Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 5, 1 May 1993 — "The Hawaiian Way" Filmmaker Eddie Kamae takes Hawaiʻi's aloha to the nation's capitol [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

"The Hawaiian Way" Filmmaker Eddie Kamae takes Hawaiʻi's aloha to the nation's capitol

"The HawaiianWay, " a new film about Hawaiian slack key guitar by Hawaiian musician and filmmaker Eddie Kamae, opens on May 8 at the American Film Institute's special "Hawaiian Day" at Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Kamae is the

first Hawaiian filmmaker to be honored in this way by the AFI. Kamae's trip is sponsored in part by a grant from the Office of H a w a i i a n Affairs. Special free screenings of Kamae's two previous documentaries will open the p r o g r a m . "Li'a: the legacy of a H a w a i i a n man," (showing at 2 p.m.)

xs a tribute to the life, music and Waipi'o valley home of beloved Big Island composer

Sam Li'a. "Listen to the Forest," (4:30 p.m.) is an environmental documentary based on "mālama 'āina,' caring for the earth as physical habitat as well as source of spiritual nourishment. An evening concert follows, featuring Eddie Kamae and the

Sons of Hawai'i. Tickets for both evening screenings are $6 and may be ordered through the AFI box office at (202) 785-4601 from 510 p.m. All three documentaries are part of Kamae's continuing "Hawaiian Legacy" series, and were produced by his wife, Myrna. "The Hawaiian Way" is also produced by Honolulu eameraman and documentary editor, Rodney A. Ohtani. Narrator for the series is noted chanter Ka'upena Wong. "The Hawaiian Way" (to be shown at 7 and 9:30 p.m.) is a 68-minute documentary whieh

looks to the heart and soul of Hawai'i through the art and tradition of Hawaiian slack key music. Slack key style has been defined as "the combination of loosening the guitar strings, with the thumb playing the bass strings, to produce dominant and

subdominant harmonies while the other fmgers pluek the melody on

the upper strings." Different tunings are favored by musicians, eaeh producing a unique and pleasant sound. Filmmaker Kamae said he has approached the film with the goal of showing how families have shared their music from generation to generation. Their stories are told as they get together and enjoy themselves. Some musicians are young, some old, some well-known, others less famous but no less gifted. Musicians featured include Dennis Kamakahi, Ledward Ka'apana, George Kuo, Manu Kahaiali'i, Aunty Aliee

Namakelua, Rolland "Lale" Kaalekahi, Sr., Malaki Kanahele and Fred Punahou, among others. The Kamaes eventually plan to edit "The Hawaiian Way" into a television-length feature they hope will be shown on Hawai'i television as well as in the schools.

Slack key master Fred Punahou, shown here playing with a paper bag over his hand, is one of many musicians featured in "The Hawaiian Way.' Photos by Myrna Kamae

Rolland Kaalekahi, Sr., of Moloka'i

Malaki Kanahele, of Ni'ihau