Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 25, Number 7, 1 July 2008 — Fallen to Kauwā [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Fallen to Kauwā

By Mūke Kupihea

Now for my original intention for contacting OHA, whieh was never to appear as a guest on OHA's radio show, Nā 'Ōiwi 'Ōlino. I am very concerned about the State's sudden interest in Kōke'e, Kaua'i. As their desires to create and implement a master plan for the park seems to coincide with the building, then arrival, of the Superferry to Hawai'i, and an eeonomie axle driven into the mountains of Kōke'e that will surely bring an end to the long line of hereditary practices and spiritual traditions I so painfully sought to preserve in my works "The Seven Dawns of the 'Aumakua." As we are still the living links of these people and traditions inherent from our childhood and still wonder about the remnants of this wilderness, specifically Waiahulu in Waimea Canyon, and wish to pass on these traditions to our descendants without interference and threats from DLNR. I decided to inquire if any of the cultural departments of OHA had reviewed the Kōke'e Master Plan or if OHA had any intentions to object to the plan on behalf of native Hawaiian gathering rights, and if such rights actually lawfully

exist. However, just a few days before appearing on Nā 'Ōiwi 'Ōlino, the Moloka'i Ranch story entered the news. Being a similarity of loss to the hereditary spirit of the land in relation to its native inhabitants, if it is allowed to be flooded with the footprints of foreigners, I believe it is of a more immediate need to bridge the spirit of my thoughts on Waiahulu to Moloka'i Ranch. If it is in fact to be published by Ka Wai 01 a, for I will be very surprised if it is, as I was onee told by a past OHA Trustee that in his opinion, my works were detrimental to Hawaiian culture. Thenceforth I always felt like an outcast from the mainstream of Hawaiian organizations and thus heeame a lonely voice crying from the wilderness, sort of speak. As I am but a Kauwā who writes from the intellectual prison that suppresses the hereditary spirit and lands of his ancestors by the above choices of confinement. Thus it is my belief from the standpoint of one lonely voice crying out from the ancestral world of wilderness that the holders to the title of Moloka'i Ranch are coimnitting "Polkieal Extortion," if such a crime actually exists in American society. Poliīieal extortion is evident by the selfcalculated creation of eeonomie hardship by the use of not only the termination of its employees, whom in my opinion should be given the status and afforded the aid provided to poliheal refugees, but services that benefit the innnediate connnunity at large. Polhieal extortion by the calculated use of the loeal populaee of the island of Moloka'i. In relation to the present economy of Moloka'i based on its current land use that is calculated to turn the gears of the County and the State press by indirect means, whieh in turn is calculated to turn the gears of County and State politicians. Whieh by indirect means in turn is calculated to plaee the force necessary to turn the gears of both the State Land Commission and County Planning and Zoning Commission

to resolve the self-planted eeonomie crisis by implementing the original changes requested and instituted by Moloka'i Ranch from the beginning. "All the while placing puhlie focus on the needs of the people, making politicians appear to be saviors, all the while foreign investors wait out of puhlie view for its calculated results." This magic act or sleight of the feeding hand has been occurring in Hawai'i ever since we heeame a State of the Union. As I have witnessed this act firsthand on my home island of Kaua'i many times: with the closing of Llhu'e Plantation eame eeonomie crisis, poliīieal solution, land development, more hotels. With the closing of Grove Fann Plantation eame eeonomie crisis, poliīieal solution, land development, more hotels. With the closing of McBryde Plantation, eeonomie crisis, poliheal solution, land development, more hotels. All, in my opinion, used the same calculated plan of poliheal extortion. To frrst attract by land use and zoning change millions of dollars in investment money that when tied to its inhial eeonomie axle, its frrst development, most probably small in proportion to its yet-to-be exposed master plan. However onee it is allowed to secure this eeonomie rope of investment and returns to their shiny new spindle of developmental minds atop this inihal axle, it will transcend into billions of dollars. As this eeonomie beast will feed upon all the range within its circumference, in the case of Moloka'i Ranch, all that is within its boundaries. While pacifying the loeal populaee with what the State tenns fee-simple, moderate cost housing, as today they wish to avoid the use of the tenn low cost, as the victimized locals should be allowed some pride. The open range of whieh we were so accustomed and spiritually attached than takes the appearance of a Disneylike park for the foreigners' amusement. As all, the island is now but an amenity for the spun in popuMon of a different culture that wishes to enjoy ours after it has devoured the spirit of us all. In closing let me say that my written works, and I myself, have

often been called "countercultural" and "anti-cultural," but I ask you, the reader of Hawaiian descent, to consider the following excerpt from the Five Books of Moses by Everett Fox. The Deliverance Narrative has inspired me throughout my works. For it is my life's dream to create a spiritual foundation upon whieh the spirit of our ancestors will remain ever present in the remnants of their descendants today and into the future. On, by, and through their own eonscious and spiritual will of descent eome together under one roof of worship and move in unison as one spiritual body to reclaim their ancestral lands under the Spiritual Roof of One Nation. THE DELIVERANCE NARRATIVE: "A final note about the backdrop of these stories. Cecil B. DeMille did it differently, and in the difference lies the gap between Western culture and hihlieal culture. In the movie The Ten Commandments (a strange title, given the actual content of the dim), DeMille's own 1959 remake of his earlier silent fihn, great stress is put on the physical, visual trappings of Pharoah's court. Apparently no

expense was spared to bring in costumes, sets and extras, and the result causes the audience to focus on the splendor of Egyptian culture, despite the fact that it is peopled by the villains of the story. In contrast, the Bible says practically nothing about the visual backdrop of the Plague Narrative. Iust as Genesis made reference to the mighty eulture of Babylonia by parodying it (for instance, in the Babel story of Chap. II), Exodus strips down Egyptian culture by making it disappear, and by ridiculing its gods. The book saves descriptive minutiae for the Tabernacle (Chap. 25ff.), preferring to stress the positive and simply to omit what is found negative. This profoundly "anticultural" stance was characteristic of Israel's worldview and was a mystery to the Greeks and Romans who centuries later conquered the land; it was to stand the people of Israel in good stead in their wanderings through the centuries." "What spirit is to stand the Hawaiian People as one in this century? I plead you to unify outside the backdrop of western eulture that erected, stood, and toppled the Hawaiian Monarchy." □

MO'OMEHEU - CULĪURE

Editor's note: This is the final instaUment of the essay Falle n to Kauwā by Kaua'i author Moke Kupihea. To read his entire essay, visit www.oha.org/kawaiola.

At right, the author, of the generation of 1 950, born in the land of Papa le koa at the mount of Waimea Valley, Kaua'i, into the world of the living breath of these great elders, who have all passed away since this photo was taken in the 1 990s. From left, Stanley "Kualu" Yadao, of the 1 930s generation, spent the latter years of his life restoring the ancestral kalo patches of the Kualu family in the land of Puu lima, helow Kanikula at Makaweli, Kaua'i. Albert Ketua "Pipito" Makuaole, of the 1 920s generation, a cousin of Genoa Keawe, was the lastfull-time inhabitant of the land of Pee a moa, and the last great mountain man of Makaweli Valley, Kaua'i. He's petting Joker, his large hound and favorite eompanion. Barney Makuaole Char, of the 1 920s generation, spent this entire life perpetuating the ancestral kalo patches of the Makuaole and Kuapaihi elan in the land of Pee a moa at Makaweli Valley, Kaua'i. He was an unele and mentor to John Aana, founder of Makaweli Poi, whieh is now a subsidiary of 0HA's Hi'ilei Aloha LLC. - Photo: Courtesy ofMoke Kupihea