Zynnette's 2nd Media Review

ZF

November 30th, 2020

Kumu Hina Review

Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson’s Kumu Hina is an insightful documentary that follows Hina Wong-Kalu, a transgender Hawaiian woman who is also a hulu instructor in one of Honolulu’s more gritty neighborhoods, along with one of her female students who wants a male role in one of the school’s hulu performances. At the same time, one of Hina’s young female students, Ho’onani, must navigate her feelings of possessing both male and female spirit when her mother gives her a mixed reaction. By diving into how colonization has altered native Hawaiian views on gender identity, how Hina navigates her tumultuous relationship with her traditional husband, and how Ho’onani breaks through barriers of the binary, Hamer and Wilson give a very real look at the intersectionality between Polynesian culture and gender identity.

From the beginning, it is clear that native Hawaiians had a different perspective on gender identity prior to colonization. They believed there to be male and female, along with a gender identity that was in the middle of male and female, called māhū. Before Christian missionaries made it to the island of Hawaii and called their way of life completely immoral, māhū were highly respected members of the community. Hina informs us that “Māhū were valued and respected as caretakers, healers, and teachers of ancient traditions. We passed on sacred knowledge from one generation to the next through hula, chant and other forms of wisdom.” The brief history that we were given about the history of māhū gives us a better understanding of discussions that will go on in later parts of the documentary, such as why Ho’onani receives mixed reviews from her mother about her expression of possessing both male and female spirit. The visibility and respectability of māhū individuals was tarnished by American colonization.

Hina expresses concerns of how she will be viewed by her husband, Hema’s, friends when she goes to Tonga to get him. Later on in the movie, Hema reveals how Tongan culture takes a much different stance on māhū people. He says “I knew some people would think ‘what the heck happened to that guy’s mind?’ and look down on me for being with a māhū.” This stigma puts strain on their relationship because it makes Hina feel like she must abandon the male part of her spirit in order to be accepted. An argument between them reveals that she also has to put up with gender stereotypes. During the argument, she asserts that “Our marriage won’t be like a straight Tongan couple...where the man locks his wife in the house and then does whatever he wants.” So not only does Hina have to deal with the stress of their marriage being judged for not being within the norm, but she is also pressured to conform when she should not have to.

We get a look into the Ho’onani, one of Hina’s students, life in the weeks leading to the hulu performance. When her mother was asked about her daughter being māhū, she says “...I’ve always told her that yes, you dress like a boy. Yes, you can act like a boy. But you are a girl.” She also says that it’s “still early,” insinuating that she may think Ho’onani is just going through a phase, which will pass at some point. Hina has a talk with Ho’onani and tells her “...when you work with other people, they may expect you to stand in the girl’s line, okay?” to, in a way, prepare Ho’onani for any criticism that may come with possessing both male and female spirit. However, that criticism doesn’t come. After the performance, her classmates are proud of her and her mother hugs her, telling her that she is proud of her daughter and who she is. This provides us with a satisfying conclusion to Ho’onani’s story, seeing that she is finally accepted for who she is.

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