Mākua: A Creation Story

i remember the first night,the sharp air filling my lungs,pō forcing me to trust voiceswithout faces. a calm fear enteredmy body and i did not sleep. i roseearly the next morning chanting e ala egreeting the sun, surrounded by ancestors.the consecration took place later that day:a pu'uhonua was born. that night i fell ill.a headache weighed me down,chills shook my body. was this a testbefore the standoff?again, e ala e was chantedand ceremony was conductedevery hour on the hour.a much-needed grounding.

diaspora is a particular type of traumaa severance that cuts deep—leaving me raw and tenderbut maunakea called to meand so i stood with the lāhuiand bore witness.bore witness to riot gear andouter island cops,to frontline kūpuna andprotective mana wāhine,to hae hawai'i andregular ceremony.

it is said that haumea bore generationupon generation of 'ōiwi,rebirthing herself to createfour hundred thousand kūpunaand mo'opuna.haumea, of nu'umealani, of kahiki,bore children from sacred thighsand brains.haumea who is slyly reproductivebearing children in a multitude of ways.i remember that i am haumeawho can bear frommy sacred thighsbut also from my brains,my mouth, my words, my poetry.i become that which feeds.

a seed was plantedin my na'au undera rising moon,surrounded by lilinoe.a blessed puacreated in ceremonyand rooted in the sacred:ka'ala became the source.