Final Intellectual Challenge by Kumu Keahi (student of Kumu Lake)
My Name is:
date: Fall 2010
And I proudly display the depth and breadth of my individual intellect below:…. (A) What are the names of the two shown in the picture? - How are their journeys very much parallel yet intertwined? - How do both their names signify leade rship qualities? Which? Paikea: Hard-shelled crab ~ protected / isolated lonely (ka„awale / separated) Tangaroa-Meha: Kanaloa-Meha ~ From the sea-lonely (ka„awale / separated) The prophetic story s peaks of Paikea (tradit ionally the first born male) will be the on “ one” who sees the troubli ng plight of the people and will be called to rescue them with the hel p provi ded by the ancestors, their protector, the whale. Paikea is faced wi th challenges (isolated in the ocean / isolated female gender) yet still will maintain the faith in fulfillment of the prophecy des pite opposition/challenge. Ai keu: How is the whale related with the figure below? Hawaiki = Hawai„i Whale “ Tangaroa-Meha” = Ka-Mehameha How is the person tied to the person below? Paikea = Pai„ea (person) who saves his people from “ Hawai„i” through prophecy as a leader invol ving the “koholā” (Pu„ukohol ā) and the sacrifices of the journey (B) Like Kumu Lake below, this leader (left) had a destiny to fulfill. What were the “ho„ailona” signs which defined his journey? Name any significant people and pl aces. Is it i mportant that some signs were passive while some were acti ve? (1) Born under the Koko„iki Star (Halley‟s) = Conquerer of the Islands (passive) (2) Kekuiapoi wa (mom) hungry for the maka manō = Eater of Chiefs (passive) (3) Hāpai Pohakū Naha =Chief from the Kaua„i Naha Clan =Ruler of the Islands - Actively asserted this prophecy at ~ 14yo (trained for this event) (4) Offered the Mohai Kanaka (over Chief Ki wal a„o) at Pākini Heiau - Actively assumed this “Chief Duty” while Ki wala„ō offered the mai„a/ pua„a (5) Built the Luakini Hei au @ Pu„ukoholā Heiau dedicated it to Kūka„ili moku - Actively sought counsel from Waikiki with prophet (kāula) Kapoukahi (Kaua„i) Ai keu: What was the intriguing significance of this vest which he When he was requested for chose to wear when requested to sit for this portrait? a portrait sitting and asked to don his best attire, Kamehameha appeared in this favori te of his attire, a red ill-fitting lowly sailor vest, not his chiefly ahu-ula (C) Pa„a ka waha, nānā ka cape. maka, ho„olohe ka pepeiao, hana ka lima.
How is this pedagogically a Polynesian learning paradigm? Shut the mouth, watch with the eyes, listen with the ears, and work with the hands, b/c “Ma ka hana ka „ike” (In work there is knowledge / Learn by doi ng / OJ T). Western pedag ogy is heavy on the reading, debate, copi ous rote assimilation of documentation & informati onal factoi ds. Pol ynesian-based learning was prag matically based i n buil ding useful skillsets and life lesson by watching a learned “kumu/kahuna” and emulati ng (ho„opili) tasks or memorizing/repeating the recitation of oral traditions. Questioning was not pri mary as faith / trust was engendered equally to the teacher and the student. Ai keu: What was the situati on where Kumu Lake made this proverb clear to me? When I asked him how he knows/learned so much, I looked me right in the eyes and said, “I listened”
Name:
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(D) What is this greeting and what purpose does it serve? The HONI is the exchange of HĀ from one to another as it acknowledges the presence of the mana of each and the combi ned mana of the two. In this Maori example, the greeting phrase is KiaOra which parallels Kia„i Ola, Hawaii an meaning to guard (kia, kia„i) the life (ola) Ai keu: What is the correlati on this has to this State‟s nickname, ALOHA State? Alo a he alo (face to face) exchange of the “hā” ALO-HĀ, not hā„ole (w/o hā)
(E) When faced with dysfunctional and uncertain cultural identity, many people readily gravitate to whatever the mainstream pop-culture is. What Hawaiian Folktale might be shared to redirect their identity & why? These two daughters of HINA, Hi naikeahi (of fire) and the sister Hi naikawai (of water) faced a l arge famine across their land districts. Hi naikeahi used her mana to create a soluti on of food in the i mu while Hi naikawai emulated her sister and her mana by doing the same thing with “fire” and Hi naikawa was destroyed in the effort. In the youths search for their pop(ular) i dentity by emulating others whose mana may, in the end, not be their own true mana. Ai keu: Though people al ways agree on all thi ngs, particularly with cul tural concepts, What pearl of nati ve wis dom promotes a humble deference to multi ple i deas? „A„ohe pau ka „ike i ka hālau ho„okahi / All learni ng is not done i n one pl ace
(F) Tell a story about everything we associate with this deified long-standing nonwatered-down fruitful symbolism of spirituality as deep as the oceans. Kū: God of State, War, Protocols, Order/Laws/ Kapu (found in uprightness/phallic) - also, myth says Kū buried hi mself head first with legs and genitalia up Lono: God of Peace, Fertility, Lush Vegetati on, O versees Makahiki Season (no war) Kāne: God of Life / Water found in the form of “ wai” in the coconut juice Kanal oa: God of the Oceans (kai) brother to Kāne (wai) „Ai keu: To make human-like associations with ani mal or plant-like objects is called “ anthropomorphism.” What proverb do we know which makes “land” the ruler?
