The Name Remembers: William K. Iaukea

Language, Lineage, and the Spirit of Old Hawai‘i

In this deeply personal and expansive conversation, cultural bearer and healer William K. Iaukea invites us into a worldview rooted in old Hawai‘i, where language, spirit, and ancestry are inseparable. He shares stories of his parents’ healing work, the layered meanings carried by names, and the warrior lineage that shaped his path.

Together, we explore the vibrational power of words, the evolution of the Hawaiian language through colonization, and the presence of the spirit realm in everyday life. William speaks to how knowledge is passed down—not only through teaching, but through breath, ritual, and relationship to land.

This is a story of remembering—not as nostalgia, but as a living act of healing and restoration.

Topics

• 00:02 The name the elders chose

• 00:06 Two healers, words and herbs

• 00:12 The man with the broken arm

• 00:25 Kamaka and ‘Iao Kea

• 00:29 Ho’oponopono

• 00:35 Trailer: Kupuna ʻĀina

• 00:37 Gathering medicine

• 00:43 Thirty years a warrior

• 00:48 When words were life and death

• 00:54 Aloha is a new word

• 00:57 E Kū Mau

• 01:00 The story of Ī

• 01:17 Why tell it now

The film

• Kupuna ʻĀina, the ninth film in SAND’s Eternal Song series, where this interview comes from. Premiere screening and three days of live online gatherings with the Hawaiian elders, healers and leaders in the film, November 17 to 19, 2026. Watch for a donation of any amount.

• The Eternal Song, the full thirteen film series

• Humanity Hale, the Hawai’i Island organization receiving half of net proceeds from Kupuna ʻĀina. Their planned sanctuary will serve young adults aging out of foster care.

From SAND

• The Eternal Song

• Become a SAND member