They viewed the panoramic sweep of history then watched a simple, yet amazing demonstration of an early human hand axe being chipped into existence before their eyes, living, in a sense, the prehistoric experience.  Thought was given to the teaching of big history, the expansion of historical research to include the entire history of the universe, and the challenges of doing this within academia. Consideration was given to the telling of the scientific story of how we came to be through the eyes of scientists, poets, artists, and storytellers. Much thought was given to the philosophical, spiritual, religious, and psychological ramifications of the evolutionary epic, as well as the evolution of religion itself. Surprisingly, there was even challenged presented to examine the very title "Evolutionary Epic" as a possibly oxymoronic phrase, since an "epic" is a story that is complete and fixed in the past, while evolution is an ever-changing and ongoing process! The participants left no stone unturned, giving time and thought to our evolutionary relationship to our machine partners and the future of that relationship, to our Eastern spiritual and cultural traditions, our Catholic and Protestant Christian traditions, our sense of meaning in a vast and expanding universe, our primate political inclinations, global ethics, our sustainability as a species, our contemplative practices, our evolutionary need for human touch, our shift in view after the chronometric revolution, and our cellular and psychic memory!

The ever-adventurous participants sang the universe story, saw it dramatized, and explored it with their bodies and voices in a "playshop." They experienced the magic of the Makaha and Waianae Valleys where they explored ancient Hawaiian temples, modern taro farming reserves where the culture of the Hawaiian's is being restored and taught to children and all who wish to grow in the spirit of the islands. The conference was even opened and blessed by local Hawaiian spiritual leaders and participants were welcomed officially by an Hawaiian State Senator. They ate traditional luau food and learned to dance the hula. They played on the beaches, went sightseeing, lollygagged in the sun while thinking of their freezing friends and neighbors back home. But more than anything else, they talked, discussed, and talked some more–probably even argued a bit–fascinated with the flood of knowledge and ideas from outside their own disciplines and eager to share the full range of wisdom evoked by the Evolutionary Epic.

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sharing, and playing or
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Click here for more pictures of the tool making demonstration or
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of the Luau or
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After a day off in the middle of the conference, participants gathered for a Luau.
They were entertained with ukulele music and hula instruction.
(Does anyone have more pictures?)
 

Participants shared their evolutionary wisdom in
presentations and conversations, visit and play together.
 

The Ka'ala Farms visit was a unique experience that allowed participants to learn about ancient Hawaiian culture and the efforts of the dedicated staff to restore the productivity of valleys like Waianae that once provided food ample for the people of the Hawaiian Islands.  In the process, they are restoring the culture and teaching all who come
the joys of living close to the land, connected with nature.

Many thanks to Eric Enos, Kina Mahi, and Butch DeTroye, part of the staff of Ka'ala Farms, for their generosity in blessing our conference and sharing the beauty of Ka'ala Farms with us.

Many participants visited the Kane’aki Heiau, an ancient Hawaiian temple found
deep in Makaha Valley. It is one of Hawaii's best maintained archeological sites. 
The Kane'aki Heiau was built in the fifteenth century and was known to be
both an agricultural heiau and a war temple.