:38:05,018
though it took
another decade of lawsuits

686
01:38:05,042 --> 01:38:08,018
before a presidential order
and congressional action

687
01:38:08,042 --> 01:38:09,976
ended the bombing.

688
01:38:10,000 --> 01:38:11,518
Over three decades,

689
01:38:11,542 --> 01:38:13,852
thousands of volunteers
have come ashore

690
01:38:13,876 --> 01:38:16,518
with the native
Hawaiian activists.

691
01:38:16,542 --> 01:38:18,975
We need to remind everybody
that we have akuleana,

692
01:38:18,999 --> 01:38:21,518
a responsibility, to come back
and heal the island.

693
01:38:21,542 --> 01:38:22,727
And that's what we do

694
01:38:22,751 --> 01:38:25,059
through restoration,
through planting,

695
01:38:25,083 --> 01:38:29,059
through making sure that
the sacred sites are protected,

696
01:38:29,083 --> 01:38:30,268
just coming here,

697
01:38:30,292 --> 01:38:34,351
giving our blood, sweat,
and tears to the island.

698
01:38:34,375 --> 01:38:37,310
(Pastrana)
It's the least we can do
to basically continue on

699
01:38:37,334 --> 01:38:40,894
the legacy of our family
and friends who, you know,

700
01:38:40,918 --> 01:38:42,393
back then in the '70s,
you know,

701
01:38:42,417 --> 01:38:46,143
risked so much of their time
and, you know,

702
01:38:46,167 --> 01:38:47,959
for some,
even their lives.

703
01:38:52,999 --> 01:38:55,310
(Kanoa-Wong)
There's thousands
of other Hawaiians out there

704
01:38:55,334 --> 01:38:57,810
that we want
to remind them that,

705
01:38:57,834 --> 01:38:59,810
hey, we are a proud nation.

706
01:38:59,834 --> 01:39:03,059
We are a proud people.

707
01:39:03,083 --> 01:39:04,643
We're not the lazy ones.

708
01:39:04,667 --> 01:39:05,975
We're not the ones
that should be

709
01:39:05,999 --> 01:39:07,643
the highest rate in prisons.

710
01:39:07,667 --> 01:39:08,975
We're not the ones
that should be

711
01:39:08,999 --> 01:39:10,435
the highest rate
of teen pregnancy.

712
01:39:10,459 --> 01:39:13,310
You know, we're in all
of those bad categories now,

713
01:39:13,334 --> 01:39:14,810
and we got to move out of that.

714
01:39:14,834 --> 01:39:15,976
And part of that is,

715
01:39:16,000 --> 01:39:18,226
you have to understand
where we come from.

716
01:39:18,250 --> 01:39:19,894
Who are our ancestors?

717
01:39:19,918 --> 01:39:22,393
[people chanting
in native language]

718
01:39:22,417 --> 01:39:25,976
(Kylee Mar)
We purposely bring groups
from different generations,

719
01:39:26,000 --> 01:39:28,975
from different vocations,

720
01:39:28,999 --> 01:39:33,101
to live as a family,
as an'ohana.

721
01:39:33,125 --> 01:39:34,101
Life is coming.

722
01:39:34,125 --> 01:39:35,975
This island was never dead.

723
01:39:35,999 --> 01:39:36,975
It was abused.

724
01:39:36,999 --> 01:39:37,976
It was misused.

725
01:39:38,000 --> 01:39:41,000
[people shouting
in native language]

726
01:39:44,751 --> 01:39:47,751
[conch blaring]

727
01:39:54,709 --> 01:40:02,810
[all singing in native language]

728
01:40:02,834 --> 01:40:06,894
(Aluli)
As people come to Kaho'olawe,
we watch them,

729
01:40:06,918 --> 01:40:10,268
check them out,
laugh with them,

730
01:40:10,292 --> 01:40:13,918
look at their talents,
and they surface.

