Manulani Aluli Meyer
2003
This kakau is named Halaloa and it sits on my left shoulder. Many distinct ideas come forth: one is the enduring breath of the sun. The sun, la, her-alds change, growth, and transformation. Ha, breath, is the fundamental animating principle of life that connects us to our mystical origins. Halaloa also holds the image of hala, of death, of change, of stripping away. Inside the circle there are two main images: a wave and a koru, or fern. It represents ocean and earth—elemental forms. There is an outside, exterior knowing, and then there is an inside, interior one. The koru represents our evolution as humans. The five lines around Halaloa represent healing. I believe it is time to heal. Heal ourselves, heal others, heal this world.
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