“Kapaemahu is a Poignant Monument to the Power of Hidden Histories” – Kirkus Reviews

“A rich retelling of an ancient Indigenous Hawaiian legend.”

Filled with cultural details and beautifully illustrated in vibrant tropical colors, the book pays homage to Indigenous Hawaiian healing traditions and affirms two-spirit people. The fascinating backmatter provides background information about the original Hawaiian legend and Niihau dialect. 
A poignant monument to the power of hidden Indigenous histories.

Observations About the Hawaiian Spoken on Niʻihau

Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu was not born on Niʻihau but says she was “guided, groomed and raised” by the Niʻihau community. Wong-Kalu recently narrated the animated film, Kapaemahu, using ʻŌlelo Kanaka Niʻihau to allow listeners to hear the beauty of the language; it was the first time it was used as the medium for a film.

THE HEALER STONES OF KAPAEMAHU: June 18 – Oct 15, 2022

Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum announces a new, original exhibition that will explore the hidden history and contemporary meaning of what may be the world’s only public monument celebrating gender fluidity – The Healer Stones of Kapaemahu.

The Queer Indigenous Artists Reclaiming a Fluid Sense of Gender

To recover the past, then, can be an act of resistance. In the animated short film “Kapaemahu” (2020), directed by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson, an ancient mo‘olelo (“oral story”) is given new life, recounting the voyage of four healers from Tahiti to the Hawaiian Islands many centuries ago. The healers were māhū, “not male nor female … a mixture of both in mind, heart and spirit,” as the film puts it. They brought knowledge of how to ease pain and cure illness and were welcomed and beloved. When the time came for them to depart, the grateful community hauled four boulders to the beach at Waikiki, in what is now Honolulu; the māhū infused the stones with their spirits, then vanished.

New Exhibition to Explore a Suppressed Piece of Hawaiian History about Four Legendary Māhū

Long ago, four extraordinary individuals of dual male and female spirit, known as māhū, brought their wisdom from Tahiti to Oahu, saving many lives with their healing abilities. Their indigenous leader Kapaemahu recounts the story that many have forgotten.

In June, visitors to Bishop Museum will be reminded of that tale in a new exhibition called The Healer Stones of Kapaemahu, which will explore the history of the loss and rediscovery of four mysterious stones on Waikiki Beach. The exhibition is based on the Oscar-contending animated film.

‘Kapaemahu’ Expands with Book, Exhibition and Documentary Film

A series of projects will soon arrive based on the celebrated, award-winning 2D short about the long-suppressed, centuries-old story of Waikiki’s mysterious four-boulder monument to the gentle people, both male and female in mind and body, who brought science and healing to the island.

Book, Multimedia Exhibition and Documentary on Oscar-nominated Hawaiian Animated Short ‘Kapaemahu’ Announced

Hawaiian animated short, Kapaemahu, created quite a stir at the 93rd Academy Awards this year, as it became the first ever Native Hawaiian film to clear the first round of voting and become an official Oscars shortlist of 10 films in the ‘Animated Short Film’ category. This amazing work is now evolving into other formats including a children’s picture book, immersive multimedia exhibition, and documentary film, all exploring the rich history brought to life by the animation.

Kumu Hina on Western and Hawaiian Understandings of Gender and Sexuality

October 11 was National Coming Out Day. Today, Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu’s coming out story. A respected educator and cultural leader, Kumu Hina met HPR in Waikiki, visiting Kapaemahu, the majestic healing stones at the edge of Kuhio Beach that are linked to healers who were not specifically male or female. Kumu Hina co-produced an Oscar-contending animation about Kapaemahu, Wikiki’s healing stones.