|
|
May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The National Agricultural Library holds Indigenous Flowers of the Hawaiian Islands by Isabella McHutcheson Sinclair which consists of watercolors of local flowers with descriptive text. While the author uses Hawaiian names for the plants and describes Hawaiian culture, the book is written from a 19th century European perspective.
According to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, a semi-autonomous state agency responsible for improving the wellbeing of all Native Hawaiians, “Land is not a commodity to be exploited, it is a relative that is respected and cared for and, who, in turn, cares for us. Mālama ʻāina expresses our kuleana to care for the land and to properly manage the resources and gifts it provides. Aloha ʻāina expresses our love for this land and beyond that, our love of country – the sovereign nation stolen away but ever in our hearts.”
|
|
|
|
