To understand the history we embody is to understand whose eyes we use to see, whose stories and fantasies we inherit.

Colonization, along with its violence, is an altered looking,

the imposition of a story of entitlement.

This is an episode in part about the land of Hawaii, but it's also

about the struggle for sovereignty. It's about how we both imagine and destroy Paradise,

and the connection and intimacy available

when we begin with listening.

Our guest today is Jamaica Heolio Sorio,

who is a Kanakamali wahine artist, activist, and professor of

indigenous and Native Hawaiian politics at UH Manoa.

She is the author of Remembering Our Intimacies, Mo'oleo, Aloha Aina, and Aya.

She is also a friend and takes us through a really deep and challenging, gorgeous exploration of freedom and intimacy.

I hope you enjoy this episode.

Jamaica, first I want to thank you for saying yes to being on this podcast and I want to welcome you to finding our way.

Thank you. It was humbling to be invited and just stoked to be in conversation today.

I'm honestly so grateful.

I haven't talked to you in a long time,

but you know as soon as I don't know if listeners know,

but I lived in Hawaii for some time

where my partner's family is from and is currently and you were one of the first, I would say you're part of the first people I met but one of the first people I witnessed in Hawaii telling the story or telling a story of Hawaii

and your work and your voice deeply impacted me. So I want to thank you for that and I'm just grateful to be in conversation with you.

I want to start with the question I always start with, which, you know, the podcast is called finding our way and it's kind of about

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