Description
Explores the breakdown in the chain of cultural transmission that has led to the decimation of Hawaiian spirituality, and how it can be restored
• Shows how reconnection to the ancestral ways can be achieved through letting go and forgiveness of the effects of colonization
• Reveals how the lessons of the decline of Hawaiian spiritual tradition reflect on other religions
• Clarifies the complex nature of Hawaiian ancestral worship
Hawaiian spirituality teaches that individuals can be truly fulfilled only if they are conscious participants in the long ancestral chain of witnessing and transmission that connects the present to the time of origins. The Cry of the Huna invokes the author's personal history as he recounts the decline of his people's spiritual tradition as a result of colonization. The breakdown of the Hawaiians' ties with their sacred land led them to forget not only the teachings of their ancestors, but also the chain of na aumakua they form, which connects this people to both the earth and the realm of the gods. While the na aumakua can be viewed with reverence it is not seen or worshiped as a God. Rather it is seen as a part of the chain of life that arose from one god's vision of creation. Aumakua is a compound of makua (parents) and au, the endless ancestral chain that stretches through time. Each individual on earth represents a temporary end to that chain. As we age and our vision of life slowly looks toward death, our descendents come forth to provide the next eyes in the chain of witnessing and transmission.
The Cry of the Huna shows how the rupture of this chain has led to widespread alienation. An endless cycle of resentment and revenge is fueled by the loss of the Hawaiians' spiritual birthright. The connection to the aumakua, however, can be reforged, but only by untying the circular cords of revenge to allow forgiveness to occur in the present so that healing can take place in the future.
Praise and Reviews
"Kupihea writes eloquently about the destruction of Hawaiian spiritual values by the invasion of a new culture . . . and the key to returning to a spiritual balance with humankind and nature."
Library Journal
“The Cry of the Huna is a journal of hidden things coming to light--an engaging collection of ancestral imagery, narratives, insights, and documented material that becomes Kupihea’s own inner journey from violence to wholeness. In sharing his journey with the world, Kupihea adds new light to the universal search for meaning and hope that is based on the spiritual nature and foundation of life. In these days of global insecurity, the timely subject of his book is the search for true identity, ancestral reconnection, and spiritual harmony--a search important not only to native Hawaiians but to all people of Earth.”
KAHU KALEO PATTERSON, PH.D., M.DIV., United Church of Christ, and former member of the American Board of Missions and The Church of Kaahumanu
"Kupihea's writing is so clear, so concise, that the reader is literally taking this trip with him. . . . through his ability to move between the past and the present, we are given a clear view of a culture that [it] is most important that we not allow to die away.
"This book will touch you, the reader, in unexpected ways. It will become part of your spiritual growth, whether you are of Hawaiian lineage or not."
Bonnie Cehovet, Angelfire, Sept 2005
