SCROLl TO DISCOVER
In 1976, Hawaiians sailed the traditional voyaging canoe Hōkūle‘a from Hawai‘i to Tahiti and proved to the world that their ancestors had explored the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean by navigating with the stars. Papa Mau: The Wayfinder is the story of critical role...
Ka Ho‘ina: Going Home takes a journey 7,000 miles from Hawaiʻi with members of Hui Mālama I Nā Kūpuna O Hawaiʻi Nei who have worked tirelessly for the past 30 years to bring home over 6,000 sets of iwi kupuna or ancestral remains that were scattered throughout more...
The Hawaiian system of land use allowed access to all resources in the ahupua‘a, a land division that stretched from mountain to sea. Within the ahupua‘a, highly specialized technologies such as fishponds and lo‘i kalo (taro gardens) ensured an abundance of food. Our...
This hour-long documentary is a provocative look at a historical event of which few Americans are aware. In mid-January, 1893, armed troops from the U.S.S Boston landed at Honolulu in support of a treasonous coup d’état against the constitutional sovereign of the...
Flanked by the steep Koʻolau mountains and the blue serenity of the Pacific waters, the humble town of Waimānalo has long been a gathering place for the best of Hawaiian music. It was here that Gabby “Pops” Pahinui held his famous backyard jam sessions. Despite no...
Fulfilling a soldier’s duty to preserve life, Edward Wendt personifies servant leadership with a tenacious resolve to fight for what is right. A Vietnam War veteran and a strong advocate for native Hawaiian rights, he used ancestral knowledge to survive in both...
This is the story of traditional Hawaiian kākau (tattoo) artist, Keone Nunes, and the journey of cultural re-discovery inherent in kākau uhi (tattooing). The process of kākau uhi is one where the artist guides their subjects down a path of self-discovery, revealing...
Mālama Moʻomomi features “Mac” Poepoe, a native Hawaiian fisherman and community leader on Molokaʻi, who has dedicated his life to sharing his knowledge of traditional resource management with the hope of ensuring that this ocean “ice box” will be well-stocked for...
Growing up in the ahupuaʻa of Hakipuʻu, Herbert Hoe learned from a young age the value of ʻohana and the ʻāina and the mutual dependence between the two. Following a career in the Honolulu Fire Department, Herbert recognized how the widespread health afflictions of...
One hundred years after the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, the government oppression of the native language and two generations of very few native speakers, the Hawaiian language was near extinction by the turn of the 20th century. Despite the odds, a small group...
While the ancient art of non-instrument navigation has been rekindled throughout Polynesia, the knowledge of canoe building has been largely forgotten except for a select few artisans. Following in the wake of her sister canoe Hōkūleʻa, the Hawaiʻiloa canoe was hulled...
In August 1993, Nā Maka o ka ‘Āina spent twelve days capturing on video the proceedings Ka Ho‘okolokolonui Kānaka Maoli — Peoples' International Tribunal Hawai‘i, 1993, in which the United States and the state of Hawai‘i were put on trial for crimes against the...
The Hawaiian word wai denotes something valued or treasured, true wealth. This program explores the concepts of ‘ohana (family), ho‘okipa (hospitality), and po‘okela (excellence). The importance of developing powers of observation and awareness of the world around us...
The Hawaiian word wai denotes something valued or treasured, true wealth. This program explores the concepts of aloha ‘āina (love for the land), kōkua (helpfulness), ‘ohana (family), and “thinking island." NĀ MAKA O KA ʻĀINA We are Joan Lander and Puhipau (1937-2016)...
Surfers Rell Sunn, Clyde Aikau, Rabbit Kekai, Buffalo Keaulana and Alvin Kaio share their knowledge of the history of surfing, canoe surfing, big wave surfing and popular surfing spots. Lilikala Kame‘eleihiwa performs a traditional chant to call for big waves and...
