MĀHŪ is a short documentary film that explores the Native Hawaiian concept of gender fluidity through an innovative theater production by Kumu Hula Patrick Makuakāne that aims to reclaim the traditional place of honor and pride given to māhū, or transgender, people. The film explores the history of the Hawaiian term māhū by interweaving the multi-media stage performance featuring the hula dance, chant, and music around intimate interviews with the artistic collaborators of the show who are all acclaimed Hawaiian transgender artists. As they prepare to open the MĀHŪ show in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, we meet Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, a revered activist, kumu hula, filmmaker and community leader in the field of kanaka maoli language and cultural preservation; Iwalani Hoʻomanawanui Apo, a well-known falsetto singer in the beloved Hawaiian music trio, Kuini; and Kaumakaiwa Kanakaʻole, a multi-award winning performer and great-grandchild of esteemed Kumu Hula Edith Kanakaʻole who was one of the seminal figures of the Hawaiian Renaissance. These contemporary artists share intergenerational stories from both older and younger māhū experiences that highlight the difficulties of navigating their transgender identities. 

 

The term māhū itself is one of the most controversial words in all of the Hawaiian language, and one that has been used in the derogatory and pejorative sense which is now being reclaimed in this creative showcase to bring it out of shame. Māhū is the traditional Hawaiian term for transgender or the “expression of the third self which embodies both male and female aspects within while acknowledging and embracing both.” Māhū were an integral part of Hawaiian culture before the arrival of missionaries in the 1820s, respected as cultural standard bearers, artisans and healers. Today in many Pacific Islander communities, māhū still face discrimination and unequal treatment due to their gender identity. MĀHŪ serves as a reminder to the Native Hawaiian community and the world that before colonization, before Western concepts of gender and colonial prejudice, there was an indigenous sensibility of queer culture that celebrated cultural truths based on inclusivity, diversity, and aloha. 

 

Lead featured artist Patrick Makuakāne is a creative force in the hula world whose innovative art springs from an avowedly queer and socially conscious perspective. Patrick Makuakāne is a kumu hula, or master hula teacher, known for blending traditional hula with contemporary music and subject matter. Since 1985, he has forged his own unique form of hula – hula mua, or hula that evolves, with his San Francisco-based dance company, Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu. With his work, Patrick continually reaches out beyond the Hawaiian community to present hula to larger and more diverse audiences, within a format that is progressive, provocative, and yet still genuinely Hawaiian. 

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Key Creative Team

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Directed & Produced by Lisette Marie Flanary

Executive Producers Patrick Makuakāne, Dean Hamer & Joe Wilson

Director of Photography Keliʻi Grace

Additional Videography Gerard Elmore & Romeo Lapitan

Location Sound Recordist John McFadden

Editor Jhante Iga

 

MĀHŪ is a co-production of Lehua Films, LLC. and Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).