I started making these videos some years back because most people assume that the history of Hawai`i begins with Captain Cook. But Native Hawaiians have a history that goes thousands of years beyond that--all the way to SE Asia. My videos were my own small way of resisting their history and reasserting that Hawaiians have our own `ike kuamo`o `ōlelo (historical consciousness) and that we are part of a much larger Pacific civilization. At the same time, I'm also part Filipino and I'm also committed to historical and cultural issues of the Filipino people.

Its my hope that these videos in some way helps shed light on these people's issues and stir some sense of pride in our history and culture--not to mention add to the consciousness of our people.

My strongest roots are mostly in Hawai`i (Honolulu and Hāmakua) and in the Philippines(Mindanao and Ilocos).
I grew up mostly in Pāpākolea on O`ahu and my deepest influences have come from my grandparents, my mother, and the former curator at `Iolani Palace. I credit everything to those people who encouraged my desire to search out the kaona (hidden/deeper meanings) from everything whether its an art piece, a building, a poem, or religious text. That has been one of the motivations for me in whatever I do--to discover the truth and share those meanings back to the people.




"You must remember never to cease to act because you fear you may fail." Queen Lili'uokalani, 1917

"Be the change you want to see in the world." --Mahatmas Gandhi.
"The arts then act like a reflecting mirror. The artist is like the hand that holds and moves the mirror, this way and that way, to explore all corners of the universe. But what is reflected in the mirror depends on where the holder stands in relation to the object. " -Ngugi wa Thiong'o

And also THANKS FOR WATCHING MY VIDEOS.