731
01:40:16,626 --> 01:40:20,226
[conch blaring]

732
01:40:20,250 --> 01:40:23,185
'Ohana is an extended family,
not a nuclear family,

733
01:40:23,209 --> 01:40:24,976
and it's multigenerational--

734
01:40:25,000 --> 01:40:27,976
made up of grandparents,
parents, and children--

735
01:40:28,000 --> 01:40:29,976
and inclusive
of those who've passed on

736
01:40:30,000 --> 01:40:31,584
and those yet to come.

737
01:40:34,999 --> 01:40:37,685
Our commitment
in the Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana

738
01:40:37,709 --> 01:40:41,643
is not so much to each other
as to the island.

739
01:40:41,667 --> 01:40:43,685
We become an'ohana
to each other

740
01:40:43,709 --> 01:40:46,999
because we're all connected
to this island.

741
01:40:49,584 --> 01:40:53,351
(Aluli)
We believe that we can call
upon the spirits to help us.

742
01:40:53,375 --> 01:40:57,602
We can regain
those ancestral memories

743
01:40:57,626 --> 01:41:02,143
if we observe
and if we do the ceremonies

744
01:41:02,167 --> 01:41:05,999
and if we sweat on the land
to repair it.

745
01:41:08,083 --> 01:41:10,685
(Naho'opi'i)
They are the people
of the island.

746
01:41:10,709 --> 01:41:12,852
They are
the cultural practitioners.

747
01:41:12,876 --> 01:41:15,602
They are the people
who are doing

748
01:41:15,626 --> 01:41:17,268
these traditional
Hawaiian practices.

749
01:41:17,292 --> 01:41:19,602
They are the ones who are doing
the spiritual worship.

750
01:41:19,626 --> 01:41:21,727
They are the ones
who are creating

751
01:41:21,751 --> 01:41:24,334
this way of life
on Kaho'olawe.

752
01:41:29,334 --> 01:41:32,975
So what is UXO?
It's "unexploded ordnance."

753
01:41:32,999 --> 01:41:36,602
Again, Kaho'olawe was bombed
for, you know, almost 50 years.

754
01:41:36,626 --> 01:41:39,975
We're gonna find a lot of stuff
on our roads, trails,

755
01:41:39,999 --> 01:41:42,935
our footpaths, and riverbeds.

756
01:41:42,959 --> 01:41:46,685
If you guys see metal objects,
shiny stuff,

757
01:41:46,709 --> 01:41:49,999
if you don't know what that is,
don't touch it.

758
01:41:54,042 --> 01:41:57,042
[metal detector beeping]

759
01:41:59,751 --> 01:42:02,393
.50-caliber casing.

760
01:42:02,417 --> 01:42:04,477
We quite literally find UXO

761
01:42:04,501 --> 01:42:06,685
every time we come out
to the island.

762
01:42:06,709 --> 01:42:08,685
You just have to have that one
that's in the trail

763
01:42:08,709 --> 01:42:09,999
to do you some harm.

764
01:42:12,083 --> 01:42:15,268
The reason why there are so many
unexploded ordnance left

765
01:42:15,292 --> 01:42:17,435
is because, back in the day,

766
01:42:17,459 --> 01:42:19,975
they were figuring
on a 30% dud ratio.

767
01:42:19,999 --> 01:42:23,101
So for every 100 bombs
that you dropped,

768
01:42:23,125 --> 01:42:24,999
30 of those
weren't going to go off.

769
01:42:28,417 --> 01:42:30,975
[metal detector beeping]

770
01:42:30,999 --> 01:42:32,975
(Naho'opi'i)
I don't think people
think about

771
01:42:32,999 --> 01:42:35,975
the remnants of war
and what it means.

772
01:42:35,999 --> 01:42:38,584
After you leave a war zone,
what do you leave behind?

773
01:42:39,999 --> 01:42:42,101
(narrator)
The navy's cleanup
lasted ten years

774
01:42:42,125 --> 01:42:46,768
and cost taxpayers
$400 million.

