2022 | Trailer 1 MIN.
Pili Ka Moʻo
Justyn Ah Chong and Malia Akutagawa (Kanaka Maoli)
The Fukumitsu ʻOhana (family) of Hakipuʻu are Native Hawaiian taro farmers and keepers of this generational practice. While much of Oʻahu has become urbanized, Hakipuʻu remains a kīpuka (oasis) of traditional knowledge where great chiefs once resided and their bones still remain. The Fukumitsus are tossed into a world of complex real estate and judicial proceedings when nearby Kualoa Ranch, a large settler-owned corporation, destroys their familial burials to make way for continued development plans.
Critical acclaim for this film
“To unearth our kupuna in the ground is like the final eviction,” a quote from the film, lingers in my mind as a fellow Native Hawaiian. It is a reminder that the spiritual war featured in PILI KA MO`O clearly ties back to the Colonization of Hawai’i and the dark side of Capitalism.
– Ciara Lacy
MORE ABOUT THIS FILM
Posters
Behind the scenes
Fukumitsu ‘ohana overlook the land
Kalo farmer Kolea Fukumitsu works the loʻi on generational family land.
Kolea Fukumitsu prepares a Hoʻokupu (gift offering) on camera
Portrait of Native Hawaiian Reciprocity Project collaborators Malia Akutagawa and Justyn Ah Chong at Hakipuʻu, Oʻahu
Kolea Fukumitsu shows a harvested kalo to the camera.
A Hoʻokupu (gift offering) beautifully prepared with intention and prayer
