Summaries

Synopsis

A kipuka (Hawaiian) is a spot of land within a destructive volcanic lava-flow where life is preserved and from where it grows back and spreads again.The title of the film relates to the remnants of old Hawaiian culture and spirituality that still exist in the islands and that contain values and ways of understanding the natural phenomena that connect humankind with the cosmic network through cause and effect; However there is no understanding of Hawaiian spiritual lore without knowing Hawaiis true history.Kipuka features the wisdom of old Hawaii based on the societys history and gives insights into simple, but highly effective ways of life that once upon a time cultivated peace over dispute by considering the basic human feature: energetic connectedness with all creations existing. This was not the only way of life in old Hawaii: Much of the islands history was gruesome. In the mid 19th century, Hawaii turned from an ancient pagan society into one of the most literate Christian nations in the world, leaving behind eras of legendary magical ways of living predating the settlement of Hawaii by warring tribes who introduced bloody sacrificial and taboo cults that were in effect when Captain Cook found the archipelago in the 1770s. The native speakers in Kipuka explain what living in the islands was really like thru the centuries. The intersection of cultures in Hawaii begun thousands of years ago, continued with Western contact and eclipsed in the abolishment of the native oppressive taboo system by female natives leaders before the pioneer Puritan missionaries arrived from New England. In the centuries before that, Hawaii had been a place of war and oppression, and Christianity was embraced by many because it offered a concept that relates to the islands ancient lore: equality. Missionaries offered education and new spiritual orientation in the period when the island nobility tried to take advantage of the common people once again this time to engage in trade.As soon as Christianity begun to spread, the ancient island legends of paradise appeared again but only in fragments, due to the near genocidal depopulation of Hawaii caused by lethal introduced diseases. Hawaii had gone through centuries of war-regimes by native nobility and priesthood and had already begun to suffer the impacts of civilized lifestyles on the fragile islands-ecology when the missionary tried to stop the abuse. The loss of island lore, however, had already begun in the ancient past - when Polynesian war cults were introduced, centuries before Western contact.Kipuka gives detailed insights into the many different historical eras in the Hawaiian islands and the lifestyles that were in place then from blissful freedom to life-threatening oppression - that formed the socio-cultural evolution of the tribes that settled down in many waves of migration. The spiritual beliefs of inhabitants of the archipelago that is today called Hawaii form the core message of Kipuka and at the same time its primary question: Was Hawaii ever paradise? Kipuka deals with spiritual concepts that are of as much value today as they were hundreds of years ago, but also gives an overview of the basic historical events that shaped Hawaii. Todays views of Hawaii that most people have (even locals!) are superficial and disrespectful towards the ancestors who lived through the real events of long ago whether these occurred in paradise or in a contrary situation.Kipuka focuses on ancient Hawaiian wisdom - told by Hawaiians.Ancient Hawaiian wisdom promoting respect for all of creation could help the current generations worldwide regain a sense of self that might help restore peace through the individuals understanding of the creative powers that are innate to every human being; a new basic educational paradigm could be created and spare humankind the fate of extinction.

The film features 45 expert speakers from Hawaii and New England and is rich in historical images, historical film-clips and original Hawaiian cultural and natural footage and music.