Kawehi is traveling home to Hawai’i after a work trip in Berlin, but she’s got a secret in her bag: a set of Hawai’ian bones she discovered in a German museum. With investigators hot on her heels, Kawehi embarks on a mission to repatriate the stolen bones and bury them while aided by friends and a mysterious young woman. As the mission progresses, Kawehi and everyone else involved must ask questions about what it means to respectfully handle human remains.

Ola nā Iwi was first produced by Kumu Kahua Theatre in Honolulu in 1994. It was recently revived by Kumu Kahua in 2007.

Special Thanks to

Marc delaCruz
Jason Kesse
Jessica Lưu Pelletier
Ralph B. Peña, Producing Artistic Director of Ma-Yi Theater Company 
Harry Wong III, Artistic Director of Kumu Kahua Theatre

Learn More

Hui Iwi Kuamo’o is an organization in Hawai’i working on proper repatriation and reburial. We encourage you to learn more about their efforts and support them by visiting their website. 

Setting: Berlin and Honolulu 

Time: Present 

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. 

The Refocus Project is made possible by the Champions for Inclusive Theatre and Roundabout’s Forward Fund. We acknowledge the generous friends who support our many efforts to increase representation and inclusion in all aspects of theatre: Elizabeth Armstrong, Bank of America, Eugene and Joann Bissell and the Lillian Lincoln Foundation, Kevin Brown, Barbara and Peter Bye, Ginger McKnight Chavers, Ford Foundation, Jill and Barry Lafer, Gina Maria Leonetti, Iva Mills, Beryl Snyder, and Denise Littlefield Sobel.