The conflict between those who seek an idealized past and those who move forward amid the harsh realities of the present is brought to life once again in Kumu Kahua’s revival production of playwright Alani Apio’s cultural drama "Kamau A‘e," or "Carrying On." First presented by Kumu Kahua in 1997, it explores issues as timely now as they were 15 years ago.
Michael Kawaipono Mahekona is released from prison after doing nine years for attempted murder when he refused to leave the site of what had been the family home. Mahekona’s cousin Alika Kealoha sold the property to a corporation that built a beachfront resort. The resort now employs more than 200 Hawaiians and funds state-of-the-art cultural programs.
Mahekona’s release from prison is welcomed by a Hawaiian nationalist group, Ai Pohaku. Mahekona and the leaders of Ai Pohaku occupy the area of the resort that contains his family’s fishing shrine and begin tilling the land with traditional Hawaiian digging sticks. Visitors gather to watch them. A television news reporter arrives. Mahekona and his supporters make their case to the hotel guests and the reporter while they wait for the resort to either negotiate with them or have them arrested.
Ai Pohaku becomes torn by internal conflicts: Should tourists be treated as boorish intruders or according to traditional Hawaiian rules of etiquette?
| ‘KAMAU A‘E’
>> Where: Kumu Kahua Theatre, 46 Merchant St.
>> When: 8 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, through July 1
>> Cost: $20
>> Info: 536-4441 or www.kumukahua.org
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Charles Kupahu Timtim plays Mahekona as a big, passionate, blunt instrument of a man who is consumed by rage at the loss of family land and crushed by the responsibilities assigned him by his grandfather to care for the land, the family and the fishing shrine.
William Murray has a peripheral but important role as cousin Alika.
In a pivotal speech near the end of the show, Alika points out how detached most Hawaiians are from the traditional culture that Queen Kaahumanu destroyed in 1819 when she abolished the kapu system and adopted Christianity. "We think American. … We gave up being ourselves in 1819," he says.
The greatest strength of the show is Apio’s commitment to realism. There are no designated heroes or villains. He skillfully presents conflicting viewpoints on Hawaiian culture while deftly challenging local racism and the selective culturalism of Hawaiian militants who attack "haole culture" while accepting haole missionary definitions of nudity.
The biggest challenge is the use of flashbacks. It can also take time to figure out which characters are alive and which exist in Mahekona’s imagination.
The other problem with "Kamau A‘e" is that a significant amount of the dialogue is in Hawaiian with no translation provided. That means most people will get the sound and fury of it but have no idea what is being said.
