ABOUT KAPAEMAHUAR
The Kapaemahu Augmented Reality app is part of a multimedia education and community engagement project rooted in Hawaiian culture and dedicated to acceptance, respect, and inclusion for all. It is based on the story of four large stones that were long ago placed on Waikiki beach as a monument to the mahu – extraordinary individuals of dual male and female spirit – who brought healing arts from Tahiti to Hawai’i.
Although the stones still exist, their story has been suppressed and the respected role of mahu erased. Today, few of the millions of passersby know the true meaning and significance of this unique monument as the current signage does not even mention the connection to gender duality.
The purpose of KAPAEMAHUAR is to give visitors to the site an opportunity to learn more about its story, history, and meaning. Our hope is to start a conversation that will restore this storied site as a permanent reminder of Hawaii’s long history of healing, inclusion and aloha.
OLELO NIIHAU
TEAM
Kari Noe
Developer | Designer | Programmer
Kari Noe is the founder of Studio Ahilele and co-leads the emerging media lab, Create(x), at the Academy of Creative Media at the University of Hawaiʻi at West Oʻahu.Her research includes: Human Computer Interaction, Extended Reality Technologies, and video game development for both serious and entertainment games. She is especially interested in the ways emerging media can support learning. As a mixed Kanaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian) scholar, she focuses on projects that involve Hawaiian cultural heritage. Her research has been published in numerous conferences such as ACM CHI and ACM SIGGRAPH, and her work has been featured in both local and international venues including the Bishop Museum on Oʻahu and the Global Asia/Pacific Art Exchange (GAX) in Montreal.
Dean Hamer
Director | Historian
Dean Hamer is a New York Times Book of the Year author, National Institutes of Health scientist, and Emmy and GLAAD Media award-winning filmmaker whose work has played an important role in our understandings of human nature. He formed Kanaka Pakipika with partner Joe Wilson and prior film subject Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu to produce an insightful series of films that have opened the eyes of the worlds to the lessons to be learned from Polynesia’s unique approach to diversity and inclusion. He is currently working on a book and museum exhibition based on Kapaemahu. Hamer is also the author of several best-selling nonfiction books including “The Science of Desire” and “The God Gene,” has been a consultant for the BBC and Discovery channels, and his research has been featured in Time, Newsweek, and Science magazines and on Frontline and Oprah.
E: DeanHamer@aol.com
Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu
Cultural leader | Narrator
Kumu Hina is a Native Hawaiian teacher, cultural practitioner and filmmaker who uses digital media to protect and perpetuate indigenous languages and traditions. She began her film work as a protagonist and educational advisor for the award winning films Kumu Hina and A Place in the Middle, and received a National Education Association Human Rights Award, Native Hawaiian Educator of the year and White House Champion of Change for the groundbreaking impact campaigns associated with those films. Continuing her journey to the other side of the lens, Kumu Hina produced the award-winning short Lady Eva and PBS feature documentary Leitis in Waiting about her transgender sisters in the Kingdom of Tonga. Kapaemahu is her first film in Olelo Niihau, in which she is fluent. Hina is also a transgender health advocate, burial council chair, candidate for the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and composer of “Ku Haaheo E Kuu Hawaii,” the internationally known anthem for the protection of Mauna Kea.
E: KumuHina@yahoo.com
Joe Wilson
Producer | Impact strategist
Joe Wilson is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker dedicated to telling stories that emanate from the voices of those on the outside. His feature and short films combine live action with animation to explore pressing social issues through innovative storytelling. Wilson’s work has screened and won awards at festivals around the world including Berlin, Toronto and Tribeca, been viewed by millions of viewers on PBS, Netflix, ARTE and other international broadcasts, and has been supported by Sundance, Ford and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Kapaemahu is his fifth film in collaboration with Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu. Previously, Wilson served as Director of the Human Rights at the Public Welfare Foundation and a Producer of Pacifica Radio’s Democracy Now.
E: QwavesJoe@yahoo.com
Daniel Sousa
Character Designer | Animator
Daniel Sousa is an Academy Award-nominated animation director who uses the themes embedded in myths and legends to examine archetypes of human nature. Born on Cape Verde, he approaches filmmaking from a painter’s perspective, focusing on the fragility of fleeting moments, memories and perceptions. His short films include Feral, which was supported by a Creative Capital Foundation grant and premiered at Sundance, and Fable, which won awards at festivals around the world. He recently completed animating several native legends for the four-part PBS special Native America, which weaves history and science with living indigenous traditions. Sousa has taught at the Rhode Island School of Design, Harvard University, The Museum School, The Art Institute of Boston and the Animation Workshop in Denmark.
MAHALO TO OUR PARTNERS AND SUPPORTERS
