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Māhū: A Trans-Pacific Love Letter

Season 13 Episode 3 | 26m 05s

Kumu Hula Patrick Makuakāne explores the history of the Hawaiian term māhū, or transgender, through the creation of a new theater production for audiences in San Francisco and Honolulu. The film interweaves the multi-media stage performance featuring hula, ‘oli, and moʻolelo with intimate interviews with the artistic collaborators of the show who are all acclaimed Hawaiian transgender artists.

Aired: 09/02/26 | Expires: 10/01/26
Funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Extras
Indigenous women around the Pacific seek support in their birth choices.
Rava Ray, Tahitian photographer and artist, sought an ocean birth for her first child.
Kimi Werner, Native Hawaiian free diver and spearfisher, shares her first birth journey.
Ioana Turia, competitive paddler and free diver, shares her birth journey in Rarotonga.
Native Hawaiian mother-daughter activists stand to protect their sacred Mauna Kea.
Two sisters, Kapulei Flores and Hāwane Rios, share a responsibility to protect Mauna Kea.
Thousands of Native Hawaiians and protectors of Mauna Kea gather in protest.
New theater production by Kumu Hula Patrick Makuakāne reclaims and celebrates māhū people.
Kumu Patrick Makuakāne designed his show to be inclusive in dance, song, and costume.
What does it mean to be māhū? Kumu Patrick Makuakāne shares why it's the name of his show.