Inette and ‘Iokepa Hanalei ‘Imaikalani: The Return Voyage: On the Path of the Ancestors

On a return voyage of another kind, journalist Inette Miller Imaikalani and her husband ‘Iokepa Hanalei ‘Imaikalani have agreed to come back to Ethical for the third time, to share with us their ongoing campaign to help the native people of Hawaii reclaim their great ancestral heritage, and their contemporary rights. As engaged as they are in that localized struggle, they shine a light for all of us on the power of inherited wisdom and the strength to be drawn from our roots. In addition to learning about the colonization of the Islands, the movement for indigenous rights and independence, we will hear about ho’oponopono, a traditional Hawaiian peacemaking technique. Iokepa has also promised to treat us to some aboriginal Hawaiian chanting.
‘Iokepa, the son of a Hawaiian father and American mother, was a successful entrepreneur on the mainland, who relinquished “everything I worked for all my life” to embrace his aboriginal identity and reawaken his ancestral culture. Inette is a Jewish woman from Baltimore who surrendered a privileged writer’s life to join him, camping on Hawaiian beaches with little food and no money, and walking the paths of his ancestors. Together, they packed all they owned into three suitcases and began their ancestor-driven “Return Voyage” across America.
Their message: what Native Hawaiians lived for 12,000 years — ritual practices that prevented war — have profound implications for the 21st century.
For more about the nature of their work, and to hear ‘Iokepa chant, visit: ReturnVoyage.com.