Taro grower and Native Hawaiian practitioner Jerry Konanui works to propagate and save from extinction the numerous varieties of kalo (taro), a staple of the Hawaiian diet. Jerry’s mission is also to protect kalo, revered as the elder sibling (Hāloa) of the Hawaiian...
Rachel Nahaleelua Mahuiki, one of Hanalei's most beloved kūpuna, leads Larry Kimura and a group of Hawaiian language teachers on a tour of Hā‘ena, Kaua‘i. The trip includes visits to the wet and dry caves, the famous peak, Makana, and a walk on the reef where Rachel...
Speeches and music by Hawaiian language scholars, teachers and students at a rally to lobby for government funding of Hawaiian language immersion schools (kula kaiapuni). Attended by young children from the Pūnana Leo (language nests) pre-schools and elementary school...
Located on the western tip of the Hawaiian island of O‘ahu, Mākua has long been a place of refuge for Kānaka Maoli, native Hawaiians. It's the pu‘uhonua for the kua‘āina, a place where we Hawaiians can still be free. Robi Kahakalau One of the last undeveloped valleys...
E Ola Ka ‘Ōlelo Hawaiʻi celebrates the efforts of a people determined to save the Hawaiian language from the brink of extinction. In 1896, the American-backed Republic of Hawai‘i banned Hawaiian as the language of instruction in the schools. As island children were...
Tuti Kanahele interviews Alina Kanahele about everyday life on the island of Ni‘ihau, where Alina was born and raised. 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...
Tuti Kanahele travels to the taro-growing district of Ke‘anae, Maui, to talk with James Keolaokalani Hueu, Jr., a long-time resident and taro grower. Kupuna Hueu takes Tuti on a tour of the lo‘i kalo, or taro patches, naming the many different varieties of taro and...
Miloli‘i style ‘ōpelu fishing Set to the songs of the Kahumoku Brothers, this music video demonstrates a traditional Hawaiian method of catching ‘ōpelu (Pacific mackerel) off the Wai‘anae coast of O‘ahu. Featuring Walter “Keli‘iokekai” Paulo and Eddie Kaanana, fishing...
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...
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...
In the shadow of Ka‘ala mountain on the Wai‘anae coast of O‘ahu, a unique community project is creating a unique educational curriculum. Gigi Cocquio, a native of Italy, has set up a community farm in Mākaha and works with the children of Mākaha Elementary School to...
Rare and endangered plants and their habitats are presented and discussed by horticulturist Heidi Bornhorst and botanist Charles Lamoureux. Plants include: ma‘o, ‘ihi, mā‘ohi‘ohi, māmane, pua kala, kulu‘i, uhiuhi, ‘a‘ali‘i, ‘ālula, ‘ilima, ‘ākia, ‘ōhai, ma‘o hauhele,...
Recorded in 1983 during a ten-day gathering in Vanuatu, a newly independent island nation in the south Pacific that had recently declared itself a nuclear-free zone, this program takes a look at the Pacific-wide movement towards independence and de-nuclearization....
Native birds and the artwork produced from their feathers are the subject of this program hosted by John Dominis Holt. Hawai‘i's rare, endangered and extinct birds are featured both in wildlife footage and in the artwork of Ipo Nihipali. Dennis Kanae Keawe makes a...
March and rally to protest geothermal energy development in one of the last lowland rainforests in Hawai‘i. One of the biggest such demonstrations held on the issue, led by the Pele Defense Fund and supported by the Rainforest Action Alliance. NĀ MAKA O KA ʻĀINA We...
Selected segments from a historic 6-hour educational television presentation on Hawaiian sovereignty, broadcast on KFVE, Dec. 19, 1999 and streamed to the world over the Internet. Co-produced by Aloha First and Nā Maka o ka ‘Āina, Aloha Quest was hosted by Ed Kaahea,...
Selected segments from a historic 6-hour educational television presentation on Hawaiian sovereignty, broadcast on KFVE, Dec. 19, 1999 and streamed to the world over the Internet. Co-produced by Aloha First and Nā Maka o ka ‘Āina, Aloha Quest was hosted by Ed Kaahea,...
