Overview
Meet the Characters
Jason Scott Lee
Actor/Natural Farmer
Internationally acclaimed film and stage actor Jason Scott Lee ("Dragon," "The Jungle Book") left the glamour of Hollywood behind in exchange for a more simple life on his off-the-grid taro farm 4,000 feet up the slopes of Maunaloa on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. Jason's tireless efforts to spread the word about taking care of the land provides the backbone of Toward Living Pono.
Uncle Robert Keli‘iho‘omalu
Kupuna
Uncle Robert Keli‘iho‘omalu is a respected kupuna ("elder") living in the remote Kalapana area of the Puna District, on the Big Island. He shares his wisdom from the old days, when he grew up raising kalo (or taro), and thriving without supermarkets.
Kainani Kahaunaele
Hawaiian Language Educator/Musician
A recipient of multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano awards (Hawai‘i's Grammy), Kainani is also an avid proponent of the revitalization of Hawai‘i's native tongue. She teaches olelo ("language") at the University of Hawai‘i, Hilo, and urges her students to use Hawaiian language in everyday situations. "The language is the code of a culture," she says. "Without the language, we have no culture!"
James Akau
Conservationist
Dedicated to getting other young people involved in learning about their past, 19-year-old James Akau represents a new generation of Hawaiian activists fighting to preserve cultural and ecological integrity.
Jack Jeffrey
Fish & Wildlife Service Senior Biologist
Jack has worked for decades to protect the threatened Hawaiian goose (nene) from extinction and reinstate the native koa forest decimated by centuries of grazing by non-native hooved livestock introduced by Westerners. As a result of his work, the Islands are witnessing the return of indigenous birds that depend on koa and the endangered plants that make the forest their home.
Emery Aceret
Kumu Hula (Hula Teacher)
Kumu Em is the principle teacher at the hula halau ("hula school") Halau Na Pua ‘O Uluhaimalama, in Hilo. "This is not Hollywood Hula, or Waikiki grass skirts hula," he insists.
Deb Arita
Halau Na Pua ‘O Uluhaimalama
Auntie Debbie shows that the traditional hula dance is more than just a tourist attraction; It's about sharing -- a connection to culture and to ancient traditions, a "lifestyle," she explains, "an energy force that flows through you and teaches life, teaches nature."
Keith "Braddah Skibs" Nehls
Volunteer
Braddah Skibs and his Pakalove crew volunteer to reclaim abandoned and neglected beach areas strewn with garbage and toxic waste. He reflects, "It's like an art -- Akua, which is God, gave us this ‘aina ["land"] to take care of. We bring back the true Hawai‘i, which once upon a time was."
Kalae and Kanani Mock Chew
Taro Farmers
The Mock Chew o‘hana ("family") continues their ancestors' tradition of cultivating kalo (taro), the staple Hawaiian food source, in the remote and sacred Waipi‘o Valley on the Big Island's Hamakua Coast. They've learned that the simple life has much to offer.
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