{"id":319,"date":"2015-05-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-05-04T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/kumu-hina\/"},"modified":"2025-02-20T08:46:19","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T16:46:19","slug":"kumu-hina","status":"publish","type":"films","link":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/documentaries\/kumu-hina\/","title":{"rendered":"Kumu Hina"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kumu Hina<\/i> is the story of Hina Wong- Kalu, a transgender native Hawaiian teacher and cultural icon who brings to life Hawaii\u2019s long-held embrace of mahu<\/i> \u2014 those who embody both male and female spirit, and were traditionally respected as caretakers, healers, and keepers of ancient traditions.<\/p>\n

The film traces Hina\u2019s evolution from a timid high school boy to her position as a married woman and cultural director of a school that specializes in Hawaiian language, history and culture, located in one of Honolulu\u2019s grittier neighborhoods. As she contemplates who should lead the school’s all-male hula troupe in their final performance, a surprising candidate presents herself: Ho\u2019onani, a sixth grader who is proud to be seen as a mixture of boy and girl. As Kumu Hina helps Ho\u2019onani negotiate the mixed reactions of her classmates and her family, the power of culture to instill a sense of pride and acceptance becomes clear.<\/p>\n

The film also delves into Hina’s pursuit of a dream of her own: a fulfilling romantic relationship. Her tumultuous marriage to a headstrong Tongan man offers insight into the universal challenge of loving somebody outside the norm and a deeper understanding of the true meaning of aloha<\/i> \u2013 love, honor, and respect for\u00a0all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A native Hawaiian mahu<\/i>, or transgender, woman uses traditional culture to create a place in the middle where every student is accepted. Despite the respect and admiration she’s achieved in her community, Hina still longs for true love.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":8298,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"topic":[1248,1239,1288,1264,1227,1293],"class_list":["post-319","films","type-films","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","topic-dance","topic-identity","topic-lgbtq","topic-race-ethnicity","topic-women-and-girls","topic-youth-and-family"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nKumu Hina | Preserving Hawaiian Tradition | Independent Lens | PBS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Kumu Hina follows a native Hawaiian mahu (transgender) woman who uses traditional culture to create a place in the middle where every student is accepted.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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