775
01:42:46,792 --> 01:42:49,059
It wasn't enough.

776
01:42:49,083 --> 01:42:52,435
Live ordnance still hides
under the surface.

777
01:42:52,459 --> 01:42:54,643
1/4 of the island
was not cleared at all.

778
01:42:54,667 --> 01:42:55,768
So if you guys see this,

779
01:42:55,792 --> 01:42:56,975
you got to tell
mommies or daddies

780
01:42:56,999 --> 01:42:58,101
or aunties or uncles...

781
01:42:58,125 --> 01:42:59,975
(narrator)
No visitors have been injured,

782
01:42:59,999 --> 01:43:01,894
but the risk remains.

783
01:43:01,918 --> 01:43:03,894
(Naho'opi'i)
There are still bombs out there.

784
01:43:03,918 --> 01:43:06,976
The cleanup was as much
as they could do

785
01:43:07,000 --> 01:43:09,975
and as much as Congress
could afford.

786
01:43:09,999 --> 01:43:14,018
(narrator)
This crater was formed
by a massive explosion

787
01:43:14,042 --> 01:43:16,518
which fractured
the island's aquifer,

788
01:43:16,542 --> 01:43:19,975
complicating the effort
to restore native plants.

789
01:43:19,999 --> 01:43:21,268
(McGregor)
We have no water.

790
01:43:21,292 --> 01:43:23,143
There's no running water
on the island.

791
01:43:23,167 --> 01:43:26,975
So we have to be creative
in how to capture water

792
01:43:26,999 --> 01:43:28,667
that comes from the heavens.

793
01:43:33,834 --> 01:43:37,768
(Neff)
The plants that live here
are really hardy, tough plants

794
01:43:37,792 --> 01:43:40,059
because of the environment,

795
01:43:40,083 --> 01:43:43,101
just like the people
who come here.

796
01:43:43,125 --> 01:43:45,976
We're going off ofaloha 'aina

797
01:43:46,000 --> 01:43:47,810
and the love for this place.

798
01:43:47,834 --> 01:43:50,018
That's what we are running on.

799
01:43:50,042 --> 01:43:51,894
That's our fuel.

800
01:43:51,918 --> 01:43:55,560
But are you
completing that exchange

801
01:43:55,584 --> 01:43:57,226
by doing something

802
01:43:57,250 --> 01:44:01,477
so the land is able
to love you back?

803
01:44:01,501 --> 01:44:04,999
That's what you want, right?

804
01:44:06,542 --> 01:44:08,852
(narrator)
Ecological restoration here

805
01:44:08,876 --> 01:44:10,435
requires extra caution

806
01:44:10,459 --> 01:44:13,435
because of unexploded ordnance.

807
01:44:13,459 --> 01:44:17,727
Respect for the land's spiritual
values is also essential.

808
01:44:17,751 --> 01:44:20,975
Volunteers are re-creating
a pilgrimage trail

809
01:44:20,999 --> 01:44:22,351
to circle the island.

810
01:44:22,375 --> 01:44:25,976
(Kawahakui)
The "Ala Loa" means
the "long trail."

811
01:44:26,000 --> 01:44:28,185
Our ancestors, they went--

812
01:44:28,209 --> 01:44:31,059
start this path
for us to follow,

813
01:44:31,083 --> 01:44:34,560
and it's our turn now
to keep on going with this.

814
01:44:34,584 --> 01:44:37,018
You know, we pave this path,
you know,

815
01:44:37,042 --> 01:44:39,643
so for ourkamali'i,
our children,

816
01:44:39,667 --> 01:44:42,852
when we get kids,
they can have something

817
01:44:42,876 --> 01:44:46,209
that they can actually look at
and follow.

818
01:44:48,167 --> 01:44:50,685
(Naho'opi'i)
Kaho'olawe's always been
a training ground.

