FILMWORKS

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Half the truth

The Hawaiians" documentary by filmmaker Edgy Lee is a poetic history of the Hawaiian people, from their discovery of the islands through stunning visuals of a "paradise" that began to collapse with the arrival of England's Capt. James Cook in 1778.

"The Hawaiians": Airs from 7 to 8 p.m. Friday on KHON/Fox

However, the documentary suffers from a one-sided view, making it appear more like a propaganda film to rally students into cultural appreciation and activism. That's not surprising because most of the film's funding came from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Kamehameha Schools.

Narrated by Winona Rubin, former director of the state Department of Human Services, "The Hawaiians" tells the story of indigenous people who were just fine until Westerners arrived with new religion, money, disease and, especially, a new landownership concept.

While the aina provided Hawaiians sustenance and spiritual fulfillment, Westerners are said to use the land rather than embrace it. Before the Western invasion, Hawaiians were superior navigators, farmers, herbal practitioners, and had a solid family structure. "Children were honored. Child abuse was rare ... different from the ways of the West," we're told.

A geological lesson of Hawaii's volcanic origin is followed by a biology lesson about indigenous flora and fauna, leading to another Western spanking.

"When the outside world swept into paradise, nature had few defenses. ... By the late 20th century (Hawaii) became the endangered species capital of the world. ... Its endemic creatures and indigenous people began to disappear."

"The Hawaiians" says of the 1893 overthrow of the monarchy that the U.S. government understood that "whoever controlled Hawaii controlled the Pacific." The "last blow to the monarchy" was Hawaii's annexation to the United States in 1898.

Other indignities: Schools banned the Hawaiian language; Hollywood portrayed Hawaii and the culture as a backdrop; Hawaii became a destination for "well-heeled travelers."

It's all true but we all know it. "The Hawaiians" adds no new insights or solutions.

What the film does well is to remind us that for too many Hawaiians, Westernization has led to poverty, lack of education, inadequate housing, drug use and despair.

Navigator Nainoa Thompson sends the message that the culture is being renewed from within and that there's plenty of room to join in.

"The Hawaiians" would have more credibility if objective historians were called upon to give a broader perspective. Native Hawaiians themselves drove 45 species of endemic birds extinct. Are Hawaiians in the least bit responsible for their predicament today? Wasn't it inevitable that Hawaii's militarily strategic location would lead to takeover by another country such as England or Japan?

The students "The Hawaiians" is meant for have the right to know.