“He ali„i ka „āina, he kauwā wale ke kānaka” “The l and is chief, man is but i ts servant” Land is permanent and supports us, gave birth to us, and will outli ve us .
(G) What is the name of this extremely important piece of epic literature in Polynesia? What are some significant purposes it serves? Who is served by this storyline? How was it possibly memorized? The Kumuli po articulates through oral traditi on the evoluti on of the uni verse and the birthing of the Polynesian pantheon of its cos mog onic existence. It tracks the duality of nature, the c haracter of vari ous flora and fauna, and the ranking of importance of elements found in the genesis of the Polynesian worl d. It contains a conti nuous geneal ogy eluci dati ng the godl y connection people have today to the creation. Recitati on of this chant was to affirm the geneal ogical birth connection as a decedant of the gods with all the ascribed rights, mana, and duty to rule as a heavenl y/ di vine chief. Memorization like came modularly through the hā passed parent to child over many generations of passing on the knowledge acquired over a lifeti me. Ai keu: Who was born the Hawaiian hi apo in this story? Where was the birth? Born mid chant, Hāloa-naka-lau-kapalili was born of Wākea and his daughter, Ho„ohōkūkalani as e„epa and buried to sprout as kalo in „Aiea, the First Hawaiian
Kumu Keahi’s Papa Haipule Final Exam for Chaminade University, Fall 2010.
Name:
Page: 3
(H) Easily recognizable and familiar symbolis ms have benefits and drawbacks. Explain the various levels of understanding when it comes to native cultures Give examples of the positives and negatives of simplifications and iconisms. The top l ayer (HVB) of the cultural iceberg is the marketing projecti on of superficial culture to those who have no familiarity. The l ayer bordering the waterline (PCC) is local culture wi th variations of authentic understandi ngs. It touts the exciting, enticing, exotic, erotic, but not the excrement (sacrifices). Deep cul ture is that being l ost which e xpl ains the origins, subtlety and nuances of l anguage/ beliefs. Ai keu: What „Olelo No‟eau speaks of seeking truer knowledge? Explain how it rel ates to the superficial percepti on of culture? Nānā i ke kumu: Look to the source. Look deeply as to the expl anati ons, the parameters, the restrictions, the understandi ngs. Don‟t rely on the comfortable superficial.
(I) As we seek our place in the universe and purpose in life… How might we articulate that our identity is defined by our choices? YOUR friends determines who you are mentors priorities mai ntaining integrity sacrifice
where you are g oing when/if you will ever get there who back you up along the way who you will be when you get there.
„Ai keu: At what point in my choices di d I lose sight of becoming a physician? In choosing my pri orities! Poorl y pri oritizing doesn‟t s peak to external barriers but to unresol ved internal conflict. Resol ve that, and the journey might just continue
(J) What singular social determinant often defines the simplicity of our homes, form of our language, and complexity of our religion? The factor of whether a society hunts&gathers or whether they farm/ domesticate becomes the most significant determinant of family size (small vs l arge), home constructi on (light/ mobile vs . soli d/heavy) i n language (sign/spoken vs. written), labor skills (self-reliant vs multi-di vi ded), government (small autonomous vs. large & complex), & religion (near pol ypagan ani malisms vs distant monotheism) „Ai keu: We are often brought up to believe certain myths, folklore, or legends What do we know about the eating habi ts of the polar bear now? The polar bear eats many things including seals, fish, whales, and even other bears but it doesn‟t eat penguins because they are not on the same poles.
(K) What we re the symbolis ms and representation of lineage? Describe in detail the underlying meaning and also where else it appears in this storyline of leadership. The rope is introduced as a lineal descendancy bindi ng (wili) today to the ancestors. It breaks in the scene but Pai repairs it in cultural parallel to her prophetic reconnection wi th Tang aroaMeha. It reappears in the forcing of the whale back to sea, when proper protocol a homage was needed as she exchanges hā and then leads Tang aroaMeha and the pod back to safety. Ai keu: Where were the lands from which the ancestral Paikea came? Hawaiki ~ Hawai„i ~ Hava „iki ~ Small Java
(L) Address the Final Essay Question linked he re and found in your email.
The Rite Time for the Wrong Hawaiian? <click>
(*) Consider the Extra Credit Options to be arranged between now and the end of this week.
Mahalo for walking this journey with me and sharing your manawa, mana‘o, and your mana ! Kumu Keahi’s Papa Haipule Final Exam for Chaminade University, Fall 2010.