| Summary: | When the god Lowa created the world, he sent the artists Lewoj and Lanij to paint colorful patterns onto all the living creatures on Earth. According to Marshallese lore, the people of the Marshall Islands learned from the artists to create order by using colors to denote identity, rank, and duty amongst themselves. Living in isolation from the rest of the world, for millennia the Marshallese preserved this palette of colors unique to their way of life. The people of these islands today, however, face unprecedented challenges in navigating the defining colors of their past and discovering what it means to be Marshallese in the 21st century. The forces of globalization, cultural and economic imperialism, foreign military interests, and climate change all converge in the Central Pacific where the Marshallese are trying to forge a path towards development. The Undiscovered Country explores the clash between tradition and modernity by fusing three art forms: documentary film, cell animation and theater. Combining the perspectives of Marshallese fishermen, students, politicians, activists, foreign educators, and anthropologists with the teachings of traditional Marshallese stories (bwebwenato) and the worlds of Marashallese adaptations of Shakespeare's Hamlet and The Tempest, this documentary examines the impact of 'development' on Lowa's colorful world.
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