Interview with Ala Savio

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●Summary● • Ala Savio, a farmer from Nānākuli and Kalihi, who now lives in Kahua Honomū, shares his history of overcoming trauma, beginning with the discovery of his mo'oku'auhau and caring for a lo‘i. Even in the shadow of a childhood surrounded with crime, substance abuse, and violence, iAla triumphantly chose to create a life that embodies well being with and for his ohana and community. He is the co-founder of Kū Ānuenue, a safe place for māhū/queer from keiki to kupuna, along with his wife Krista Savio, and Jessica Waia‘u. He shares his philosophy of liberation and the importance of decentralizing power dynamics and creating inclusive communities for marginalized groups. • ●Annual Hawaiʻi Contemporary Exhibition: He Ehu, He Pōhaku ┃Of Mist and Stone • Curated by Kanani Daley. On view: June 8th─July 26th, 2024● • While modern culture is growing into inclusive morality, the influence and impact of homophobia and patriarchy remains embedded from generations of colonialism in Hawai'i. I see that we are trying to detach from these harmful perceptions, but truly unmooring from these imposed patriarchal beliefs requires access to knowledge, conscious effort, and practices that illuminate our relationality. • • The Protestant missionaries, who arrived in 1819, brought theological views of Jonathan Edwards and religious imperialism to Hawai‘i. This religious conversion was defined by Protestant and patriarchal values. Many Hawaiians, especially Māhū, did not fit within these limitations, and laws were enforced to penalize them, which severed families and communities. Many Māhū hid their identities as their only means of protection. This subsequently resulted in a significant cultural loss to Hawai'i because the social construct of gender diminished their indigenous ways of understanding and practicing balance. • Māhū live beyond the spectrum of gender and sexuality. They exist in the in-between and enhance the world within and around them, like waters transform, migrate, and move hardened landscapes. The vision for this exhibit is to acknowledge the attempted erasure, and the importance of the reappearance of Hawaiian ways of thinking, by seeking the wisdom of Māhū. The advocating and eloquent voices for and from Māhū in this exhibit share Hawaiian ways of balance, belonging, and relationality. • • Visit the exhibition webpage for full transcripts and photos: https://ehcc.org/content/he-ehu-he-po... • ●Interview by Kanani Daley. Photo by Andrzej Kramarz●

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