Kūkā Kīkī is a māhū-led podcast, where we kūkā and kīkī about kanaka sexuality, gender, erotics and all things māhū. Each episode dives straight into the heartbeat of our complex communities, weaving together scholarship, artistry, and ʻike from lived experiences.
In this inaugural season, we spotlight the groundbreaking special issue of the Hūlili Journal—“No ka Pono o ka Māhūi”—inviting its collaborators to share their works and shape dialogue across generations.
Guiding the conversations are Kaʻiminaʻauao Kahikina, who is a PhD student, scholar, and artist; with guest appearances by Ākea Kahikina, director of Kamehameha Publishing and co-editor of the special issue.
Together, we mālama this digital kauhale for all to become kamaʻāina to the māhūi: to hear the gayety of the kāhuli leo leʻa, to glimpse the shapeshifting kupua, to drink from the intoxicating wai ʻike kupuna, and to replant seeds of long-severed pilina and hope.
He Lei Moana
In this Kūkā Kīkī, Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu opens up about being raised between Hawaiian and Chinese worldviews, as well as the lessons her grandparents in each world passed down. She also shares how silence, kuleana, and caregiving shaped her path and reflects on identity, the meaning of māhū, and what it means to be grounded in genealogy, ʻohana, and ʻāina.
- Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu
Kumu Hula & Aloha ʻĀina Leader - Kaʻiminaʻauao Kahikina
Host, PhD Student, Scholar & Artist
“MVPFAFF+” Politics & Performance—
A Conversation Through the Moana
This episode bridges Hawaiʻi, Niue, Aotearoa, and the greater Moananuiākea as Kaʻimi sits with māhū and QTPI leaders Tatiana Kalaniʻōpua Young, Sami Akuna, and Phylesha Brown-Acton. Together, they explore how the principles of māhū leadership—leʻaleʻa, aloha ʻāina, kuleana, and ʻohana—and the Pasifika-born term MVPFAFF+ reframe how Indigenous queer(ed) communities build networks of care and resistance across oceans.
- Tatiana Kalaniʻōpua Young
Scholar, Activist, Social Worker - Sami Akuna
Performer, Educator, Director, Choreographer - Phylesha Brown-Acton
Community Leader, Weaver, Healer - Kaʻiminaʻauao Kahikina
Host, PhD Student, Scholar & Artist
Kūkā Kīkī—An Origin Story
Co-creators Ākea and Kaʻiminaʻauao Kahikina talk story about how Kūkā Kīkī came to be. They discuss why they chose to feature “No ka Pono o ka Māhūi,” the forthcoming Hūlili special issue co-edited by Ākea and Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio, and how the podcast was envisioned as a space for queer(ed) Kānaka to be seen, safe, and sovereign. Together, they reflect on storytelling as ea—breath, voice, and liberation.
- Ākea Kahikina
Producer, Writer, Director - Kaʻiminaʻauao Kahikina
Host, PhD Student, Scholar & Artist