Tuti Kanahele visits with musician and Kaua‘i resident Margaret Aipoalani who demonstrates the techniques and patterns of Hawaiian quilting, tells stories of her younger days, and entertains with song, ʻukulele and piano. NĀ MAKA O KA ʻĀINA We are Joan Lander and...
Representatives of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Ka Lāhui Hawai‘i and indigenous Alaskan and Lakota Sioux peoples, along with an international law expert, discuss human rights, land titles and the legal case for recognition of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Videotaped at the...
Kānaka Maoli living at Mākua beach in 1983 take a stand to resist eviction by police and government agents. During the process, they learn the history of how they became dispossessed of their lands and government. The event was one of numerous evictions and land...
(“Let’s make haupia with Kupuna Helen Haleola Lee Hong”) Larry Kimura visits Helen Haleola Lee Hong at the Keliihoomalu family residence in Kaimū in the Puna district of Hawai‘i island, to learn how to prepare haupia (coconut pudding) and talk story about earlier...
Kapu Kaʻū is a unique portrait of one of Hawai‘i's most remote and rugged districts, Ka‘ū, located on the southern flanks of Mauna Loa on the island of Hawai‘i. The people of Ka‘ū, known historically for their independence and resilience, relate stories of a lifestyle...
In the swirling volcanic steam and misty rain forest of KĪlauea volcano's east rift zone on the island of Hawai‘i, two forces meet head on. Geothermal development interests, seeking to clear the rain forest for drilling operations, are opposed by native Hawaiians...
A documentary on the work of Sister Anna McAnany and the Peace Education Program of the Wai‘anae Coast, initiated by members of the community in reaction to increasing violence in the schools. The Peace Education Program works with students of all ages to bring peace...
Ipo and Kunani Nihipali work with children to create a mural at Kainalu Elementary School that reflects and interprets the cultural and natural history of nearby Kawainui marsh. The children research and then paint the native birds, plants and sea creatures associated...
Although the mountain volcano Mauna Kea last erupted around 4000 years ago, it is still hot today, the center of a burning controversy over whether its summit should be used for astronomical observatories or preserved as a cultural landscape sacred to the Hawaiian...
An island-by-island survey of Hawaiian native species of birds, snails, fish and insects, all identified by their Hawaiian names and described through ʻōlelo noʻeau (wise sayings) in Hawaiian and English. Narrated by Ekela Kaniaupio and set to the classical guitar...
Inspired by the cool uplands and abundant reefs of the Kohala district, the volcano deity Pele, the sacred summit of Mauna Kea and their own cultural traditions, artists from throughout the Pacific and Pacific Rim come together on Hawai‘i island to create...
Hosted by well-known kupuna Eddie Kaanana, this video focuses on traditional Hawaiian values regarding the precious resource ka wai, fresh water. The respect for water sources such as streams and springs and the use of stream water from mauka to makai (mountain to...
Hawai‘i farmers, teachers, legal and medical experts and community activists share their perspectives on GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms), the genetic engineering of crops and the patenting of life forms. “Hawai’i has been called the GMO testing capitol of the...
Kahoʻolawe Aloha ʻĀina focuses on the cultural, political and military significance of the "target island" of Kaho‘olawe in the Hawaiian archipelago. The Hawaiian term aloha ‘āina refers to love of the land, the basis of Hawaiian cultural belief that animates the...
This video documents the battle over the water in Waiāhole Ditch on the island of O‘ahu, where taro farmers and long-time residents seek to reclaim the natural stream waters that were taken in the early 1900's by sugar plantations. Shot on location in the Windward...
instructional hula video A performance of the hula Ka Nani A‘o Ka‘ū (The Beauty of Ka‘ū) by Debbie Ryder on location at Ka Lae, southernmost point on the island of Hawai‘i, plus an interview with beloved kumu hula (hula master) George Na‘ope about the composing of the...
