The Strands We Entwine

Abstract The islands and peoples that constellate the Pacific Ocean embrace profound relations that are thousands of years in the making. However, colonial hegemony actively blurs those abundant connections and instead positions nations such as Låguas yan Gåni (the Mariana Islands) and Hawai‘i as being singularly linked by shared histories of U.S. occupation and colonialism. The dominant narrative disarticulates Indigenous Pacific communities from their ways of knowing one another as kin. This essay explores and critiques the notion that colonialism mediates relations among Indigenous Pacific people, particularly those of the ManCHamoru and Kānaka Maoli, through the lens of abortion. The author weaves together and analyzes histories of reproductive politics across Guåhan, the largest island in the Marianas, and Hawai‘i to make an urgent connection between the struggles and resistance of the ManChamoru, Kānaka Maoli, and non-Native peoples of these places. In doing so, the author demonstrates how colonialism, through gender and sexuality, strives to sever Indigenous relationalities. Moreover, the author shows that reproductive politics is a generative site of solidarity with the potential for expanding alliances throughout the world.