Native Hawaiians Protest Patent on the Sacred Taro Plant

(Here is picture of a baby as the “root” of the Taro.  This picture depicts the origin story of the Native Hawaiian people, and how “Kalo” is the source of the people)

Continued from earlier post….

"We're saying you cannot own our taro, you cannot own our taro. It's so simple!"

“Hawaiian activists and farmers are demanding that the University of Hawaii (UH) give up its patents on three lines of taro whose lineage extends back to Polynesian taro first brought to the Islands centuries ago. The University was granted U.S. patents on the varieties in 2002, and has also sought world-wide patent rights.”

This article came out on May 19^th, 2006 by the Organic Consumers Association.  Here is a link to the article if you would like view it: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_504.cfm

This debate about patenting Taro between the Native Hawaiian Activists and the University of Hawaii has been going on for the past several years.  Although I can see both sides of the arguments.  

Native Activists are outraged that even the thought of this sacred plant being “owned” is oppressing to the people.  NO corporations or by that matter even Universities should have the right to put ownership on something is sacred/culturally significant to one’s culture. 

The University of Hawaii argues that they are only doing this to “protect” the taro.  They argue that if they were not the first ones to put a patent on the Taro, or even stepped down and took no action at all, then other corporations would do it. 

I however am on the Native Activists side.  Even though the University of Hawaii has a valid point of “someone else coming into patenting the taro,” still doesn’t mean that THEY have the right to do it.  Taro or Kalo has NO OWNERSHIP.  It has been here even before humans have been on this planet.  Taro is so culturally significant to many Pacific Islanders culture that some even have ceremonies for Taro.  In several Polynesian cultures it is believed that Taro was given to the native people directly from the Gods.  Now tell me, how can you patent that? 

Just something to think about….