Photographer, poet portray sovereignty struggle

By Victoria Gail-White
Advertiser Art Critic

•	Ku'e for People, Land and Sea Ed Greevy Photographs: Words and captions written by Haunani-Kay Trask Through today 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday Academy Art Center at Linekona, second-floor gallery 1111 Victoria St.

"I am not a neutral photographer," said Greevy. "I am on the people's side — usually the underdogs up against strong forces without the wherewithal to fight back, who air out their grievances on the street."

Ku'e is a Hawaiian word meaning to oppose, resist, protest and stand different. Greevy's black-and-white photographs are timeless, powerful documents of 30 years' worth of protests and struggles in Hawai'i.

Greevy clicked his way into these historic events through surfing. His "Competition Surf" magazine, published in 1970 in California, led him to the Save Our Surf rally here in 1971. He photographed the event so organizer and photographer John Kelly could participate more in the activities.

Memorable images of that rally, as well as the Stop Eviction rally in 1976, Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana trials of 1977, Sand Island evictions of 1979, and protests against the H-3 Freeway, among other events, illustrate a composite of Hawaiian history. Some protests proved victorious (the Save Our Surf rally led to the creation of Sand Island State Recreation Area), while others did not (the Sand Island evictions.)

Greevy's son is part Hawaiian, so he felt a personal need to move the issues forward.

"The Sand Island evictions were the most heart-rending thing I can remember experiencing in photographing these events," he said. "The homes of 135 people were bulldozed. I felt devastated. It spawned some good, however, in at least establishing a dialog of what ceded lands are."

"No. 29" is a remarkably poignant photograph of a man holding a crying child at the time of the evictions. The suffering and tragedy captured here cuts across race, place and time.

Greevy's labor of love places him at the scene ahead of the news media. "We think of him as a comrade," said Trask. He was not seen as an outsider, and his involvement gave him access to people involved in the struggles.

"He was always polite to anyone he photographed, Trask said, "and they allowed him to take their picture, even when they were vulnerable." That speaks volumes about Greevy as a person.

Close-ups of activist Judy Napolean, Tutu Kawelo and George Santos reveal the pride and soul of resistance and the beginning of a civil rights movement that became a sovereignty movement.

"No. 47," a strong, exquisite photograph of Trask, is also of this genre. It has been selected by the International Center of Photography (a museum, school and center in New York City) for a traveling exhibit, "Only Skin Deep: Changing Visions of the American Self," which runs from Dec. 12 through Feb. 29, 2004. It is the first contemporary survey exploring how photography has shaped our understanding of who Americans are and what they look like. Curated by Coco Fusco and Brian Wallis, it is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Five more of Greevy's images will be posted on the Web site (www.icp.org) during the run, cementing his reputation as an outstanding photographer and chronicler.

Trask, a writer, poet and organizer, said, "Photography is a kind of poetry, and ours is a wonderful collaborative effort of two arts. This exhibit is a testament to our friendship." Their partnership began in 1981, when Greevy's photographs were exhibited in an Image Foundation show.

Trask's narrative describes the photos through description and quotations. "I tried to imagine what the person (photographed) was feeling during their struggle — the suffering, the resistance," she said. "It's in quotations because it is what the person might be feeling or thinking." The text adds poetic strength to Greevy's strong visual images.

A quote for the photograph of kupuna Kawelo reads: "Who are you, greedy developer, to tell us, the Native people of this land, what to do and where to live. I am old and weary, but I am not finished with you!"

Trask, a professor of Hawaiian studies, maintains her own place in Hawaiian history as a woman with the courage to stand up for what she believes in, with the recent publication of "Night Is a Sharkskin Drum" by the University of Hawai'i Press, a 20-year-old "First Friday" show on public-access television, her position at the university and her political activism.

This collaborative exhibit weaves a pattern that could fit anyplace where people are oppressed.

It is an important testament to the human spirit — a 30-year history lesson distilled into a potent visual elixir. Many people in the photographs, including the relatives of those who have died, were present at the opening.

Greevy and Trask's next project is a book that will expand on the material in the show.