WHY HAWAIIAN ANCESTRAL BONES MATTER
Honolulu Civil Beat - October 9, 2012
By Z `Aki
We can’t begin to tell you exactly why our kūpuna (ancestors) believed a person’s mana was held in their iwi (bones), but we can certainly share with you some of the values we were raised with - those same values that were passed down to us, through our culture, by our ancestors.
Far from speculation, we trust (we have faith) in the wisdom of those who came before us. Nānā i ke kumu (look to the source). We accept that they knew many things that we simply don’t. It’s just common sense that the generations before, always have something to teach the generations after. As technologically advanced as we are today, we just can’t dispute the fact that our ancestors had a much better understanding of the world. After all, just look at the difference. The natural world, under their care, flourished. And yet, we struggle, today, to keep human devastation of the natural world from destroying ourselves.
Perhaps that’s one of the many reasons why our kūpuna believed a person’s mana lived on within their bones – because they fully understood our connection to `Āina, the natural world. They understood that we are a part of `Āina; that we are not an invasive species capitalizing on everything around us, but rather, we are just another organism, with a specific purpose, in this greater eco-system.
When a person ua hala (passed), their bones remained. Those bones were often returned to the soil, and in time, they would become a part of the earth, providing nutrients to the plants and animals that would sustain the living. And they, like us, would live on in this way.
The most obvious reason we have, for the importance of iwi, is the aloha, the immeasurable love we have for our family and friends. Their iwi is a part of them. It is them. They are the reason we are here. And though we may have never met them or seen them, we will always love them. We will never forget our ancestors. And in our own time, we can hope that our descendants will know that, like our ancestors before us, our thoughts and aloha are forever for them.
Our kūpuna are our foundation. They keep us rooted to these lands and their iwi serve as physical evidence to that claim. To our forgetful minds, the iwi remind us of the lives of our ancestors with no less importance than a cherished picture, a treasured keepsake, or a family heirloom that serves to affirm, to all future generations, where it was, that they came from.
For these reasons and more, our kūpuna taught us, mai kaula`i wale i ka iwi o nā kūpuna. To never dry out, in the sun, the bones of your ancestors. That wisdom is understood both literally and figuratively; for openly sharing your mo‘okū`auhau (genealogy) is just as awful as digging up the bones of your kūpuna.
To remove our connection, the bones of our ancestors, from these lands is tantamount to murder – genocide. People of Hawai`i, please keep in mind, Kānaka Maoli are warriors – we fiercely protect `Āina and `ohana. When our loved ones are threatened, we fight back. I’m sure most, if not all, can relate to that.
With Kawaiaha`o Church digging up 600+ kūpuna for their new multi-million dollar building, there is an obvious dispute with regard to burial beliefs. So let’s keep things simple. Before the church, there was a heiau, where many Kānaka Maoli rested. These Kānaka Maoli are being dug up. So no matter what your current burial beliefs are, the people who are being dug up, believed that their mana is in their bones. Respect their beliefs.
Hawai`i is changing. The verdant land our kūpuna once knew is being buried under concrete and asphalt. Many, including Neil Abercrombie, have made the assumption that Kānaka Maoli are opposed to “progress,” labeling us as the “usual suspects.” But too often is the word, “progress” used to identify unsustainable development, rampant urbanization, environmental destruction, finite resource depletion, and the desecration of our ancestors.
Neil, I am a Kanaka Maoli, and my definition of progress is different than yours. Progress, to me, is the capacity to endure and the perpetuity of life. Progress, to me, is the government spending money on people, not corporations. Growing food not a low estimate $5.3 billion rail. Progress to me is covering every home in Hawai`i with solar panels and micro wind turbines so we can eliminate that electric bill, without having you build over forests with geothermal power plants or covering over islands like Molokai and Lāna‘i with wind turbines to power O`ahu via undersea cables. Progress, to me, is passing laws to protect the environment, instead of laws enabling exemptions in sweetheart deals (Act 55, PLDC). Progress, to me, is caring for Hawai`i’s houseless and listening to people who know a lot about being progressive. This is the knowledge of kūpuna Hawai`i, and these are just a few reasons why, kūpuna mean everything to us. Nānā i ke kumu. Ola nā iwi.