Produced for ‘Aha Pūnana Leo, this video is a call for teachers to help revitalize the Hawaiian language, which was saved from the brink of extinction by the extraordinary efforts of those who established the Hawaiian language immersion preschools in the 1980’s....
Various interviews and other video footage of the beloved Maui kupuna (elder) of the Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana, Harry Kunihi Mitchell. Documentation covers the period from 1982 through 1989. NĀ MAKA O KA ʻĀINA We are Joan Lander and Puhipau (1937-2016) of Nā Maka o ka...
Various interviews and other video footage of the beloved Maui kupuna (elder) of the Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana, Harry Kunihi Mitchell. Documentation covers the period from 1982 through 1989. NĀ MAKA O KA ʻĀINA We are Joan Lander and Puhipau (1937-2016) of Nā Maka o ka...
Various interviews and other video footage of the beloved Maui kupuna (elder) of the Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana, Harry Kunihi Mitchell. Documentation covers the period from 1982 through 1989. NĀ MAKA O KA ʻĀINA We are Joan Lander and Puhipau (1937-2016) of Nā Maka o ka...
Various interviews and other video footage of the beloved Maui kupuna (elder) of the Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana, Harry Kunihi Mitchell. Documentation covers the period from 1982 through 1989. NĀ MAKA O KA ʻĀINA We are Joan Lander and Puhipau (1937-2016) of Nā Maka o ka...
This video is set to a song, Na ‘Ono o ka ‘Aina (“The Delectable Taros of the Land”), inspired by renowned Hawaiian cultural educator Edith Kanaka’ole. Written by Kalani Meinecke and George Kahumoku, Jr. and performed by Kekuhi Kanahele and friends, the song praises...
Fisherman Ray Kalili supervises a neighborhood hukilau, a group fishing technique, on O‘ahu's windward coast. Ethno-historian Marion Kelly describes the use of fishponds in old Hawai‘i. Navigator Nainoa Thompson explains the art of wayfinding, or long-distance ocean...
The Hawaiian term ho‘āla hou means to awaken anew. Hosted by artist and philosopher Sam Ka‘ai, this program looks at the re-emergence of a Pacific way of thinking, of seeking self-sufficiency, and of preserving the cultural heritage of the first people of Hawai‘i. NĀ...
On August 12, 1898, during ceremonies at ‘Iolani Palace, two figures stood on a platform before an international gathering. Sanford B. Dole and U.S. Minister Harold Sewall exchanged treaty ratifications annexing the Hawaiian Islands to the United States. Or so it...
Fisherman Kaiana Ahmad takes us out on an aku (tuna) boat for a day of deep-sea fishing and Keoki Fukumitsu shares his life as a taro grower in Hakipu‘u on the island of O‘ahu. Kaiana shows how sea birds help fishermen find schools of fish and demonstrates the use of...
Ku Kahakalau visits with Katherine Maunakea on the Wai‘anae coast. After relating a short history of her early life in Kula, Maui, in the Puna district of the Big Island and in Nānākuli on O‘ahu, Katherine shares her knowledge of lāʻau lapaʻau (medicinal plants),...
What prompted this 36-year old Hawaiian language immersion school graduate to set off on a three-country adventure that took her to the glaciers of Greenland, had her building human-towers in Barcelona, and sitting with policy makers in the National Assembly for...
HRH Princess Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawananakoa was the great granddaughter of HRH Princess Mary Kinoiki Kekaulike, governor of Hawaiʻi, and High Chief David Kahalepoʻuli Piʻikoi, the son of Jonah Piʻikoi, the humble pipe-lighter of King Kaʻumualiʻi of Kauaʻi....
This video is set to a song, Na ‘Ono o ka ‘Aina (“The Delectable Taros of the Land”), inspired by renowned Hawaiian cultural educator Edith Kanaka’ole. Written by Kalani Meinecke and George Kahumoku, Jr. and performed by Kekuhi Kanahele and friends, the song praises...