Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu “Kumu Hina,”is a Native Hawaiian māhū, transwoman composer, singer, filmmaker, and changemaker. She was born in the Nu’uanu district of Oʻahu and educated at Kamehameha Schools and the University of Hawaiʻi.  She was a founding member of Kulia Na Mamo and Cultural Director of a public charter school dedicated to using native Hawaiian culture, history and education to develop and empower the next generation of warrior scholars. She is currently a cultural advisor and Chair of the O‘ahu Island Burial Council, which oversees the management of Native Hawaiian burial sites and ancestral remains.  In 2014, Hina announced her bid for a position on the board of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the first transgender candidate to run for statewide political office in the United States.

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Hina wrote and co-directed the Oscar-qualified animated short film Kapaemahu, which recounts an ancient story of four extraordinary beings of dual male and female spirit who brought the healing arts to Hawai‘i. A Native Hawaiian teacher, cultural practitioner and filmmaker, Wong-Kalu was both a protagonist and educational advisor for the award winning documentaries Kumu Hina and A Place in the Middle. She co-directed and co-produced the award-winning PBS/ARTE documentary Leitis in Waiting about her transgender sisters in the Kingdom of Tonga.

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