This publication is dedicated to many individuals who continually commit themselves to the perpetuation of cultural wisdom and different ways of knowing. I would like to acknowledge in particular Uncle Jerry Konanui, who was a constant inspiration and a reminder of the horticultural and observational excellence of our ancestors; Susan Schenck, whose knowledge and care of the original Hawaiian collection was a great contribution throughout the research process; and Peter Van Dyke, who offered the freedom and support that initially catalyzed this project. I would also like to acknowledge the many people who contributed time and effort to this publication, including Dr. Malcolm Nāea Chun, Dana Shapiro, Lynn Lincoln, Kiani Garrett, Stryder Garrett, Sylva Cechova, Adelaide Oneil, Casey Maue, Taryn Takahashi, Craig Elevitch, Penny Levin, Kamaui Aiona, Manuel Rego, Robert Dawson, Kawika Winter, David Orr, Peter Gaffney, Lisa Raymond, Tamara Sherrill, Kekuewa Kikiloi, Bill Panui, Keoki Stender, Josh McCullough, and Kamana Beamer.

Noa Kekuewa Lincoln is of native Hawaiian, German, and Japanese decent, born in Kealakekua on Hawai‘i Island. The Hawaiian cultural epistemology, which places environment at the core of human well-being, has been the kuamo‘o (lit. backbone) of his personal and professional accomplishments. Noa received his BS in Environmental Engineering from Yale University, and his PhD in Environment and Resources from Stanford University, where his work focused on traditional agricultural development pathways and management strategies. He has worked in marine and terrestrial ecosystem restoration and conservation around the Pacific, and has coupled these efforts with cultural and environmental education and community engagement. He has conducted analyses of land asset allocation for several organizations, bringing together concepts of cultural values, ecosystem services, and economics. For the past many years he has worked on traditional Hawaiian ethnobotany and agriculture. He was the Ethnobotany Educator for the Bishop Museum’s Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden and has implemented projects facilitated through a variety of partnerships with community organizations. He has worked to revitalize traditional dryland agricultural systems in Hawai‘i, learning from the past while simultaneously feeding and educating the present. Noa is recognized as an emerging expert in Hawaiian crops and cropping systems. He has received fellowships from the Switzer Foundation, the National Science foundation, the Ecological Society of America, the First Nations Futures Program, and the Mellon Foundation to conduct this work. His primary interests are in combining traditional and modern knowledge of land management to evaluate social utility, rather than economic, contributions. He is currently a research fellow with Ngai Tahu Research Centre at the University of Canterbury and an Assistant Professor at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa with a focus on Indigenous Crops and Cropping Systems.