S2E19: Tom Pohaku Stone (Kanaka Maoli)
03/18/24 • 14 min
In our conversation with 2023 Community Spirit Award honoree Tom Pohaku Stone, we are embraced by the profound essence of Native Hawaiian culture. His voice carries the resilience of his people, the reverence for the land and the ocean that has nurtured them. As a guardian of tradition, Tom's story unfolds from the roots of his extended family upbringing, through the intricate crafts of woodworking and stone carving, and into his vital role in educating the young stewards of Hawaiian identity. The tapestry of his life is a testament to the enduring struggle for Indigenous sovereignty and the importance of maintaining a cultural legacy amidst the forces of colonization.
Tom Pohaku Stone is a beacon for Native Hawaiian craftsmanship and shares the lessons he imparts in Hawai'i, which are more than mere skills; they are threads in the fabric of identity under siege. In each crafted piece, whether shaped by hand from native wood or carved from ancestral stone, there is a story, a life, a connection to be made.
In our conversation with 2023 Community Spirit Award honoree Tom Pohaku Stone, we are embraced by the profound essence of Native Hawaiian culture. His voice carries the resilience of his people, the reverence for the land and the ocean that has nurtured them. As a guardian of tradition, Tom's story unfolds from the roots of his extended family upbringing, through the intricate crafts of woodworking and stone carving, and into his vital role in educating the young stewards of Hawaiian identity. The tapestry of his life is a testament to the enduring struggle for Indigenous sovereignty and the importance of maintaining a cultural legacy amidst the forces of colonization.
Tom Pohaku Stone is a beacon for Native Hawaiian craftsmanship and shares the lessons he imparts in Hawai'i, which are more than mere skills; they are threads in the fabric of identity under siege. In each crafted piece, whether shaped by hand from native wood or carved from ancestral stone, there is a story, a life, a connection to be made.
Previous Episode
S2E18: Penny Kagigebi (Ojibwe)
2023 Cultural Capital Fellow Penny Kagigebi (Ojibwe), a Queer2-Spirit artist from the White Earth Reservation, unveils their transformative experiences with grief and the pursuit of Queer2-Spirit cultural reclamation through indigenous art forms. Through their narrative, we're listeners and companions on their journey to alignment with the Earth's vibrations, using natural materials like birch bark and porcupine quills steeped in therapeutic resonance. Penny's candor about their family's painful history with forced relocations and boarding schools offers a potent reminder of the resilience in preserving generational knowledge and identity.
Next Episode
S2E21: Renee Dillard (Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians)
2022 Community Spirit Award Honoree Renee Dillards' (Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians) rhythmic storytelling reminds us that the art of weaving is a thread that connects us to the Earth and each other. As a natural fiber weaver, Renee shares an intimate portrayal of her life's tapestry, woven with reverence for Mother Earth. Her narrative is a healing balm, rekindling a connection to heritage that transcends the atrocities of boarding school traumas. Through her eloquent words, we witness the revival of ancestral arts and the vital role women play in this cultural resurgence. As Renee's hands shape traditional cattail mats, she stitches together a community dedicated to their forebears' sustainable and prayerful practices, a poignant reminder of the resilience and continuity of Indigenous peoples.
Collective Spirit Podcast - S2E19: Tom Pohaku Stone (Kanaka Maoli)
Transcript
I don't just do my work and share it with people with a specific purpose of economic benefit or anything . It's to allow them the opportunity to feel what it's like to work on these projects to carve wood , to carve stone , to carve coal .
Speaker 2The CollectivSpirit Podcast . The CollectivSpirit moves each of us to stand up and make a diffe
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