EA Field School 2018 Journal #4

EA Field School Journal #4

  What if instead of using all of our time, energy, and resources on developing our personal structures (homes, buildings, shopping centers, etc) and accumulating resources (material goods, entertainment, and excess) and we spent some attention and a little more energy on helping to restore and revive our natural systems on Maui,  strengthen community, and build up future leaders in helping to shape this island towards a more sustainable lifestyle.
  Ahupuaʻa around Maui start to produce highly nutritional food that we could distribute to our Schools, community neighbourhoods, food banks, and feeding the less fortunate.  Members of the community would be able to work alongside each other sharing, communining, and getting to know one another on deeper levels creating a tight mutual network built on authentic relationships.  And future generations would come to know and experience this kind of environment creating a solid foundation deep within, building character, and producing healthy individuals with a sense of kuleana for their ʻĀina.
  What if wholistic natural food systems were put back into place?  What kind of benefits or challenges would that bring?  What would it require?  Is it possible?
  For millions and millions of years the creation of Hawaiʻi was built with certain potentiality in mind.  It would have seen the most poetic songwriter, romantic artist, insightful and wise creator(s) orchestrated every mountain top, valley, kahawai, wai puna, makani, all pieces of this island to work and function together in interdependency.  Each land feature, territory was given a god to cultivate and teach the coming of kanaka to survive and mālama ʻāina.  It was as if each wahi was treated with purity, sacredness, and respect, first by the god guardians that protected it then passed unto the kupuna and aliʻi who held those secrets.
 Modern insights in todayʻs world has given another angle of perspective.  The geographical landscape and natural catastrophes create the foundation and resources for life.  From volcanic explosions to ice glaciers on top of Haleakalā falling and creating rides in the landscape, to massive mudslides and pounding winds building and blowing minerals originated as far as China.  The ahupuaʻa such as Kaupō area are filled with exciting geographical stories to be rediscovered.  With each geographical realization brings deeper validation of the kupuna who lived on these lands and cultivated them.
  With some problems we face today such as importing 80%+ of our food, materialism, excess entertainment, etc.  Reestablishing a sustainable ahupuaʻa system within the community, from the community, by the community I believe would alleviate many of the tensions and pressures that come from a european westernized culture.  To set up the success of that vision it is necessary for the proper research to be done ma mua.  Research experts such as Scott Fischer, Kiana Frank,  and Noah Lincon are provided important groundwork for the vision of restoration and malama ʻĀina.  As we continue into the vision of a sustainable Hawaiʻi once again models such as Aunty Dona provide a visual for us to experience this dream.
  As we continue to look into the past to gain wisdom on how to move forward it would seem the biggest barriers can be the comfortable chains that bind the mind to greed, apathy, and selfish ambition that come from generations after generations of institutionalized brainwashing.  It is not only till we are exposed and experience “Aloha ʻĀina” for ourselves that we can truly dive deep into being truly connected to the values of the Lā Hui Hawaiʻi.  This experience not only requires deep intellectual understanding but also hard work and dedication, and mostly passionate spirit to truly live out Aloha.

KUMULIPO

Sam Peralta

Kumulipo

Did The Universe Have a Beginning?

 The question “Why is there something rather than nothing?” has been one of the deepest philosophical questions of mankind which all worldviews must answer.  In the Hawaiian world view the creation of time, space, and matter is infused with the culture, traditions, and history of the Hawaiian people.  The Kumulipo is interested in allowing the listener to be connected and somewhat involved in the process and ongoing of the creation of the universe in contrast to most 16th century philosophy where the individual remains detached and “objective” in his own sense from the universe.  Here from the start we see the Hawaiian worldview interested in calling mankind into history, inviting him to take part in the development of the unknown to the known.  Rather than the question “why is there something rather than nothing?” The question seems more like “what part does humanity have in the history of the universe?”

