(USA, 2010, 60 min.)
Director: Eddie Kamae
Filmmakers Eddie and Myrna Kamae will be present
Tenth in The Hawaiian Legacy Series: The story of a young Hawaiian ukulele virtuoso’s journey of musical self-discovery, which became a 50-year quest to help preserve his people’s dying culture. Eddie Kamae first thought he was just researching old songs; but his powerful kinship with the work of Hawaii’s last Queen and most prolific composer, Queen Lili‘uokalani, led him to many respected gatekeepers of the Hawaiian Renaissance: author/translator Mary Kawena Pukui; “The Songwriter of Waipi’o,” Sam Li’a; “Aloha Chant” author Pilahi Paki; and cultural resource Lilia “Mama” Hale. Entrusting Kamae with key pieces of his musical heritage, they inspired him to understand, perform and pass on that heritage to the children of Hawaii. After half a century as a celebrated bandleader, musician, filmmaker and oral historian, Kamae tells this story, honoring his elders in song and story. This film is dedicated to Santa Cruz author and historian James D. Houston, a close friend of the Kamaes who also wrote seven documentaries in The Hawaiian Legacy Series.
