Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 6, Number 8, 1 August 1989 — Makaku [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Makaku

By Rocky Ka'iouliokahihikolo 'Ehu Jensen ©

I remember when I started writing this eolumn two years ago, 1 tried to explain culture, "Na Tke A Me Na Hana", (Things of the Mind and of the Hands). Hale Naua III also produced a major exhibit demonstrating the fine arts created by Native Hawaiians. I've further named by article Makaku, because I desired strongly to take this archaic word-concept and reintroduce it as a foundation of our Spiritual Native Expression. In ancient days, Makaku signified the ultimate in creative artistic mana. In Puku'i's dictionary, it is translated as "creative imagination of an artist" . . . but right next to that, in italics, there are three letters that spell out OBS., whieh denotes that the word is obsolete. The word is no longer used as part of our functioning language. I don't know about you but I become frightened when I see the letters OBS. after our Hawaiian words. You must remember that our words are not merely words — they are concepts-thought-phrases, whieh cover huge areas of knowledge that, in some cases, have become obsolete along with the word. I ask myself, why did that word-concept heeome obsolete? Why aren't we using the word-concept any longer? And in reference to Makaku: did we cease being creatively imaginative . . . as the term obsolete suggests? Or did we simply fall prey to those who no longer perceived us as being artists with creabve imagination? And, of course, our creative arena was destroyed thereby forcing the wordconcept to heeome obsolete. The Maori diction-

ary helps us to understand this "creative imagination" even further . . . Matatu means "begin to flow." Our Mana'o (Divine Thoughts) "flow" from the mind's eye into the hands, making the Native Artists "creatively imaginative." Unfortunately, from 1819, this concept, this "flow", this Divine Thought, was discouraged into oblivion. Those who lived by the word-concept of Makaku, were involved in creating sacred art. Those who then heeame spiritual advisors to the queen enforced the obliteration of our "creative imagination," nearly succeeding in making all of Makaku obsolete! Now, I've said it before and I will say it again. What we have is a serious misalignment of thought. One that needs immediate adjusting if we are to be considered a nation of Kanaka Maoli. Years ago, we were told to eonhnue our crafts. We were even encouraged to eonhnue our crafts. We were given tiny plots of land so we could enchant the tourist with our crafts. However, not one word of Makaku. We've heeome cultural hostages. For, you see, the crafts are safe. They do not depict the spirituality and the philosophy of our people. Although remarkable in their execution, they do not contain the metaphysical knowledge of our race, our entire race! So, by the 1850s Makaku had beeome obsolete, on pain of death, I might add. We

have now arrived at the year 1989, yet we eonhnue to be dictated to, never onee stopping to think who has manipulated our culture, our thinking and for what purpose? To the white man, our culture is "Sweet Leilani" and nothing more. And sad to say, to many Hawaiians, it is little more than that but only a little more. And what of the refined, sophisticated, mathematical, metaphysical, artistic aspects of our culture, whieh are also slowly becoming extinct, obsolete? Why, our artistic spiritual-metaphysical heavens are just heaps of stone. We are discouraged from rebuilding those awesome arenas of mana. They too are obsolete. And yet, these were the places that the Makaku created for. Our "Sacred Art" was created for these centers of total knowledge. They no longer exist. They are obsolete! 1 heard a rumor that a prominant individual donated five acres on Moloka'i to have a marae built for the Maori. This, before our own Heiau? This, while we ean idly sit by and see Heiau Mo'okini dismantled, stone by stone to furnish the luxurious walls of the haole estates on the Big Island? How did this happen? How did we heeome so apathetic that we continue to allow our "creative imagination" to be taken from us, to be redefined, to be used and abused. To be labeled obsolete? Mai Ka Po Mai 'O' ia'PO. Fortunately for us truth will outlast those who have condemned our culture to oblivion.