On Hima: Colonial and Indigenous Politics of Conservation in Guåhan

On July 5th, 2024, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that several species of giant clams in Guåhan (Guam)–-known among the Indigenous CHamoru people as “hima”–-will be designated as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This threatens CHamoru cultural and religious practitioners who harvest and carve hima as a religious practice. This paper situates the 2024 NOAA conservation policies within the tumultuous  history of U.S. conservation policy in Guåhan, while eliding how U.S. imperialism and military occupation are the source of environmental catastrophe in Guåhan. This paper will conclude by offering an Indigenous model of conservation rooted in “In-Place” preservation practices and contemporary LANDBACK! politics in Guåhan.