“Ulu Kupu” by Tiare Ribeaux


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Title:


    Ulu Kupu

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Artist Statement:


    Ulu (ʻŌlelo Hawai’i): “to grow, increase, spread, to protect, to rise”; Kupu: “sprout, offspring, germinate” or a “spirit or supernatural being”.

    Through video that mixes parallel visual narratives, Ulu Kupu follows a performance of harvesting plants/materials from the ‘āina (land): hala which is used for weaving; wauke, which is used to create kapa or tapa, a textile; and hau which is also used as a textile or decorative fiber. This dance with the materials of the land is further expanded through the performance of a dancer, wearing the materials on their body and dancing in a wahi pana (sacred place) as well as in a grove of hau trees. The labor hula is continued in a river, where the materials are cleaned and processed. It commences almost ritualistically, as if the movements were inherited within the performers, each of whom specializes in these crafts. The actions are meant to convey an offering, and akua (elemental deities) are shown watching these actions throughout the film. The film aims to convey that all of this ike (knowledge) is in fact inherited by all Kānaka, and that all it takes is a remembering. Through the transference of ike through the medium of film, a remembrance is offered to the viewer.

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