“O ke au i kahuli wela ka Honua”
At the end of every Wā in the Kumulipo an epoch has passed, another new age in evolution occurs. Each wā containing the components necessary (biological, ecological, spiritual, etc.) fast forwards millions of years in directed intentional evolution each layer building from simple to more complex in many interconnected orders of life. In contrast some other theories of evolution theorizes the randomness and change of evolution such as the Neo Darwinism theory as pure chance and luck and nothing more. But the theories of directed evolution suggest “process structuralism” as the laws of the universe which finely tune for life. It seems that the natural progress in the Kumulipo offers these “primal patterns” guided by the natural laws in life giving multi diversions within the creation process.
In the book of Genesis 1:2, we see the Spirit hovering over the dark, deep, mysterious waters, could it be the same waters seen in the Kumulipo? Could this “formless, and empty” world found in Genesis 1 fit into the accounts in the first 11 lines of the Kumulipo? As each epoch of time passes in the Genesis account only theories of how much time exactly is fitted between them. Are the years of Genesis literal?, figurative?, or categorical?
The many kaona of translation is just as complex and multifaceted as the one communicating the message as well as the listener. In oral cultures information was passed through narratives and in patterns to continue the longevity of the story. While we can take the kumulipo translation in somewhat of a biological, geographical lens for interpretation, we must also highly consider the spiritual lens and implications of the Kumulipo.
