­Seiseiwei – Paddle Onward

in my mother tongue

is a proverb worth channeling.

tuhkehn wahr tipwitipw wahr seisei

canoe trees falling, canoes paddling [CAC1]

the ancestral intonation

of an existential need to be in constant moving

consciousness our inner ocean

move or be moved, rise or risk drowning [CAC2]

in a world where ignorance is bliss

and profit beats human life on the priority list

where complacency comfortable,

and power defined by material

canoe trees are felled

and canoes must be paddled [CAC3] [CAC4]

tuhkehn wahr tipwitipw wahr seisei

As canoe trees fall canoes paddle

canoe trees felled:

climate change, environmental degradation, and overexploitation

canoes paddling:

ahi mour ahi pwukoah and prutehi litekyan

canoe trees felled:

racism, genocide, and poorly justified militarized/police violence

canoes paddling:

black lives matter and West Papuan independence

canoe trees felled:

Imperialist white supremacist heteropatriarchal ill will

canoes paddling:

ku kiai mauna and shut down Red Hill

canoes paddling because a canoe tree fell down

we must move or be moved

rise or be left to drown[CAC5] [CAC6]

canoe trees cultivated and felled

divinely carved and meticulously helmed

pulled across these sands of time

into ocean tides

crew members unified

in principled struggle, meanwhile

industrially cut and manufactured tables

where the seating charts promise us

the world will be able

to hear our cries for action

tables carved of empty promises

seats given in reluctance

all these conferences and still no justice

this is why

while they carve tables

we carve canoes

because if we are to keep existing, we must move

guided by ancestors knowing

sitting idle would be fatal

IT IS TIME to take up your paddle

and help keep the canoe stable

master the ability to thread that paddle swiftly

because no one is free until we all are free

and until then, every single day

tuhkehn wahr tipwitipw, wahr seisei

This music video piece is a collaboration between Hawaiʻi-born and raised Filipina singer/songwriter Rexie Adlawan, her roots reggae band The Rally Round, and Native Hawaiian filmmaker Justyn Ah Chong. In addressing EPICʻs prompt, from the visual standpoint, the goal was to create a curated exhibit space in a future timeline where police enforcement no longer exists the way it does today. However, the images throughout the space and projected behind the band are meant to allude to the story of Hawaiʻiʻs historical and ongoing struggles with America and state-sanctioned law enforcement.  The visuals paired with a lyrical response in the music are aimed at invoking thoughts of Kapu Aloha, or non-violent resistance strategies. Though law enforcement is touted as a force meant to protect the people, time and time again throughout our history here in Hawaiʻi, the opposite has been true - from the time of the illegal overthrow until present day, the safety and wellbeing of the people are put in direct conflict with law enforcement, often in defense of protecting ʻāina (our land and natural resources). Law enforcement tends to protect and uphold the interests of the State and multinational corporations, leaving the people of these lands to stand on the frontlines, in the crosshairs of injustice. 

The use of native plants (nanea, uala, ulu, kalo, and others) throughout the space, crawling onto the photos of police standoffs and proliferating throughout the space is an acknowledgement that through all of these struggles, the ʻāina continues to grow, continues to fight back, and will reclaim these histories of injustice.  At the centerpiece of this video is the band and their rebel music. Music has always been a most prominent weapon of the people in any fight for justice, and that remains true to this day. We hope you are inspired by the compilation of the music, the lyrics, and the visuals of this piece, that it provides reflection on how far we've come, and ignites the fuel to continue fighting the good fight. 

Rebel Medley

Earth Confrontation

Try & sell us illusion,

claim it is our free will.

Fill up the mind with pollution,

but the lion will stand still.

Positive vibes in revolution.

Give thanks & praise for everything.

Collectively find a solution.

May we trod strong.

Now is the time to free up the truth

Babylon burn down in a lyrical pursuit.

Jah Army forward, i-nite in a response.

Earth Confrontation.

We never give up til they pay the price.

Babylon fall and thy kingdom will rise.

Humans justice is well-underway.

Earth Confrontation.

We coming, we coming.

We coming, we coming,

Emergency for urgency.

Calling out to those who feel it,

you know you must not speak softly.

Take a stand for what you believe in.

Falling mountains, drying streams vanishing from existence

to rearrange our lives

our people’s lost of a paradise.

Hold on to what we have now,

it is all worth the struggle,

keep on troddin on forward,

onipa’a our motto.

We got to all live as one.

United for a common bond.

Before it’s all gone.

Let it be heard, we can’t take no more.

Now is the time to free up the truth

Babylon burn down in a lyrical pursuit.

Jah Army forward, i-nite in a response.

Earth Confrontation.

Sound-Off

Gunshots.

Said when’s it gonna stop?

Kill another round, this here is a sound-off.

Like an army’s renegade, we holding it down in a different way.

Holdin it down, we kill it with the sound.

Holdin it down

From the belly of the beast comes the lion’s roar

Runnin through the streets, them are hard to ignore

Cover up with sheets, keep us safe once more

Covered up with media mind control

Til Gunshots.

Said when’s it gonna stop?

Kill another round, this here is a sound-off.

Like an army’s renegade, we holding it down in a different way.

Holdin it down, we kill it with the sound.

Holdin it down

Now we’re face to face at the front of the line

Fill our cups with hate, addin fuel to the fire

Ammunition must be drained, weapons retired

Make way for a change in the governing style.

Took Gunshots.

Said when’s it gonna stop?

Kill another round, this here is a sound-off.

Like an army’s renegade, we holding it down in a different way.

Holdin it down, we kill it with the sound.

Holdin it down, we kill it with the sound.

Ain’t Gonna Stop Us Now

Here me when I say

Too many people living negatively

Focused on the riches, them go astray

Can’t you see, can’t you see,

it’s an emergency

There’s trouble everywhere, why don’t you care?

Remnants of the past

shows Babylon don’t let good things last.

So we hope to make a change.

Try dem a try, dem a try (dem a try)

But they ain’t gonna stop us now (ain’t gonna stop us now)

Dem a try, dem a try

But they ain’t gonna stop us now

Try dem a try, dem a try (dem a try)

But they ain’t gonna stop us now (ain’t gonna stop us now)

Dem a try, dem a try

But they ain’t gonna stop us now