Reflections from our notetakers:

This session reflects on Project Mōkiha, which is grounded in the ‘Ōlelo No‘eau, Hawaiian proverb and saying, Ola i ka wai. Water is life. This session encourages us to reflect on our understandings of a culture of health, reminding us that health is holistic, relational, and rooted in being pono and lōkahi. Mauliola, optimal health and wellbeing, extends beyond the individual, encompassing relationships between kānaka, ʻāina, and akua. As WAI symposium attendees, we were invited to consider the sacredness of wai, especially as expressed in our Hawaiian language and culture, while envisioning collective healing, futures of abundance, and wellbeing for our beloved communities.

Reflections from our notetakers:

This presentation shared the creation narrative that tangata Māori hold with the natural world, reminding us that everything is connected. Through the framework of te unaunahi i whakapiripiri ki te ika nui a Māui, participants explored four interwoven layers, which acknowledges the earth, sky, flora, and animal world as elders to us as humans. Teachings from this presentation demonstrate how engaging with cultural practices not only preserve mātauranga tuku iho but also nurture mental health and resilience. A second framework, Tēnei te pou, was introduced as a tikanga-based method to guide learners into a sacred learning space, supported by cultural practitioners. Together, these teachings center community-led initiatives to promote wellbeing and knowledge exchange with cultural practice, food, and kōrero, creating generational health and healing.  

Reflections from our notetakers:

The training session explored LANDBACK in Aotearoa, not as a how-to manual, but rather based on lived experiences, histories, and conditions that made LANDBACK possible. Land ownership is a foreign concept imposed through colonization and intensified by capitalism and globalization. Yet, Indigenous Peoples remain committed to being grounded in Indigenous knowledge and creating present-day solutions. Examples discussed during the training session include Treaty settlements and legal personhood, demonstrating the way Indigenous thinking is woven into current state systems. Partners from Moloka'i Heritage Trust also presented on their efforts and lessons learned of 'ĀINABACK. 

Despite forward movements, governments continue to resist the full return of lands taken and privatized. Thus, this session also discussed different pathways for settlements, co-governance, and recognition of Indigenous stewardship. Ultimately, the workshop emphasized that Indigenous action, knowledge, and persistence may be keys to shifting systems, building evidence, and making LANDBACK possible, reminding us that we are collectively part of this movement.

Reflections from our notetakers:

The session began with oli and mele, grounding us in the sacredness of wai and our collective kuleana to honor its life-giving force. Together, the group chanted to the vitality of wai, reaffirming that health flows synergistically with water. Anchored in the words of Bryan Kamaoli Kuwada, participants reflected on how we, collectively as peoples, have already “inhabited the future for thousands of years.” The presentation also uplifted the protection, advocacy, and strategic organizing around Mauna Kea, with David Uahikeaikalei‘ohu Maile’s words reminding us that science cannot come at the cost of desecration. This presentation made a call for radical hope in a time of global crisis and anxiety. Dr. Emalani Case emphasized the urgency of protecting aquifers, recognizing that today’s water carries the memory of past generations, and thus, what we feed into the earth now will shape the water of tomorrow. The session closed with a powerful charge to remember wai through resistance, persistence, and the ever-flowing radical and relational hope that sustains Indigenous futures.

Reflections from our notetakers:

This presentation was grounded in the Māori proverb and saying, mai te awa ki te moana, from the river to the sea, which was framed as a lived experience and as a collective call to resist colonization across the globe. Rooted in Māori and Indigenous health, the speaker shared their path from the East Coast of Aotearoa to medicine, public health, and climate resilience. The River Model illustrates how awa (rivers) directly shape waiora (wellbeing), reminding us that climate change is not a distant threat but a present force impacting health, livelihoods, and spiritual connections. Indigenous worldviews affirm that the health of the planet is the health of the people, and today’s ecological crises are symptoms of colonization and disconnection. The Indigenous Climate Justice Model centers restorative, distributive, procedural, and relational solutions, thereby emphasizing decolonial thoughts and approaches and returning to traditional ways. Climate change, though daunting, offers an opportunity to reimagine politics and create futures once thought impossible, as the renowned scholar Moana Jackson envisioned.