Format: ORAL

Else Demeulenaere1, Maria Hernandez May2, Stefanie M. Ickert-Bond3

1 University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant, University of Guam, UOG Station, Mangilao, 96923, Guam 2 Micronesia Climate Change Alliance, Guam 3 UA Museum of the North Herbarium and Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6960, USA

The Mariana Islands are characterized by a rich biocultural diversity. The CHamoru people of Guam (the southernmost island) have coexisted sustainably with their islands biotic communities. When the sacred lands of Tailalo and Litekyan became threatened by military expansion on Guam, a social movement advocated for the protection of the CHamoru peoples biocultural heritage and the return of their lands. Maria Hernandez May, an Indigenous CHamoru woman and daughter of a lineage of original Litekyan landowners, continues the legacy of her ancestors in her fight to get their land back. She is at the forefront of the movement, advocating for endangered species, CHamoru culture and ancestral land. The social movement also represents the voices of the traditional healers, fishermen and cultural groups who gather for ceremonies. An ethnographic case study, using methods drawn from Participatory Action and Social Movement Research, analyzed the environmental injustices in a historical and current context. Our research is grounded in learning from those who have mobilized this movement, especially the Indigenous peoples. We documented the spiritual, sacred connections to the land, and how sovereignty rights are tied to CHamoru identity and values. U.S. law disregarded Indigenous perspectives which play a vital role in plant-human spiritual frameworks and the protection of Indigenous biocultural heritage. Despite opposition from the island community and demands for environmental justice, the Department of Defense bulldozed the forest at Tailalo. More destruction is on the way at Litekyan. This symposium, with a call to action from within the botanical research community, excites us. Maria, traditional knowledge holder and activist, and Else, scientist and activist, will share how we support each other to amplify Indigenous voices.