UNIVERSAL OWNERSHIP. Walter Ritte, a Hawaiian fish farmer and activist, was upset when he learned late last year that researchers at the University of Hawaii (UH), Manoa, were genetically modifying taro, a sacred plant believed to have given rise to the first Hawaiians. But finding out that the university had previously patented three varieties of disease-resistant taro really made him angry. "We felt that they could not own our ancestor," says Ritte (second from left), savoring a victory after UH agreed last month to give up its rights over the patents.
The campaign included placing a 2-meter-tall sculpture of Haloa, the first-born Hawaiian, holding a taro root, on the front lawn of the university president's office. In May, the activists locked the front doors to a meeting of the state board of regents. They also rejected the university's offer to transfer the patents to native Hawaiians, arguing that no one should own the native plants.
The university says it's giving up the patents out of respect for Native Hawaiians. Administrators have also put a moratorium on work to genetically modify native taro, pending discussions with native groups.
CREDIT: GMO FREE HAWAII
