cINeDIGENOUS: Kumu Hina and Native Hawaiian Identity

Date & Time: Tuesday, April 20, 2021 at 7:30 PM – 9 PM MDT

Topic:

A conversation with filmmaker Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu (Kanaka Maoli) about being Native in islands occupied by both American and Asian settler colonial systems.

Registration fees offered at a sliding scale; proceeds support SIFF Education programming. Zoom meeting details will be emailed to ticket purchasers shortly before the scheduled event. FREE code for Indigenous Community Members: NIATERO

More About The Class:

Award-winning filmmaker Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu (Kanaka Maoli) is joined by Tracy Rector (Choctaw descent) for an absorbing conversation about being Native in islands occupied by both American and Asian settler colonial systems. Forced assimilation has diminished awareness of Native Hawaiian culture and centering decolonization is essential for the future. Kumu Hina embraces her role as a teacher, cultural practitioner, artist, and community leader, speaking from the heart to illuminate the world about the experience of embodying Kanaka Maoli culture.

About The Participants:

Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu 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 Award for the groundbreaking impact campaigns associated with those films. Continuing her journey to the other side of the lens, Kumu Hina produced the PBS/ARTE feature documentary LEITIS IN WAITING, an award-winning short Lady Eva about her transgender sisters in the Kingdom of Tonga, and recently co-directed the Oscar-shortlisted animated film, KAPAEMAHU. 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 which was honored as Hawaiian Song of the Year in the 2020 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards, known as the Hawaiian Grammys.

Tracy Rector (Moderator): Tracy Rector brings a passion for amplifying and empowering Indigenous voices to her work as the Managing Director of Storytelling at Nia Tero. She brings two decades of experience as a community organizer, educator, filmmaker, film programmer, and arts curator, all infused with her deep roots in plant medicine. For the last 18 years she has directed and produced over 400 films including shorts, features, music videos, and virtual reality projects. Her work has been featured on Independent Lens, ImagineNative, National Geographic, and the Smithsonian’s Museum of the American Indian, as well as at international film festivals including Cannes and Toronto. Tracy is in her second term as a Seattle Arts Commissioner, sits on the board of the Mize Foundation, and is the co-founder of Longhouse Media.