Hello and welcome back to my blog where we talk about heroes, heroines and Victor's featured in my artwork that are largely from Hawaii and the Pacific - to make sure that we understand their stories and not just the beauty of their faces and not just having artwork out there of Polynesian faces but really knowing these people and taking time to appreciate them. Glorifying our own indigenous historical heroes.
I'm trying to ride on my spontaneous inspiration - that's how I create my art work and that is also how I try to speak with you folks about what's important and and I felt like I really want to get back to talking about our heroines.
I also want to make sure that the information is out there ahead of time for you folks to learn about whoever it is that you see; like if you buy something from me and then you want to learn more about someone, or if you scan my business card that's attached to all works that I have down in shops in Hilo. Especially for those who are visiting.
I really want to make sure that we (Hawaiians) are genuinely represented, more like hearing it from the camel's mouth.
This is actually my second rendition of Aunty Terri:
My first rendering of her, which I sent to her, the background here which is gray, it was more like a peachy pink type of color- maybe a salmon color. (Both colorations are available in my Etsy Shop).
I made Aunty Terriʻs portrait originally round because I was wanting it to look like she was on a coin.
The history behind that is because the time I met Aunty Terry was the first time that I had ever met someone who knew her genealogy like she was a master of genealogy and I think that the Kekoʻolani family in general is known for having an enormous and well intertwined and connected Genealogy to our Hawaiian Aupuni. Someday, I'd like to see that our our Aupuni are back on our own kind of money functioning within our own independent sovereign Hawaiian Government/Nation.
Sheʻs definitely been an activist against nuclear war.
Back when Marion and John Kelly were releasing this film about how cleaning up nuclear waste in the Pacific impacted native people, Women were giving birth to jelly babies - babies with no spine. (Colonizers of) Pacific islands and the general Pacific (used our home) as target bomb practice, etcetera (were, and still are) destroying our land and our ʻAina - and our well being , and our health, and committing genocide through military occupation. Basically building their economy on warfare…… how that's affected us.
I also want to show you this version that I've done:
This design that is the latest on Aunty Terry - it's in the same styling as I did Aunty Haunani-Kay Trask.
The movement of Mauna Kea was described as being “like a mighty waveʻ, and the reason why I put the “where there's a will there's a wave” over their heads is because; The waves that we have today for Hawaiian movements and sovereignty, they came from people who set those waves in motion. These people from the Hawaiian renaissance of the 1960ʻs and 70ʻs - these are people that are going to be featured with that particular background so I just wanted to offer some clarity on that.
In this, my most recent (rendition), I've made her larger because I think that her face needs to be more prominent.
I am going to tell you that there's part of herstory in this book Na Wahine Koa, which she suggested I read when I called her and I told her that I had done her Portrait and wanted to send her a copy - and also asked if there's anything she suggest I watch or read. I asked that question to make sure that
I am putting at the top of the resource list, things that they (the People) would suggest.
I really love that flipping through this book you get to see newspaper clippings and pictures that, I at least, hadnʻt seen. I just love that as you're reading you feel like you're sitting with the Aunties themself.
I think that is so important to talk about how how somebody from our past lineages of Aupuni (which are Royals and chiefly lines) is still being a leader in this kind of way. I think that it says a lot. It is incredible, it's like an echo from the past.
I want to say a very personal thank you to Aunty Terri this week. For spending the time talking on the phone with me as she did, for being an inspiration beginning with being a humanitarian, and the work that she began doing - and then coming to to really show us that after all of that experience we are all headed in the right direction with with our push for Hawaiian sovereignty.
We should, of course, aim to be like these women.
I hope that these people featured in my art work will become an inspiration for you and your children, and light up the faces and inspiration of your Kupuna who have been through many years of maybe not putting words and names to particular issues that they faced.
Read all you can about the heroes and heroines. This is why I do this work, itʻs to encourage you to learn about them, be inspired by them, and follow in their footsteps.
Take care till next time, hui hou.
Vei
Additional Resources:
P.S. You can always listen to me on Youtube where I discuss the People and elements within the artwork I have rendered. All you gotta do it scroll up to the top of the blog and click the YouTube icon to be directed to my Channel.
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