This blog is about Hawaii's status as an independent country under prolonged illegal occupation by the United States, and the history, culture, law & politics of the islands.

By Scott Crawford, Hana, Maui

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Bumpy’s perspective on Aloha movie: Crowe afforded megaphone platform to the Hawaiian rights movement

This BuzzFeed News story by Michelle Broder Van Dyke on the movie ‘Aloha’ is an absolute must read to understand Bumpy’s perspective on the movie ‘Aloha’ and Cameron Crowe’s relation with Bumpy and the village of Puuhonua o Waimanalo.

While controversy over the film’s title and racial aspects of casting have overshadowed other aspects of the movie, Bumpy notes the “megaphone platform Crowe had afforded the Hawaiian rights movement.”

Crowe gave Kanahele room within the script to mention the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893.

“My time with Bumpy made me want to reference his struggle,” Crowe said in his email.

In Aloha, Kanahele wears his own shirt, which reads “Hawaiian by birth” on the front, and “American by force” on the back.

For Kanahele, the shirt means that to avoid violence, Hawaiians have to accept — to an extent — the past: “We are forced to do the things we don’t want to do for the sake of peace.”

That said, he’s proud of Aloha, “because we can say we are under military occupation — and that’s the truth.”

In the midst of seeking some entertainment and thinking whatever else they think about the movie, millions of people will hear these truths about Hawai‘i, thanks to Bumpy and Cameron.

2 comments to Bumpy’s perspective on Aloha movie: Crowe afforded megaphone platform to the Hawaiian rights movement

  • 4myohana

    Would love to see HK’s Bumpy Kanahele in a movie that exposes the illegal occupation of our Nation State…

    Perhaps crowe’s next movie… Aloha 2 the Truth

    Kapu Aloha

  • I saw the movie and was not impressed.Maybe because I had read so much about it in this blog ahead of time.

    There was also confusion about the ending. I truly did not understand it thoroughly. If a single bad guy could work so much havoc and almost become “king of the skies” over Hawaii and the rest of the world, how much more could a country wreck human life on earth and enslave Hawaii too? Is the Hawaiian KIngdom equipped to tackle this problem should it occur?

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