LIHU‘E — Songwriter, musician and teacher Nona Beamer died in 2008, after 84 years of sharing her deep knowledge of the Hawaiian culture, but her legacy lives on, stronger than ever. On Sunday, “Nona Beamer: A Legacy of Aloha,” a
LIHU‘E — Songwriter, musician and teacher Nona Beamer died in 2008, after 84 years of sharing her deep knowledge of the Hawaiian culture, but her legacy lives on, stronger than ever.
On Sunday, “Nona Beamer: A Legacy of Aloha,” a documentary featuring her will be shown for the first time on Kaua‘i at Aloha Beach Resort in Wailua, states a news release from Malie Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of the Hawaiian culture.
Director and editor Linda Kane will be at the movie premier, presenting this portrait of “Auntie Nona,” which includes some of the many people Beamer influenced, such as Kaua‘i residents Nathan Kalama, Puna Kalama Dawson, Mauli Ola Cook and Angeline Locey.
Winona Kapuailohiamanonokalani Desha Beamer, the matriarch of the musical Beamer family, came from many generations of traditional Hawaiian music and hula, including her grandmother, Helen Desha Beamer, a well-known composer.
“Aunty Nona was my teacher at Kamehameha School,” Malie Foundation founder Nathan Kalama said. “I am privileged to have been included in this documentary and grateful that Malie Foundation was chosen to coordinate the premier on Kaua‘i.”
Beamer was born in Honolulu and raised in Napo‘opo‘o on the Big Island. She was of Hawaiian, German, French, Scotch and Swedish ancestry. Her Hawaiian name is an ancestral name that comes from Princess Manono and means precious flower. When Beamer started school at Kamehameha, she ran headlong into the missionary influences still extant in the 20th century.
Others featured in the film include Gordean Bailey, Kaliko Beamer-Trapp, David Kawika Eyre, Caren Loebel-Fried, Jerry Santos, Kaleo Trinidad and Penny Vredenburg.
Through stories, songs and hula, these students, friends and colleagues create a picture of a woman shaped by a turbulent time in Hawaiian history who also played a role in shaping history. The film appeals to those who either know or don’t know much about Hawai‘i or Aunty Nona.
Mark Jeffers, of Storybook Theatre, contributed archival footage to the documentary.
Light refreshments will be served at Aloha Beach Resort at 1 p.m., and the documentary will be shown at 2 p.m. at the resorts’ Ali‘i Room.
Tickets are $30 and are available at Vicky’s Fabrics in Kapa‘a or through Iwalani Dawbarn at 652-4497. Tickets benefit Malie Foundation and support Hawaiian cultural events. The nonprofit puts together the Kaua‘i Mokihana Festival for more than a quarter of a century.
Aloha Beach Resort is right next to Wailua Bridge, at 3-5920 Kuhio Hwy. The movie premier is sponsored in part by Hawaiian Airlines and Aston Hotels & Resorts.