819
01:44:50,709 --> 01:44:53,685
The generation of today,
they're learning now

820
01:44:53,709 --> 01:44:55,393
about their cultural past,

821
01:44:55,417 --> 01:44:59,435
about their ancestors,
and who they are.

822
01:44:59,459 --> 01:45:00,852
But also at the same time,

823
01:45:00,876 --> 01:45:04,975
they're learning about
technology, science,

824
01:45:04,999 --> 01:45:08,709
but to keep their foot grounded
in the past.

825
01:45:11,918 --> 01:45:13,435
(woman)
In the autumn,

826
01:45:13,459 --> 01:45:16,351
the sun moves
from the shining road of Kane

827
01:45:16,375 --> 01:45:20,101
into Kanaloa's depths.

828
01:45:20,125 --> 01:45:21,810
At the equinox,

829
01:45:21,834 --> 01:45:24,477
when day and night
are perfectly balanced,

830
01:45:24,501 --> 01:45:28,351
the two gods share the sun.

831
01:45:28,375 --> 01:45:32,310
That is a time
to observe and chant,

832
01:45:32,334 --> 01:45:35,751
to entice the wet season
to begin.

833
01:45:40,999 --> 01:45:42,643
(McGregor)
So this shrine

834
01:45:42,667 --> 01:45:45,602
Uncle Harry said
was the Kane Kanaloa rock,

835
01:45:45,626 --> 01:45:48,685
so one represented Kane
and one Kanaloa,

836
01:45:48,709 --> 01:45:51,477
and he said
it was used to observe

837
01:45:51,501 --> 01:45:52,975
the rising of the sun.

838
01:45:52,999 --> 01:45:57,018
The site has its own
protective mana that--

839
01:45:57,042 --> 01:45:59,727
it wasn't destroyed
during the military period.

840
01:45:59,751 --> 01:46:02,852
We have the opportunity

841
01:46:02,876 --> 01:46:04,975
to come here,

842
01:46:04,999 --> 01:46:08,602
like no other island
in Hawaii,

843
01:46:08,626 --> 01:46:12,975
and begin repairing the place
and doing the ceremonies.

844
01:46:12,999 --> 01:46:17,602
We'll learn together on how
to make sure that this survives

845
01:46:17,626 --> 01:46:19,999
the test of erosion and time.

846
01:46:22,542 --> 01:46:23,975
(narrator)
Regaining the island

847
01:46:23,999 --> 01:46:27,999
sparked a Hawaiian renaissance
that also revived the language.

848
01:46:30,000 --> 01:46:33,000
[girl speaking native language]

849
01:46:35,999 --> 01:46:38,999
[man speaking native language]

850
01:46:46,334 --> 01:46:49,250
[Derek Mar
speaking native language]

851
01:47:04,125 --> 01:47:06,602
One of the most
meaningful things

852
01:47:06,626 --> 01:47:08,560
that we do
when we are on island

853
01:47:08,584 --> 01:47:10,975
is, at the end of the day,
we come together

854
01:47:10,999 --> 01:47:14,310
andkukakuka,
or we "talk story."

855
01:47:14,334 --> 01:47:16,810
We need to hear
the meaning of sacredness,

856
01:47:16,834 --> 01:47:18,975
why you come to Kaho'olawe.

857
01:47:18,999 --> 01:47:22,975
I'll take a step forward
and say the planet is sacred.

858
01:47:22,999 --> 01:47:25,518
Every single piece of land,

859
01:47:25,542 --> 01:47:28,268
whether it's in Africa,
Siberia, America,

860
01:47:28,292 --> 01:47:31,975
whatever you want to say,
there it is, sacred.

861
01:47:31,999 --> 01:47:34,975
But it's just at another level.

862
01:47:34,999 --> 01:47:38,975
Kaho'olawe
is at a pretty high level.

863
01:47:38,999 --> 01:47:40,685
Waikiki is pretty low
because...

