Analyze

Remember the arrivals of Mā’ohi ancestors who traversed the sea and surged upon the shores. Over generations, many groups explored and peopled te fenua, travelling around the archipelagos by va’a and on bare foot. Te nūna’a Mā’ohi built up the land, and the land built up te nūna’a, with fare, fa’apū, tumu, marae, and stories. Te fenua and te nūna’a shared experiences and developed knowledges, year in, year out, together. 

In other worlds, those we call popa’āwere knowing and being in very different ways. Over time, te popa’ābuilt physical, spiritual, and epistemic walls to imagine a separation between themselves and the land. They dreamed of knowing without relation, and called it “objectivity.” Adrift in the violent nightmares of their mindless fantasies, te popa’ābecame ungrounded. They tried to fill this existential void through stories of supremacism, which they acted out through projects of transoceanic conquest. In their empty confusion, te popa’ācame to te fenua Mā’ohi with greed, envy, arrogance, disease, and weapons of mass destruction. 

Whether through deliberate genocide or oblivious indifference, popa’āarrivals decimated Mā’ohi communities, as local populations fell by 80% to 90%. This formative trauma foreshadowed disasters to come. Te popa’āstole te fenua’s physical wealth on a massive scale, and then imposed a nuclear weapons testing program, bringing radioactive waste, cancer, and other illness. Te popa’ātimed the introduction of mass tourism with atomic testing, to obscure the social, economic, and environmental impacts of the nuclear program. They deceived ta’ata Mā’ohi with empty stories, progressively luring many ta’ata into a modern nuclear-tourism future of individualism, wage labor, cash economies, consumer advertising, broadcast entertainment, artificial scarcity, and nuclear family subdivisions. Te popa’āsought to break the bond between te ta’ata and te fenua. They did not know, this bond cannot be broken. 

The popa’āproject of supremacist colonial modernization is ongoing. But so is the Mā’ohi project of knowing and growing with the land. 

Tahitian language glossary

fare house(s), building(s)

feafea (i) thinking (of, about)

fenua land(s), territory(ies), world(s)

fa’apū garden(s); place(s) for growing crops

nūna’a people, peoples, nation(s)

Mā’ohi Indigenous to French Polynesia

marae ceremonial pavilion(s)

miti salt water; sea(s)

o of

popa’ā the people who think they are white

te the, a, an, some

ta’ata person, people, human(s)

tumu tree(s); root(s)

va’a canoe(s); sailing canoe(s)

Photo: Maupiti lagoon. Text, photo and layout by Teo Akande Wickland. Made with Mā’ohi, Black American, Latinx, queer, feminist and modern/colonial knowledges.

Wickland, Teo Akande. "Feafea i te miti o te fenua ." In 4S Paraconference X EiJ: Building a Global Record, curated by Misria Shaik Ali, Kim Fortun, Phillip Baum and Prerna Srigyan. Annual Meeting of the Society of Social Studies of Science. Honolulu, Hawai'i, Nov 8-11, 2023

1. What are PODER’s primary goals and objectives regarding environmental justice and social sustainability? 

2. Could you describe the organization’s stance on current political and social issues?

By working closely with the communities it seeks to support, PODER advances justice and good governance by emphasizing the voices of stakeholders in the affected neighborhoods. Doing so is challenging the systemic inequalities and promoting environmental and social sustainability; these practices are significant because they would benefit all communities regardless of race, ethnicity, or income level.

In the media, PODER is generally recognized as one of the leading environmental justice organizations advocating for social and environmental justice in the Bay Area. It has been praised for its work in promoting environmental justice and initiatives that support affordable housing. Still, it has also faced criticism from some groups who disagree with its political positions and tactics.

PODER functions within the environmental justice sector, advocating for equitable and sustainable solutions to ecological problems in low-income communities of color in the San Francisco Mission District. 

1. PODER collaborates with other community-based organizations and other parties that can advance its goals. Their list of collaborative organizations includes and is not limited to; the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, the Bayview Hunters Point Mothers and Fathers Committee, and the San Francisco Rising Alliance. 

Changes in government policies and regulations can impact the organization's ability to achieve its goals, requiring innovative and creative solutions to continue developing new opportunities for organizing and advocacy. Shifting public opinion and media coverage can also affect how the public and policymakers perceive the organization.

1.  Given the nature of PODER's work, environmental racism, injustice, and compounding effects of intersectionality are challenges present within this organization and relate to their modes of advocacy. Keeping the community engaged and participating in efforts is challenging because stakeholders often require volunteer time and effort to participate in different activities and advocacy efforts. This in itself is an issue all organizations can struggle with.  

1. Among the organizations I have looked at thus far, PODER offers programming and mentorship opportunities specifically to mobilize the youth; this is not something they claim to be as unique and singular to their organization, but when compared to the others, this proactive attempt to drive interest and importance of environmental issues to youth is a great strategy to implement for future ecological justice activists, advocates, and champions.

PODER works closely with community members and partner organizations to research and share data relating to environmental justice issues. They rely on peer-reviewed research and data from reputable sources to ensure the information they have and circulate is relevant and accurate. The organization also is proactive in being transparent and accountability measures to invite feedback from community members and stakeholders.