Ex-judge advocates traditional Polynesian way to avoid lawsuits By Craig DeSilva for Saipan Tribune

HONOLULU, Hawaii (PIDP/CPIS) — A retired judge said modern society can learn from some of the protocols and problem-solving techniques used in traditional Polynesian society as a way to avoid costly lawsuits in the U.S. court system.

Former state Circuit Judge Thomas Kaulukukui, Jr., now a trustee for the Queen Liliuokalani Trust, gave a lecture at the State Supreme Court Building in Honolulu this week entitled “Chiefly Leadership in Modern Society.”

The lecture was sponsored by the Matsunaga Institute for Peace.

Kaulukukui, vice-president of community affairs at the Queen’s Health Systems, said one of the most important elements in Polynesian society is protocol, used as a sign of respect, especially when dealing with elders.

He remembers attending a meeting in Samoa with Pacific Island leaders in which participants paid close attention to who spoke first and the seating arrangement.

“It’s something we don’t think much of, but the Polynesians always worried about protocol,” he said. “Samoan people are terrific on their protocol, leadership and decision making. They have thousands of years of experience.”

He noted that in Samoa, it was important to know a person’s rank and status in the chiefly system. He said good leadership requires knowing who you are, knowing where you come from, and knowing where you’re going.

He added that thinking ahead and being sensitive to what’s happening around you is a basic element in interpersonal relationships that are often overlooked.

“In Fiji, the wild bore has a tusk that goes around in circles,” he said.

“It’s a pretty ornament, but it serves no purpose because it doesn’t have a useful sharp end. If you don’t have interrelationships with others, you’re just an ornament that’s not useful.”

Kaulukukui also said oratory is another high art form in Polynesian society that is not taught or emphasized in modern western society. In many societies, it’s an inherited mana (power) that requires a great deal of training by elders.

“Good oration bypasses all logic and reason and hits you in the gut to make you feel emotion,” he said. “That power of communication is understated and should be taught.”

He gave several examples of effective oratory, or speeches, used by American leaders. One is the speech former President Ronald Reagan, the great communicator, gave to the nation following the space shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986. He said it was a speech that hit the emotions of Americans.

“Ancient practices should be taught today, but we don’t,” he said.

But, Kaulukukui added, traditional practices should be linked to the modern way of life.
“If we only study traditions and the old way, then we’re historians,” he said. “The challenge is to combine the traditional and old ways. When we do that and observe protocol, we’ll come a long way in becoming good community leaders and inspire leadership in others.”