From the Unknown to Known

 The Kumulipo starts off the first section with the idea of “Po”.  Po can mean a variety of things in the Hawaiian language, and in context of the Kumulipo and various interpretations the definition can include darkness, obscurity, mystery, realm of the gods, and or chaos.  It is interesting to note that the idea of the formation of order of the universe has always come from disorder, this idea has been throughout all creation stories and legends of the major ancient world religions (Mesopotamians, Babylonians, Persians, Egyptian, Judeo Christian, etc).  With the evolution of consciousness creation chants, stories, and legend were effective ways to make sense of the dangers and unknown mysteries of the world.  And as man could articulate more and more of the mysteries and sacred it seemed he could now organize beauty out of the chaos.  And even start to make sense of his surroundings by the world around him.  

Biological Evolution

 Charles Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection gave science and philosophy new ways of seeing the human body development within the context of creation.  In the Kumulipo the stages of the development and process of creation appearances give me the sense of the same kind of idea.  It seems that the evolution of the human body came from stages of animal development, selection, and adaptation.  Each stage of creature development allowed and paved a way for more complex creatures to appear until the first functional human appears. 

Consciousness of the Sacred Realm

 For the first seven or so Wa (epoch/ time span), the Kumulipo finishes with the saying “O ke Akua ke Komo, ‘a’oe komo kanaka”.  Here we are given insight to the awareness of not only the deep understanding of the biological evolution of the human body, but also of the awareness to the realm of the unknown “the spiritual”.  Hawaiians were intune with creation and the force(s) in which sparked life.  They were not naive or ignorant of the fabric layer of the immaterial.  In the Kumulipo we see that this immaterial world is actually the foundation on which the first humans, even gods, could live in.

Consciousness of Creation

 The land and all of creation were in perfect harmony long before humanity became consciousness.  Here in the Kumulipo it is expressed at the end of the first 7 Wa as “Po No”.  “Po No” in the context of the Kumulipo has two possible meanings.  One meaning “darkness indeed”, implying the great mystery that none can fathom in the creation process.  And the other meaning “Pono” the Hawaiian word that cannot be fully expressed in a single English articulation, but is seen or known to mean balanced or in perfect harmony.  Here in the consciousness of creation the Kumulipo is expressing the idea of complete self sustainability as a functional interdependent organism system. 

 One of the hints Hawaiians had the idea of creation being a self sustaining organism is their idea that before the first humans were conscious everything was “Pono”.  

 Other Thoughts:

 Some other thoughts while pondering the Kumulipo is the understanding of the Consciousness of Self, understanding of Social Consciousness, and the Ethical and Moral Implications implied.  Those discoveries are made in the second section of the Kumulipo called “Ao”. 

 The Kumulipo is a very advanced complex narrative of the creation of the universe while weaving in social, moral, and sacred codes to help guide a society of pioneers, adventurers, and warriors.  What made the Kumulipo even more impressive was the writer’s ability to use the Hawaiian language in its most raw original form through melody and rhythm. 

Sources:

Kalekoa Ka’eo HWN Culture 231

Kiope Raymond HWN 107

“Reading Kumulipo” by Peter 5/07/97

Kumulipo “Wikipedia”

Kumulipo Translated by Martha Warren Beckwith

 

Settler Colonialism For HWN 107 Class

Sam Peralta

HWN 107

Settler Colonialism

   Settler colonialism can be used interchangeably with the idea of “dominance hierarchy”.  But first let us look at the world colonialism and its origins.  This idea of extending power over for the purpose of control has been traced first back to Greek influence after the fall of the Bronze Age with population growth no longer sustainable they looked towards seas to direct their people too.  This hunger and need for “tribe” survival no matter how sophisticated they may be now called “colonialism” can be examined further and deeper by looking at the natural structured system found in the the very similar concept in Colonialism called “dominance hierarchies”.   

