The David and Goliath Fight: GMO's in Hawaii
Students in Hawaii are taught at a very early age about the spiritual nature of the taro plant. It is believed, in the Hawaiian tradition and chants that the taro plant came from the first born son of Wakea, the Sky Father, and Papa, the Earth Mother. From their son, who according to legend was stillborn and buried, came the taro plant, the staple of Hawaiian food. When taro is pounded to a pulp it makes poi, and by eating it, the youth of Hawaii join with their ancestors in a cultural and spiritual ritual, a protocol for many Hawaiian families.
But a genetic engineering process known as genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) looms over the taro plant – threatening to redefine its spiritual and cultural implications. Many Hawaiians believe that if the taro plant was genetically engineered that it would cease being the spiritual and cultural icon that it is today.
However, Senate Bill 958, a bill that, in its original form would place a ten year cessation on the growth, the testing or the development of genetically modified taro, came to Hawaii’s state legislation as a promise that the plant would remain untouched. Many hoped that the legislature of Hawaii would take a David and Goliath stance against big business corporations such as Monsanto and Syngenta, both of which have huge investment in GMO’s and farmlands on our islands.
It is unknown how much land these corporations hold in Hawaii, but it is widely accepted that the amount of farmland used for experimental testing in Hawaii must be staggering. According to Paul Achitoff, an attorney at EarthJustice, “In the past ten years we have had more than 2000 field tests here of genetically engineered crops, more than any other place in the world.”
And GMO’s are not only in fruits and vegetables. Elisha Goodman, of the Hawaii Organic Farmers Association, says that GMO’s have entered 70-75% of processed supermarket food here in the United States.
GMO’s are quickly becoming the way that America eats. We have reduced farmlands, yet increased food consumption. Part of the reason that we are able to buy mass quantities of fruits and vegetables is because of GMO’s and how they create a Super Food of sorts. But what are the implications of GMO’s on the American populace?
“Genetic engineering is nothing more than taking the genes of one species, or even the same species, and putting it into another organism…so the concept is pretty good – if things work the way they are suppose to work, “ says Lorrin Pang, a consultant to World Health Organization (WHO). “God help you if you blast upon a gene which is essential, which you need. If [antibiotic-resistant genes] get out, if the germs get out, then the germs become resistant. Then we have a bad problem with germ resistance. These things are not benign.”
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has done very little, if any, GMO research that is available for public viewing.
“Studies are exactly what genetically modified food needs, continues Lorrin Pang. “We act on what is called the Precautionary Principle. The Precautionary Principle tells us that we do not put things into the human body or into the environment, especially irreversible things that we do not know about. When the FDA says we know about these things, I question that. I don’t see that data.”
This type of secrecy leads many to believe that big corporations, and even bigger bucks, are backing GMO’s in high level places. That is why the triumph of Senate Bill 958 would have been a big deal in Hawaii. By supporting the ban of genetically modified taro, the politicians of Hawaii would have heard and recognized the concerns that genetic experimentation can have upon a staple of Hawaii’s culture, legacy and spirituality.
It is not, however, what happened. By unanimous votes by councilmember’s of the islands of Maui, Molikini and Kauai, the bill was to remain untouched and passed. The bill, however, was modified in such a way that gave the GMO companies the right to modify any Hawaiian plant that they chose. The bill that promised so much, in the end, had to be killed.
The passage of Senate Bill 958 would have given a young generation the ability to pass on its traditions, customs and way of life. As reported to the Honolulu Star Bulletin, Hakipu'u student Louis Soares said "We learn how the culture of taro is a really big part of Hawaiian culture. Taro is a food source, but it's also like our elder brother."
The end result is a sad commentary on the government of the people of the United States. Despite the outcries of Hawaiians, and the votes of local councilmember’s, the legislation at our capitol chose money and big business over the needs and wants of its own people. However, Hawaiians across the board are not dismayed. “The taro plant has unified the Hawaiian people,” says Jerry, a taro farmer turned GMO activist. “They have chosen the wrong plant. The Hawaiian people will unify and take their stance.”
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