Mauka to Makai: Hawaiian Quilts and the Ecology of the Islands theory ecstasy—ekstasis—meant standing outside yourself We spent a summer ecstasy—ekstasis—meant standing outside yourself The aesthetic and cultural wealth and the long tradition and classical status of opera as a high art function here as an inspirational metaphor for a volume moreof photographs published annually and which deals with the most sensitive and direct kind of portrait: nude photography: the human body as both stage and theatre play The ahupua‘a is an ancient land division system — extending from the highest regions of Hawai‘i’s uplands (mauka) to the ocean (makai) — representative of the Hawaiian people's sacred knowledge and reverence towards the environment Once a thriving and finely balanced system