864
01:47:40,709 --> 01:47:43,435
[laughter]

865
01:47:43,459 --> 01:47:47,268
(McGregor)
I feel challenged
to figure out how to convince

866
01:47:47,292 --> 01:47:51,143
the general public that we need
to commit resources

867
01:47:51,167 --> 01:47:53,626
to keep Kaho'olawe sacred.

868
01:47:55,125 --> 01:47:57,059
(narrator)
Kaho'olawe is the first land

869
01:47:57,083 --> 01:47:58,477
regained by Hawaiians

870
01:47:58,501 --> 01:48:01,975
since the U.S. overthrow
in 1893.

871
01:48:01,999 --> 01:48:04,852
The state of Hawaii
now holds the island in trust

872
01:48:04,876 --> 01:48:07,477
for a future sovereign entity.

873
01:48:07,501 --> 01:48:11,975
By statute, Kaho'olawe
is protected from commercialism.

874
01:48:11,999 --> 01:48:15,226
But without revenue
from commerce or taxes,

875
01:48:15,250 --> 01:48:17,976
continued restoration
is in jeopardy

876
01:48:18,000 --> 01:48:21,975
as federal cleanup funding
runs out.

877
01:48:21,999 --> 01:48:24,059
There is a price tag

878
01:48:24,083 --> 01:48:26,143
to the entire restoration
of Kaho'olawe.

879
01:48:26,167 --> 01:48:28,685
How do we pay
for that price tag

880
01:48:28,709 --> 01:48:30,477
but at the same time

881
01:48:30,501 --> 01:48:33,999
keeping the sanctity
of the island intact?

882
01:48:35,542 --> 01:48:37,685
(Neff)
The question comes about,

883
01:48:37,709 --> 01:48:40,560
do we need to open up
commercialism?

884
01:48:40,584 --> 01:48:43,059
For me, I say no.

885
01:48:43,083 --> 01:48:46,435
In the beginning,
the people who said

886
01:48:46,459 --> 01:48:48,643
no commercialism,

887
01:48:48,667 --> 01:48:52,310
I think that was
a very good decision.

888
01:48:52,334 --> 01:48:55,976
If you were coming here,
it wasn't for money.

889
01:48:56,000 --> 01:48:59,000
[all shouting]

890
01:49:05,999 --> 01:49:09,727
(Birnie)
This island belongs
to the people of Hawaii,

891
01:49:09,751 --> 01:49:12,935
and it's a Hawaiian
cultural reserve.

892
01:49:12,959 --> 01:49:15,975
And that doesn't mean that it's
reserved just for Hawaiians,

893
01:49:15,999 --> 01:49:19,602
but it means
it is the place

894
01:49:19,626 --> 01:49:22,501
for the practice
of Hawaiian culture.

895
01:49:23,999 --> 01:49:26,059
(Naho'opi'i)
And we want it not only
just protected

896
01:49:26,083 --> 01:49:28,976
as a natural area reserve,

897
01:49:29,000 --> 01:49:31,602
but we want
the indigenous relationship

898
01:49:31,626 --> 01:49:32,810
of the land protected.

899
01:49:32,834 --> 01:49:34,351
[chanting
in native language]

900
01:49:34,375 --> 01:49:36,185
(Naho'opi'i)
Our uniqueness is that
the people of Hawaii

901
01:49:36,209 --> 01:49:39,018
have made that commitment.

902
01:49:39,042 --> 01:49:40,999
Ah.

903
01:49:43,999 --> 01:49:48,351
(Derek Mar)
This little seed is gonna make
a big plant like this.

904
01:49:48,375 --> 01:49:51,975
This place still needs
people tomalama,

905
01:49:51,999 --> 01:49:54,975
or to take care,
of our'aina,

906
01:49:54,999 --> 01:49:56,975
this sacred land.

907
01:49:56,999 --> 01:49:59,975
[both chanting
in native language]

908
01:49:59,999 --> 01:50:01,310
(Derek Mar)
It's not just restoration.

