Inette Miller and ‘Iokepa Hanalei ‘Imakalani: The Return Voyage–Rediscovering Ancestral Strengths

Inette Miller and ‘Iokepa Hanalei ‘Imaikalani, the couple from Hawaii who spoke at Ethical in January 2014, are making a “return voyage” to Ethical.

They say: “The indigenous people of Hawai’i are awakening to powerfully reclaim their sovereign nation. These kanaka maoli – aboriginal people – are, at this moment, summoning the strength of their ancestors; owning the cultural practices that were outlawed for a century; and reclaiming their birthright connection to the land, the ocean, and to every living piece of creation.

“For too long, we have allowed others to define us, to discount us, and to commercialize our culture. For too long, we have allowed others to divide us,” ‘Iokepa Hanalei ‘Imaikalani begins.

‘Iokepa and Inette, enthusiastically describe this awakening – oppressed natives reclaiming a world that was stolen sequentially by: missionaries, sugar cane barons, and finally, capitalism and its off-spring, tourism– the ubiquitous rape of indigenous peoples across this earth.

In 1997, at the age of 46, ‘Iokepa Hanalei ‘Imaikalani gave up his successful life as a contractor in Washington State, 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, when on vacation in Hawaii she met Iokepa — and changed her entire life.

Inette Miller is an American author and award-winning journalist, who covered the wars in Vietnam and Cambodia for Time. She moved to Hawaii after meeting Iokepa while on vacation there, joined him in his struggle, and married him. She is the author of Burning Bridges, which was produced as an ABC Movie of the Week, and taught writing workshops across the US. She also wrote Grandmothers Whisper and Return Voyage about their experiences together.

See website, https://returnvoyage.com/wordpress/?page_id=1812