From an ancient burial site at Honokahua, Maui, to the streets of Honolulu, the issue of protecting ancestral remains from development is brought passionately to the public’s attention by Hawaiian descendants.
A few days before Christmas, 1988, a 24-hour vigil is held at the state capitol to protest the excavation of almost 900 ancient burials from the sands of Maui’s Honokahua bay by archeologists contracted to clear the area for construction of a new Ritz Carlton resort.
The effort to stop the desecration is met with overwhelming support from the community and soon an agreement is reached between the state government and the developer to move the hotel site and reinter the bones. This collective action eventually resulted in legislation to repatriate ancestral remains from universities and museums throughout the world and protect burial sites throughout Hawai‘i.
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.