909
01:50:01,334 --> 01:50:02,894
It's so much more than that.

910
01:50:02,918 --> 01:50:04,975
It's restoring a place.

911
01:50:04,999 --> 01:50:07,209
And it's restoring
a people.

912
01:50:09,876 --> 01:50:12,876
[conch blaring]

913
01:50:21,375 --> 01:50:24,351
[all singing in native language]

914
01:50:24,375 --> 01:50:32,375
♪ ♪

915
01:50:46,375 --> 01:50:48,768
(Kanoa-Wong)
Another way we try
tomalamaKaho'olawe

916
01:50:48,792 --> 01:50:52,643
is, we have the rain ceremony
where we call the rains.

917
01:50:52,667 --> 01:50:57,226
[singing
in native language]

918
01:50:57,250 --> 01:51:00,518
(Kanoa-Wong)
We're doing
what our ancestors did

919
01:51:00,542 --> 01:51:04,810
to remind the rain,
to remind the wind

920
01:51:04,834 --> 01:51:06,975
that you have to come
to Kaho'olawe.

921
01:51:06,999 --> 01:51:08,810
Please come to Kaho'olawe

922
01:51:08,834 --> 01:51:11,975
and bring those rains
from Maui.

923
01:51:11,999 --> 01:51:14,999
[all chanting
in native language]

924
01:51:43,334 --> 01:51:45,602
(Neff)
Just the thought
ofaloha 'ainais simple.

925
01:51:45,626 --> 01:51:47,975
Aloha 'aina--
love the land.

926
01:51:47,999 --> 01:51:50,810
Everybody who comes here
is on that same

927
01:51:50,834 --> 01:51:53,560
sense of purpose
and sacredness.

928
01:51:53,584 --> 01:51:55,999
I see magic happen here.

929
01:52:03,542 --> 01:52:05,643
(Kylee Mar)
They take the lessons
of Kaho'olawe,

930
01:52:05,667 --> 01:52:07,975
they take the lessons
that they learn from each other

931
01:52:07,999 --> 01:52:10,310
back to their homes
on different islands,

932
01:52:10,334 --> 01:52:12,143
back to the continent,

933
01:52:12,167 --> 01:52:13,935
back to different parts
of the world.

934
01:52:13,959 --> 01:52:16,768
And they can remember
whataloha 'ainais

935
01:52:16,792 --> 01:52:18,975
and what that means
to love the place,

936
01:52:18,999 --> 01:52:22,059
to love their land,
to listen for the messages,

937
01:52:22,083 --> 01:52:24,727
to share, to be kind,

938
01:52:24,751 --> 01:52:29,101
to remember the very simple
truths and very simple values

939
01:52:29,125 --> 01:52:31,975
that we as human beings
in our guts

940
01:52:31,999 --> 01:52:33,393
know we should be doing.

941
01:52:33,417 --> 01:52:36,143
Kaho'olawe is a catalyst.

942
01:52:36,167 --> 01:52:40,334
Kaho'olawe's going to be
the testing ground for us.

943
01:52:44,042 --> 01:52:48,143
(Aluli)
We've got much going
for us as Hawaiians.

944
01:52:48,167 --> 01:52:51,351
From almost losing everything,

945
01:52:51,375 --> 01:52:55,852
we've been able
to reclaim some land.

946
01:52:55,876 --> 01:52:59,685
We now have an island
that can teach

947
01:52:59,709 --> 01:53:03,975
the generations,
ongoing,

948
01:53:03,999 --> 01:53:05,834
without interference.

949
01:53:11,501 --> 01:53:13,226
(Lyons)
For indigenous people,

950
01:53:13,250 --> 01:53:16,268
the most important thing
is relationship.

951
01:53:16,292 --> 01:53:19,976
We value relationship
way beyond anything else.

