No sooner did I write the words “what Sai and Kaiama are doing is the only sovereignty related story unfolding” two posts beneath this one, then I remembered two things: on Maui and other islands that are NOT Oahu, there are pockets of resistance taking the form of refusing to use Hawaii “state” license plates on cars. This isn’t new, but the fact that this expression of ku’e is picking up again is a story that would be followed if there was anything even resembling Hawaiian reporting and news production.
The other huge story that is in constant motion, albeit slow motion, is Kaanohi Kaleikini’s ku’e against the desecration of our iwi kupuna. There simply is no one else representing us in the way she has been for years now. And I personally believe that if Hawaiians actually came together on this one issue, the sovereignty movement would find its pulse again. What she (and others) said and did about the desecration at Walmart that appears in “Noho Hewa” is the backbone of the film.
In lieu of us having our own news show, which would rightfully feature regular reporting on the daily abuses and desecration of Hawaiian burials and sacred sites, here’s a lovely article the Honolulu Magazine published about Kaanohi in December. The gorgeous photo above of Kaanohi in Makua Valley was lifted from this article. http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/December-2012/Meet-Paulette-Kaleikini-The-woman-who-stopped-the-rail/