Readings

From Goodyear-Ka‘ōpua – “Rebuilding the ‘Auwai”

• ‘Auwai – Traditional Hawaiian irrigation ditches that supported taro (kalo) farming and symbolized sustainable land and water management.

• Lo‘i kalo – Wetland taro fields cultivated by Native Hawaiians, central to food sovereignty, culture, and ecosystem balance.

• Kanaka Maoli – Indigenous people of Hawai‘i; literally “true people” or Native Hawaiians.

• Sustainable Self-Determination – Concept (from Corntassel) describing Indigenous communities’ ability to sustain themselves through cultural, ecological, and economic practices outside colonial systems.

• Ahupua‘a – Traditional Hawaiian land division running from mountain to sea, reflecting an integrated ecological and social system.

• Charter Schools (Hawai‘i) – Semi-autonomous schools that can center Hawaiian culture and knowledge within state education systems.

• Epistemic Self-Determination – The right of Indigenous peoples to generate and control their own knowledge systems.

• ‘Āina – Hawaiian word for land, meaning “that which feeds”; reflects the deep relationship between people, land, and sustenance.

From Meehan Crist – “Is it OK to Have a Child?”

• Reproductive Choice – The ability (often unequal across class, gender, and geography) to decide whether or not to have children, shaped by access to healthcare, technology, and social conditions.

• Reproductive Justice – A framework developed by Black feminists emphasizing not only the right to avoid having children, but also the right to raise children in safe, healthy environments.

• Climate Anxiety & Reproduction – The growing fear and ethical concern about bringing children into a world facing ecological collapse and climate change.

• Overconsumption (Global North) – The idea that environmental destruction stems less from the number of people and more from unsustainable lifestyles in wealthy nations.

• Population Control – Policies or ideologies aiming to limit the number of births; historically tied to racism, coercion, and ecofascist thinking.

• Ecofascism – An ideology combining environmental concerns with authoritarian and racist population-control measures.

• Carbon Footprint Logic – The framing of climate responsibility as an individual moral duty, such as having fewer children, instead of focusing on systemic causes like fossil fuel industries.

• Artificial Reproductive Technologies (ART) – Medical innovations like IVF, egg freezing, and uterine transplants that expand options for parenthood, but are unevenly accessible.