UPCOMING EVENTS
Using Literature: The Inspiring Past
Kapaemahu: The Power of a Lost Story Found
Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson, Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu
Kapaemahu is a bilingual children’s picture book for ages 3-8 about four extraordinary individuals of dual male and female spirit, or mahu, who brought healing arts from Tahiti to Hawai`i. It is part of an educational project that includes an Oscar-contending animated short film, a documentary, and a Bishop Museum exhibition that explore how and why this story was altered as colonialism and globalization brought change to Hawai`i.
This session will engage participants with project creators, excerpts of the book read in `Olelo Ni`ihau, and introduction to an activity guide for the book developed by Kanaeokana “for teachers by teachers.” The book release, launch event, and exhibition all happen in June.
Celebrate Pride Month in conversation with special guests and filmmakers, joining us LIVE from Hawai’i!
Pacific Islanders in Communications in partnership with PBS Hawai’i, proudly present a special Pride Month event, highlighting THE HEALER STONES OF KAPAEMAHU, from Season 11 of the Pacific Heartbeat series.
You are cordially invited to a live conversation and Q&A, featuring THE HEALER STONES OF KAPAEMAHU filmmakers: Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson, in conversation with archivist and historian, Desoto Brown (Bishop Museum).
Moderated by Taylour Chang (Bishop Museum), this discussion promises to be an engaging exploration of a rich cultural history, the importance of representation and the lasting legacies that often hide in plain sight.
THE HEALER STONES OF KAPAEMAHU
Four boulders in Waikīkī pay tribute to healers that brought their arts from Tahiti to Hawai’i hundreds of years ago. A plaque commemorates the healers’ contributions, but fails to mention they were mahu- people of dual male and female spirit. THE HEALER STONES OF KAPAEMAHU tells the story of these heroes and explores what happened to mahu as colonialism swept across the Pacific.
PANELISTS
HINALEIMOANA WONG-KALU (Film Director and Hawaiian Culture Bearer)
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 Ōlelo Niʻihau , 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.
DEAN HAMER (Film Director and Researcher)
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 current understandings of human sexuality and gender. 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 PBS and Oprah.
JOE WILSON (Film Director and Engagement 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.
DESOTO BROWN (Archivist and Historian at Bishop Museum)
Curious, inquisitive, a seeker of information and a reader of anything and everything, DeSoto Brown might have become a professor or a detective. Lucky for the historical wealth of Hawai‘i, he became the archivist and collections manager for the Bishop Museum. His great-great grandfather, John Papa Ii, was a 19th-century writer and Hawaiian historian who served as adviser to Hawaii kings Kamehameha III, IV and V. Brown’s parents were also history buffs who sparked his curiosity in the past. He has a wide range of interests, and has co-curated numerous exhibitions including the recent “Kaula Piko: The Source of Strings” and “Mai Kinohi Mai: Surfing in Hawai’i.”
MODERATOR
TAYLOUR CHANG (Director of Public Programs, Bishop Museum)
You’ve seen the animated film and have maybe watched the new documentary. On June 11, help celebrate the official Hawaiʻi launch of the new bi-lingual keiki-book, Kapaemahu, by Kumu Hina, Dean Hamer, and Joe Wilson, based on the Academy Award-contending short film.
Join us for two readings with Kumu Hina beginning at 10am & 11am followed by a Q&A and a book-signing! Bring your keiki and the whole ʻohana. Light refreshments will be served.
You’ve seen the animated film and have maybe watched the new documentary. On June 11, help celebrate the official Hawaiʻi launch of the new bi-lingual keiki-book, Kapaemahu, by Kumu Hina, Dean Hamer, and Joe Wilson, based on the Academy Award-contending short film.
Join us for two readings with Kumu Hina beginning at 10am & 11am followed by a Q&A and a book-signing! Bring your keiki and the whole ʻohana. Light refreshments will be served.
You’ve seen the animated film and have maybe watched the new documentary. On June 11, help celebrate the official Hawaiʻi launch of the new bi-lingual keiki-book, Kapaemahu, by Kumu Hina, Dean Hamer, and Joe Wilson.
Join us for a makua and adult-oriented discussion with Kumu Hina surrounding the content and creation of Kapaemahu followed by a Q&A and a book-signing. This event is intended for adults (mākua) as the discussion will be centered around the erasure and mis-representation issues that the book addresses. Light refreshments will be served.
Join Civil Beat for this virtual IDEAS Live discussion.
Politics and Opinion Editor Chad Blair sits down with Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, also known as Kumu Hina, to talk about the new Bishop Museum exhibition “The Healer Stones of Kapaemahu,” her activism with transgender rights and Native Hawaiian issues, and to catch up with what else she has been involved in.