952
01:53:20,000 --> 01:53:22,602
Relationship--
to be close,

953
01:53:22,626 --> 01:53:24,310
to be next to the tree,

954
01:53:24,334 --> 01:53:26,101
to be next to the water,

955
01:53:26,125 --> 01:53:29,999
to be--
to be next to the earth.

956
01:53:32,709 --> 01:53:35,310
(Lopez)
Most of the time
when you ask people,

957
01:53:35,334 --> 01:53:37,143
"What is the opposite of love?"

958
01:53:37,167 --> 01:53:39,351
They will say hate.

959
01:53:39,375 --> 01:53:43,518
But the opposite of love
is indifference.

960
01:53:43,542 --> 01:53:46,143
People are indifferent
to the earth.

961
01:53:46,167 --> 01:53:48,143
What we have in front of us
is an enterprise

962
01:53:48,167 --> 01:53:52,935
to repair indifference
on a vast scale

963
01:53:52,959 --> 01:53:56,226
and turn it into
a loving relationship.

964
01:53:56,250 --> 01:53:58,976
(narrator)
In this worldwide effort,

965
01:53:59,000 --> 01:54:02,975
isolated cultures show the way
for all humanity

966
01:54:02,999 --> 01:54:06,999
to meet our obligation
to protect the life of the land.

967
01:54:08,834 --> 01:54:11,101
(Kumar)
We have to have a reverence
for the earth.

968
01:54:11,125 --> 01:54:14,976
God is not out of this world,

969
01:54:15,000 --> 01:54:17,226
in the sky,

970
01:54:17,250 --> 01:54:18,999
controlling the world.

971
01:54:20,292 --> 01:54:23,435
Nature is my god.

972
01:54:23,459 --> 01:54:26,518
Earth is my goddess.

973
01:54:26,542 --> 01:54:30,310
These holy sacred mountains
and rivers,

974
01:54:30,334 --> 01:54:32,975
they become my temples.

975
01:54:32,999 --> 01:54:35,999
They become my prayer.

976
01:54:37,999 --> 01:54:42,310
(LaDuke)
Sacred places are like
the spiritual recharge areas

977
01:54:42,334 --> 01:54:47,268
where we are always
not only careful

978
01:54:47,292 --> 01:54:48,999
but prayerful.

979
01:54:50,542 --> 01:54:53,975
No other creatures
have free will like we do.

980
01:54:53,999 --> 01:54:57,435
We have the responsibility
to be righteous.

981
01:54:57,459 --> 01:55:00,542
[woman chanting
in native language]

982
01:55:02,959 --> 01:55:04,975
(woman)
Bare feet in the sand,

983
01:55:04,999 --> 01:55:06,894
we each arrive as pilgrims

984
01:55:06,918 --> 01:55:09,768
on the islands
of our ancestors,

985
01:55:09,792 --> 01:55:13,560
and we listen for the voice
of the land.

986
01:55:13,584 --> 01:55:16,059
I hear the voice now.

987
01:55:16,083 --> 01:55:19,975
Amama, ua noa, ua lele aku.

988
01:55:19,999 --> 01:55:21,975
The prayer is free.

989
01:55:21,999 --> 01:55:23,310
It has lifted.

990
01:55:23,334 --> 01:55:24,727
It has flown.

991
01:55:24,751 --> 01:55:26,459
[people chanting and clapping]

992
01:55:44,709 --> 01:55:46,918
(announcer)
For more information,
log on to:

993
01:55:51,083 --> 01:55:53,685
For DVDs
ofStanding on Sacred Ground,

994
01:55:53,709 --> 01:55:54,709
call:

995
01:56:18,042 --> 01:56:21,101
Funding for theStanding
on Sacred Groundseries

996
01:56:21,125 --> 01:56:22,226
has been provided by

997
01:56:22,250 --> 01:56:26,185
the Corporation
for Public Broadcasting.

998
01:56:26,209 --> 01:56:29,042
Additional funding was provided
by the following:

999
01:56:34,501 --> 01:56:36,501
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