Director Isaac Halasima shares his passion for Duke Kahanamoku’s story and the challenge inherent to honoring “one of the most famous Hawaiians the world has ever seen.”
My inspiration for tackling Waterman – Duke: Ambassador of Aloha comes from my uncle, Jan Fisher. His most famous work as a sculptor is the statue of Duke, which sits on Waikiki Beach. As my filmmaking career began to really move, he suggested that I should try and tell the story of Duke. He said that as a Polynesian filmmaker, I was in a unique position culturally to tell this story. I knew the stories of Duke thanks to my uncle, who passed away shortly after our conversation, and decided to go for it.
The thing is, the opportunity to tell the story of Duke is a dream come true, but also an incredible weight personally as part of my culture. Duke isn’t just one of the most famous Hawaiians the world has ever seen, but also one of the most important for all Polynesian people. But you’ve gotta try right? Thankfully, Hawaiians and Polynesians of all the islands came out of the woodwork to help celebrate Duke in this film.
“Ambassador of Aloha” was more than Duke’s official government job and title in Hawaii until his death. Beyond a hello and goodbye, you’ll often hear Hawaiians talk about somebody being filled with “Aloha” and the “Aloha spirit.” For a lot of them, that can be more than just the feelings of love, sharing, humility and kindness, but also a literal spiritual presence that can grow within you. “Aloha” is a word that was originally used as a greeting and gift. It’s an act of giving part of your soul to another and sharing that spirit. It’s also something bigger and more important than any one person. It is so important that Hawaii has the “Aloha Spirit Law” in the Hawaii State Statutes.
My personal goals for this documentary are pretty simple. Somehow over time, Duke has slipped out of the history books and under the radar. I hope that this film helps to create better awareness of Duke in the country he represented on the world’s biggest stage for sports. I hope one day, when people talk of America’s great sports icons like Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson, Jim Thorpe and Muhammad Ali, that Duke will naturally be another name brought up in those conversations. After all, when we talk about the great American athletes, how many have four monuments and statues dedicated to them in three different countries? The only one I know of is the Ambassador of Aloha, Duke Kahanamoku.