This Civil Beat IDEAS Live virtual discussion will be held on Crowdcast and Facebook Live.
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ideas-live-kumu-hina-tickets-355614421307
Bishop Museum invites members of the media to attend an exclusive, pre-opening, closed-door Media Preview of The Healer Stones of Kapaemahu:
Thursday, June 16, 2022
1-4 p.m. HST
Bishop Museum, Castle Memorial Center
Please RSVP with Lance Aquino: lance@strykerweiner.com , (808) 398-0657
Bishop Museum 132 Pahui Street, Honolulu, Hawai'i 978883 Directions
Preview the exhibition at the museum, followed by an outdoor screening on the great lawn of The Healer Stones of Kapaemahu. Food, live entertainment, and books will be available.
Bishop Museum
132 Pahui Street,
Honolulu, Hawai’i 978883
The Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival, in Partnership with Bishop Museum, presents a curated series of short films that bring the stories of queer Pacific Islanders to life on screen. This diverse collection of narrative and documentary shorts will make you laugh, cry, and reconsider what it means to honor culture and traditions without giving up who you are. Ticket includes entry to The Healer Stones of Kapaemahu exhibition prior to the screening.
Bishop Museum
132 Pahui Street,
Honolulu, Hawai’i 978883
This program is part of a five-part speaker series that harnesses community discourse around The Healer of Stones of Kapaemahu exhibition on view in Bishop Museum’s Castle Memorial Building through Oct. 16, 2022. By bringing together cultural practitioners, scholars, artists, and community organizers, the program aims to cultivate deeper understanding of the exhibition’s central themes of gender diversity, Native Hawaiian health, and the power of monuments. These talks will take place in person at Bishop Museum’s Atherton Hālau and will be streamed live for virtual participation.
To kick off the series, join us for a Museum After Hours Pau Hana presentation with the exhibition curators to discuss the historical findings and artistic choices behind The Healer Stones of Kapaemahu. The conversation will include new details about the first written version of the moʻolelo, its loss, its rediscovery deep in a library archive, and its restoration—all in the context of the rise of tourism, militarization, and the erosion of Hawaiian cultural identity throughout the 20th century. Speakers include:
Book Signing da Shop and Bess Press will be hosting an exclusive book signing for the newly released children’s book “Kapaemahu.” Based on the Academy Award contending-short film of the same name, “Kapaemahu,” by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson, and illustrated by Daniel Sousa, tells the Native Hawaiian legend of four extraordinary individuals of dual male and female spirit, or māhū, who brought healing arts from Tahiti to Hawaii. On the night of the Museum After Hours event, attendees will be able to purchase and have books signed by author Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu and co-creators, Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer. *This kickoff panel is featured as a Museum After Hours Pau Hana presentation. Please note that Museum After Hours is a campus-wide event from 5:30 – 9 p.m. The Pau Hana presentation will take place in Bishop Museum’s Atherton Hālau from 6 – 7:30 p.m. In order to attend in person and enjoy the full offerings of Museum After Hours, guests will need to purchase admission using the Registration button. For those who wish to attend virtually via zoom, register using the Virtual Registration button.
Friday, July 8, 2022
6-7:30 p.m.
Atherton Hālau & Livestreamed via Zoom
*Included in Museum After Hours Admission
This program is part of a five-part speaker series that harnesses community discourse around The Healer of Stones of Kapaemahu exhibition on view in Bishop Museum’s Castle Memorial Building through Oct. 16, 2022. By bringing together cultural practitioners, scholars, artists, and community organizers, the program aims to cultivate deeper understanding of the exhibition’s central themes of gender diversity, Native Hawaiian health, and the power of monuments. These talks will take place in person at Bishop Museum’s Atherton Hālau and will be streamed live for virtual participation.
In Hawaiʻi, the creation chant, the Kumulipo, traces the origins of life to the combining of paired opposites: light and dark, earth and sky, wet and dry, male and female. In conversation with co-curator Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Professor Tēvita O. Kaʻili will share stories of gender duality from his native Tonga and other regions of Oceania, and Hawaiian historian Adam Keawe Manolo-Camp will discuss his research and storytelling initiatives to help revive Hawaiian understandings and histories of gender fluidity and same-sex relationships, including among revered rulers and nobles.
Speakers include:
Friday, July 29, 2022
6 – 7:30 p.m.
Atherton Hālau & Livestreamed via Zoom
Free admission
Join us for a panel featuring traditional healers as they discuss the groundbreaking approaches that helped establish new ways of addressing the self-determination of a marginalized people through the means of traditional healing practices.
Speakers to be announced.
Thursday, August 4, 2022
6 – 7:30 p.m.
Atherton Hālau & Livestreamed via Zoom
Free admission
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