From an ancient burial site at Honokahua, Maui, to the streets of Honolulu, the issue of protecting ancestral remains from development is brought passionately to the public’s attention by Hawaiian descendants. A few days before Christmas, 1988, a 24-hour vigil is held at the state capitol to protest the excavation of almost 900 ancient burials from the sands of Maui’s Honokahua bay by archeologists contracted to clear the area for construction of a new Ritz Carlton resort. The effort to stop the desecration is met with overwhelming support from the community and soon an agreement is reached between the state government and the developer to move the hotel site and reinter the bones. This collective action eventually resulted in legislation to repatriate ancestral remains from universities and museums throughout the world and protect burial sites throughout Hawai‘i.

From the age of five, Henry Auwae learned the art of lāʻau lapaʻau (herbal medicine) from his grandmother, a woman whose knowledge extended back to nineteenth century Hawaiʻi. In this documentary series, "Papa" Auwae shares this traditional knowledge. At a workshop, he demonstrates the preparation of healing herbs and mineral rock (ʻalaea). And in a visit to the Wao Kele o Puna rainforest, he identifies rare medicinal plants and speaks to the importance of preserving them in their natural habitat. This digitally remastered DVD replaces the original 33-minute program from 1991. The expanded documentary and bonus features contain virtually all of the footage recorded of Henry Auwae at the Hawaiian Health Fair held in Hilo, Hawaiʻi on May 5, 1990 along with footage recorded at this residence in Keaukaha, and during a drive to and hike through the Wao Kele o Puna rainforest on September 27, 1989.

This hour-long documentary is a provocative look at a historical event of which few Americans are aware. In mid-January, 1893, armed troops from the U.S.S Boston landed at Honolulu in support of a treasonous coup d’état against the constitutional sovereign of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Queen Lili‘uokalani. The event was described by U.S. President Grover Cleveland as an "act of war."

Kānaka Maoli (native Hawaiians) living at Mākua beach in 1983 take a stand to resist eviction by police and government agents.

Taro grower and Native Hawaiian practitioner Jerry Konanui works to propagate and save from extinction the numerous varieties of kalo (taro), a staple of the Hawaiian diet. Jerry’s mission is also to protect kalo, revered as the elder sibling (Haloa) of the Hawaiian people, from the risks of genetic engineering.

This hour-long documentary is a provocative look at a historical event of which few Americans are aware. In mid-January, 1893, armed troops from the U.S.S Boston landed at Honolulu in support of a treasonous coup d’état against the constitutional sovereign of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Queen Lili‘uokalani. The event was described by U.S. President Grover Cleveland as an "act of war."

This hour-long documentary is a provocative look at a historical event of which few Americans are aware. In mid-January, 1893, armed troops from the U.S.S Boston landed at Honolulu in support of a treasonous coup d’état against the constitutional sovereign of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Queen Lili‘uokalani. The event was described by U.S. President Grover Cleveland as an "act of war."

Although the mountain volcano Mauna Kea last erupted around 4,000 years ago, it is still hot today, the center of a burning controversy over whether its summit should be used for astronomical observatories or preserved as a cultural landscape sacred to the Hawaiian people. For five years the documentary production team Nā Maka o ka 'Āina ("the eyes of the land") captured on video the seasonal moods of Mauna Kea's unique 14,000-foot summit, the richly varied ecosystems that extend from sea level to alpine zone, the legends and stories that reveal the mountain's geologic and cultural history, and the political turbulence surrounding the efforts to protect the most significant temple in the islands: the mountain itself.

The Hawaiian system of land use allowed access to all resources in the ahupua‘a, a land division that stretched from mountain to sea. Within the ahupua‘a, highly specialized technologies such as fishponds and lo‘i kalo (taro gardens) ensured an abundance of food. 
Our Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) ancestors achieved a rare balance between meeting their needs and enhancing the productivity of the land and sea. Their social system ensured survival from generation to generation.


Kahoʻolawe Aloha ʻĀina focuses on the cultural, political and military significance of the "target island" of Kaho‘olawe in the Hawaiian archipelago.