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Community Corner

Iokepa Hanalei and Inette Miller 'Imaikalani: "The Return Voyage -- Rediscovering the Ancient Wisdom of Hawaii"

Inette and Iokepa are on a mission to bring the teachings of the
indigenous people of Hawaii to the world, and to revive respect for other
age-old cultures of peace. 



“For 12,300 years, the indigenous people of our Islands embraced a
culture that refused the possibility of war. Return Voyage
awakens that ancient wisdom — ritual and practices that dissipate anger,
prevent violence, foster harmony — and shares its profound implications for the
21st century.



Our ancestors were intrepid voyagers building remarkably
sophisticated canoes and travelling throughout the Pacific and to coastal
America for thousands of years. On every voyage, then and now, there came a
turning point: that moment was Huliau — The Return
Voyage. These spiritual gatherings are the celebration of that moment — the
dawn of our native claim, our aboriginal voice. These gatherings are our map
for the Return Voyage to:

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• Knowledge of what our ancestors represented (our unadulterated
history).



• Confidence in who we genuinely are.

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• Personal freedom from the tyranny of others’ explanation of us.



Together we will light the fire of authentic cultural identity and
unity. The time is now.



We carry in our DNA all that our ancestors lived. We underestimate
our own importance. We see how huge the universe is, and we fail to appreciate
the part we play. But when we strike the match…”



In 1997, at the age of 46, Iokepa 'Īmaikalani
gave up his successful life as a contractor in Washington State. He left his
family, friends, and hobbies and went to live in his native Hawaii to study and
to work for the revival of Hawaiian culture, inspired by the words of his
deceased grandmothers: “My Grandmothers said: ‘In every culture on Earth, God
gave keys to survival. Hawaiians will return to theirs. It is about reminding
every soul what they were given at the beginning of time.’” He returned home to
Hawaii with one small duffel, $100 in his pocket, “and the light of my
Grandmothers’ love inside me.”



Iokepa met his wife, Inette Miller, ten years later. Inette had
been a high-powered international journalist and author and was a single mother
of teenage sons living in Portland. While on vacation in Hawaii she met Iokepa
— and this meeting changed her entire life.



She writes: “When I left Portland, I left a trail of friends and
family who feared I’d stepped off the deep edge of Middle Earth. I spent the
next year fulfilling their worst fears. I went on vacation for a week and I
stayed for a lifetime.” She wrote the story of her overwhelming immersion into
the authentic kanaka maoli culture in the book: Grandmothers
Whisper: Ancient Wisdom — Timeless Wisdom — A Modern Love Story. 
The book won Book of the Year, Visionary Award 2011. Her new book, The Return Voyage: 95,000 Miles on the Paths of Our Ancestors,
continues the journey where the early book left off. You can learn more about
them at www.ReturnVoyage.com.



 The
Ethical Culture Society of Essex County is a progressive non-theist religion
dedicated to living ethically in a complex world. Founded in l876 and
established in Maplewood in l945, over the years the ethical culture movement
(known as The American Ethical Union) has been instrumental in launching Planned
Parenthood, the NAACP, Visiting Nurses, New York Settlement House,
Fieldston School, and National Ethical Service at the UN. The Society began a
long-running Ethics for Children program and most recently, Time Essex Exchange
(a time bank facilitating the exchange of services) among other initiatives.
The Maplewood Society was the first peace site in the country. Its motto is: to
act so as to bring out the best in ourselves by bringing out the best in
others.  



Contact
information: 973-763-1905; www.essexethical.org. Join us for weekly programs,
discussions, and fellowship Sundays at 11 am. All are welcome.



 




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