Mo’okū’auhau: A Woven Genealogy

Project Statement

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The Kumulipo, or Native Hawaiian creation chant, establishes the Hawaiian people as descendants of all natural life forms; not just the people who came before us, but the environment that birthed and nurtured us. As a Kanaka Maoli artist, I ground my work in this genealogy, honoring the ways in which my ancestors —both kānaka (people) and ʻāina (land)— guide me as I navigate the world. Through this series of monotypes, I explore how my connection to people and place grounds me in spirit, guides me through seasons, and empowers me to show up in my most authentic form.

 

In each work, I found an artistic process that allowed me to embody a component of my being. However, the creation of Mo’okū’auhau: A Woven Genealogy was a particularly powerful experience. In this piece, I wrote out three generations of my ancestors - a sliver of my Mo’okū’auhau (genealogical story) that recognizes all of the kānaka who preceded me. The process of writing their names not only stood as an acknowledgment of their presence, but as a deeper recognition of the intergenerational knowledge that sustained and continues to sustain the Native Hawaiian community. As I created this piece, I began to feel a sense of contribution to this intellectual legacy. This experience made me realize that my artwork is not only in conversation with my ancestors, but with my descendants, who may one day look to my work as they navigate the world as Kanaka Maoli.