Rethinking the Kneel
November 26th
I have wanted, for ages, to pull the skeleton in Anatomia of 1898 up out a kneel, and to stand it up, and use this as a study aide for my ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi work. It took around 3 hours of very tedious work, and I used a vintage graphic, I hope is old enough that it doesnʻt infringe on any copyrights, and I set the intention to DRAW a skeleton myself for this exercise. I love drawing, so why not! A little moʻolelo came with this creative play, a part of my personal decolonization process.
Ua kukuli ke kanaka iwi a i pule.
“E kōkua ʻoe iʻau!”
Pane akulā ka Pohihi nui mau loa.
“E kū kuʻu mea hūpō! Hāʻawi ʻoe i kahi lolo kamahaʻo. E waiwai pono ʻoe i kou lolo pono!” Aia i loko o kou mau iwi ka noʻeau o kēlā wā kahiko i kēia wā manawa. Aia i loko o kou kino kahi naʻau. Hoʻolohe ʻoe i ka ʻike o ia ma ʻaneʻi. Aia nā pane i loko o kou puʻuwai, e ʻimi ʻoe iho.
The skelton kneeled and prayed.
Help me!
The great mystery answered.
Stand up you fool! Use your perfectly good brain.
There is inside of your bones the wisdom of the ages.
There is in your body a naʻau.
Listen to the wisdom here.
There are secrets in your heart, search here for answers.
Ua poina au i ka ʻike o nā kūpuna kahika oʻu.
You have forgotten the wisdom of your ancestors.
Ua poina au i ka ʻōlelo noʻeau “ʻAʻohe pau ka ʻike i ka hālau hoʻokahi.”
You have forgotten the advice that there is wisdom in more than one perspective.
Ua nānā aku wale no ʻoe i ka hale pule haole no ka pane i kāu mau pilikia.
You go only to the foreign house for answers to your problems.
E nānā ʻoe i ka ʻike o kou kino, ka ʻāina, ka hawanawana o ka ʻuhane.
Look to the wisdom of your body, the land, the whispers of your soul.
E kū hiehie ʻoe.
Stand tall and proud you
He kanaka Hawaiʻi ʻoe!
You are a Hawaiian!
He kanaka akamai a maʻalea ʻoe!
You are smart and skillful!
E hoʻi mai ʻoe i ke ʻano o ka poʻe kēlā mālama ʻāina.
Return to the quality of the people that care for the land.”
Kū ke kanaka iwi
ōlaʻi ka honua
The skeleton stood
the ground shook
E hoʻi mai ana
ka hānau mua ʻo Kalo
i ka naʻau o ka poʻe Hawaiʻi
brother kalo
returned
to our guts