Kūʻiʻolani Cotchay

photo courtesy Kūʻiʻolani Cotchay.

Kūʻiʻolani (she/they) is a queer, mixed-Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) living in their ancestral lands in Mākaha, Hawaiʻi. She is an educator, learning experience designer, musician/creative and plant person. In this episode Miguel Mendías interviews Kūʻiʻolani about Hawaiian history, lands, language, color theory, queerness, colonization, belonging, being of mixed Indigenous ancestry, and living in highly-gentrified, highly trafficked tourist destinations. You’ll meet Miguel in Episode 6 when Kūʻiʻolani interviews him!

For this episode we're asking folks who are able to support a gofundme that Kūʻiʻolani and their friend Kahele have launched to create a māhū* (nonbinary, trans) led project in Hawaiʻi. They write: "Primarily, this project aims to house QTBIPOC community and repair relationship to land, especially for Kanaka Maoli, Indigenous, and Black relatives. Secondary to this objective, is a focus on creative endeavors, both traditional and contemporary. In general, it is the continuation of ancestral practices alongside new media, arts, and music."  

Creator and Producer: Miguel Mendías, with support from HB Lozito from Out in the Open, and Rae Garringer of Country Queers. Sound Designer: Ren Tokui. Audio editor: Rae Garringer. Editorial advisory dream team: Hermelinda Cortés, Lewis Raven Wallace, and Sharon P. Holland. Music: Tommy Anderson and Podington Bear. Ambient recordings: Kūʻiʻolani Cotchay.