A gathering took place in Wailuku on Sunday to mark the 50th anniversary of the landing by the Kahoʻolawe Nine. Members of the Protect Kahʻoolawe ʻOhana proclaimed that 2026 will be a year of aloha ʻāina reactivation.
On Oʻahu, Walter Ritte, a member of the Kahoʻolawe Nine, held an event to protest the military’s ongoing land use. Speakers included former Gov. John Waiheʻe and Professor Jon Osorio.
The event also included a screening of a film by Kalamakū Crabbe. The short documentary made by the Kamehameha Schools student recently placed second in a national history competition.
The Conversation spoke with Crabbe about her film featuring the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana’s fight. It was part of a History Day project.
Her production was one of just six that won a national Next Generation Angels Award. It’s an award that came with a mentoring session with noted documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. Crabbe shared what sparked her interest in the island.
“I wanted to grow stronger to who I am as a Hawaiian and my spiritual and cultural identity,” Crabbe said. “So then I decided to look more into the history of Kahoʻolawe, its people, and really knowing more about it, because before doing this project, I really didn't know anything about the island, and didn't know why they felt such a strong connection. So that's what really got me into it, was wanting to connect to my Hawaiian culture further, and then understanding how it changed them.”
Crabbe's film placed second in the 2025 National History Day awards.
This story aired on The Conversation on Jan. 5, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
