Tuti Kanahele visits with her father, Leimana Kanahele, born and raised on the island of Ni‘ihau, now making his home on Kaua‘i. Leimana demonstrates the making of saddles, a skill acquired during his younger days working on a Ni‘ihau cattle ranch.
While displaying his wide assortment of tools and leather pieces, Leimana talks of the hard work involved in the craft and the resulting satisfaction and pride.
NĀ MAKA O KA ʻĀINA
We are Joan Lander and Puhipau (1937-2016) of Nā Maka o ka ‘Āina (“The Eyes of the Land”), an independent video production team that, since 1981, has focused on the land and people of Hawai‘i and the Pacific.
We exist to document and give voice and face to traditional and contemporary Hawaiian culture, history, language, art, music, environment and the politics of independence and sovereignty. Our over 100 documentary and educational programs have been seen on PBS, Hawai‘i public and commercial television stations, public access cable channels, and broadcast/cable networks in Canada, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Japan, Mexico and Europe.
Our award-winning productions have been used by teachers and scholars in classrooms in Hawai‘i and throughout the world, and our iconic footage of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement has been featured in numerous documentaries by other producers.