He Pūʻao ke Kai, He Kai ka Pūʻao (Ocean as Womb, Womb as Ocean): Mana Wahine Aloha ʻĀina Activism as Return, Revival, and Remembrance

ABSTRACT In Kumulipo, a Hawaiian cosmogonic chant, all life begins in the sea. Thus, ʻŌiwi (Hawaiians) share kinship connections our flora, fauna, and natural elements that originate in our mother ocean, the womb of Papahānaumoku (earth mother). Contemporary Aloha ʻĀina activism engages with protecting and caring for our environment and peoples. This essay explores examples of contemporary Aloha ʻĀina activism led by Indigenous Pacific women. Such Indigenous feminism is meant to heal the ʻāina (land), empower the lāhui (people), and resist patriarchy as Indigenous Feminist Oceanic practices recognize, celebrate, practice, and thus affirm our kinship connections with our environment.