Dominance hierarchies arises when members of a social group interact, often aggressively to create a ranking system.  Ever since the start and development of creation, dominance hierarchies have been a huge part of survival and adaptation for all of life.  This power struggle and hunger is embedded deep within creation history.  From humanity's most basic beginnings found within the darwinism evolution theory ( or found in Kumulipo) as a basic single celled organism, to the fierce almost impossible odds of organizing and adapting to more complex creatures, for millions and millions of years this dominance power struggle has been the norm for creation.  The necessity of one power (or group of powers) overcoming another for survival has been almost genetically wired within this worldʻs inhabitants.  From the earliest of tribes aiming for survival, conquest, and urges to satisfy their desires, settling and extending collective power for personal gain has, is, and will always be the case.

 But the Hawaiian Story like many other indigenous stories (Africans, Hebrews, Indians, Polynesian islands, etc.) premises their human consciousness not on the random, cruel, and unguided materialistic/ naturalistic processes of evolution.  Life does not begin with the carnal beastly urges for survival, but life begins with the touch of the divine.  The idea of settler colonialism is an ideology of power and hierarchy that stems from the animal kingdom.  Power takes on different forms such as military, diplomacy, science, etc. and uses it for its own tribes agenda, purposes, and wantings.  In the Hawaiian Kingdom like many other cultures in tune with creation and the Creator, life isnʻt random but is built in with sacrifice, offering, and the awareness of the principalities, powers, and authorities seen and unseen.  Life isnʻt about fending for the individualistic self but a more holistic, accountable, consciousness for Akua, others, and self.  Bob Marley sang “emancipate yourself from mental slavery, for none but ourselves can free our minds..” Here I believe he is singing about getting out of the world system of dominance hierarchy, colonialism, imperialism, babylon etc. and stepping where this game cannot be played.  Bob Marley continues to sing about prophets and fulfilling “the book”, he sings about the realm of the sacred, of the unknown, of a reality more real than the ones we can only see with our naturalistic eyes.  The Hawaiian people were deeply in tune with this reality way beyond the years of its oppressors (americans) who only formly copied their oppressors (europeans) and so on (greeks).  As Dr Keanu Sai has said “Sovereignty Continues” for the people of Hawaii.  It is only this ghost or a structure that tempts mankind to participate with this game of power, oppression, and apathy.  With deeper meditation and reflection the structure of “settler colonialism” controls and consumes only those who want to play that game.  For those who have been lead out of this suppressive system structured by the powers of this world it is plain to see that greed, selfish ambition, and apathy has colonized the hearts of persons who have not noticed its enemy of the soul.  In the book of Ephesians chapter six verse twelve it says “... for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of this evil in the heavenly realms.” 

 E mālama ʻia nā pono o ka ʻāina e na ʻōpio.  ( The traditions of the land are perpetuated by its youth).  Maybe itʻs a lack of knowledge of what the Kupuna already knew and the practice of the sacred traditions, sharing of stories, and prayers that those who have/ are waiting for their salvation really need.  A lift from the structures of this secular world into the realm of the sacred and the tools and wisdom in how to navigate within it.  Settler Colonialism to me seems like a “western world” concept.  For those who do not want to participate in that system, deep thought, council, and wisdom can be taken, to take a leap into the unknown.  For those who have taken that leap into the unknown without wisdom, council, and help most of them do not come back in a sane state.  But the benefits if one makes it to the consciousness of a grand narrative beyond human constructs find themselves surely liberated.  Hawaiian people served their Aliʻi in representation to their faith in the sacred realm.  And for one to leave the sacred, the very reality of living, the place where identity dwells in replacement for a materialistic existence is surely a bad trade off.  In this paper hopefully I tried to make a distinction between “Settler Colonialism” (or Dominance Hierarchy) is in the reality of this world and its powers.  Where if one can take a different approach, and not play the games of this world, and be a -tune with the sacred realm, focusing on words like calling, vision, mission, prophecy, destiny become world's available to discover and adventure in.  I guess when it comes down to it, the attitude and free will choice to choose freedom or slavery, history has shown that humanity usually chooses what its used to.

Refrences:

https://globalsocialtheory.org/concepts/settler-colonialism/

Bob Marley “Redemption Song”

Ephesians 6:12    

Dominance Hierarchies:  Jordan Peterson