Mea hoʻokumu pū (co-founder) & haʻi moʻolelo (storyteller)
Pilina:
~ Co-founder & storyteller, Kaheāwai Media
~ Haumana, uhau humu pōhaku (no ke kumu Kimeona Kane)
Moʻolelo:
ʻO Tyler Sonnemaker kēia, no Kalapuya, Moku Honu (Olekona) mai au. ʻO Tualaty kuʻu wai, ʻO Yamakiasham Yaina kuʻu mauna. No Cocker River (Kekokia) mai kuʻu mau kūpuna. Ke noho nei au ma Kailua, Ko’olaupoko, O’ahu, i kēia manawa.
As one of Kaheāwai Media’s co-founders and storytellers, I have the kuleana (privilege and responsibility) of serving as a steward of our community’s knowledge and stories, which involves everything from building pilina (connection) and trust with our community partners, to gathering and weaving stories, to equipping our community to navigate media and tell their own stories, to building the structures and practices that sustain our organization.
My contributions to this work come from a professional background in mainstream media, policy and advocacy, graphic design, and an educational background in philosophy and journalism. And, most importantly, they come from my relationships with our most knowledgeable teachers: ʻāina, kūpuna (ancestors), and kaiāiulu (community).
My intention is to offer my waiwai/gifts as a storyteller in service of lāhui and community so that current and future generations of people and ʻāina across pae ʻāina Hawaiʻi can continue to thrive.