|
In the Mix Jason Genegabus |
A skin flick the
kids can watchTHEY'RE CALLED MOKO in New Zealand, tatau in Samoa and kakau in Hawaii. Last weekend, the art of tattooing took center stage as Pacific Islanders in Communications premiered its new documentary, "Skin Stories," at the Honolulu Academy of Arts.
Producers Emiko Omori and Lisa Altieri were on hand for the screening, as were tattoo masters Lesa Moli of Samoa and Keone Nunes of Hawaii. Nunes was prominently featured in the Hawaii portion of the documentary, and it was interesting to see how much preparation and introspection is required before getting a tattoo. While some people won't think twice about getting a cartoon character on their back or kanji on their shoulder, traditional Hawaiian kakau carry cultural significance for both the individual being tattooed and the artist doing the work.
This is also evident in New Zealand and Samoa -- Manu Neho, another person featured in the documentary, takes great pride in the moko that adorns her chin. In "Skin Stories," viewers are taken back to the day she received the traditional tattoo, when dozens of friends and family members were on hand to celebrate and show support for Neho.
If you missed the first airing of "Skin Stories" on KHET this past Sunday night, set your VCR or TiVO now -- you've got one more chance to see the documentary at 1 p.m. on May 18. Videocassette copies also are available through PBS's Web site, www.pbs.org ...
LAST WEEK, I told you about the second edition of "First Thursdays" with Steve Kealoha Wong at Studio1. Turns out there's another nationally certified slam poetry competition taking place this week, too: The "Hawaiian Slam Jam" goes down at 6 p.m. Thursday at UH-Manoa's Art Auditorium.
Competition organizers say this will be the first of three semifinal rounds, with winners advancing to "Hawaii's first National Slam Team." Also in the works is a performance CD utilizing local slam talent that would be released on a national level. Judges for Thursday's first round include B.E.T., Jesse Lipman, Jonny Kai, Kathryn Takara and Lee Tonouchi.
Five bucks gets you into the "Hawaiian Slam Jam" if you're just going to watch; slam poets are asked to pay a $10 registration fee, $15 if you want an official contest T-shirt. Call 737-9859 for more info ...
In the Mix drops Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Star-Bulletin.
Contact Jason Genegabus at jason@starbulletin.com.