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 original people of Hawai‘i, the Kānaka Maoli.
A panel of international judges was convened to hear the charges, which included genocide, ethnocide, the taking of our sovereign government and the destruction of our environment.
During those days of testimony, the Tribunal traveled to five islands to see and hear firsthand the words and personal experiences of witnesses, many of whom faced arrest and eviction from native lands.
The Tribunal judges and prosecutor/advocates from Japan, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Jordan, Korea, Africa, the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Cree, Cherokee, Shawnee and Creek nations brought to the proceedings a familiarity with the changing dynamics of international law regarding indigenous peoples.
At the end of ten days, the Tribunal called upon the United States and the world to recognize the fact that our sovereignty has never been extinguished. It also called for the restoration and return of all lands to which Kānaka Maoli have a claim.
Spoken testimony is supplemented visually with graphics, political cartoons, archival photos and film, aerial shots and contemporary footage of land occupations and struggles.
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.
