Abraham "Puhipau" Ahmad, a remarkable individual of great distinction and influence, devoted his existence to the pursuit of knowledge, the empowerment of his people, and the dissemination of vital information regarding the rich heritage, national identity, and the deeply ingrained notion of aloha 'āina that defines the Hawaiian Kingdom and its people.
Puhipau's life story begins on the sun-kissed island of Hawaii, in the charming town of Hilo, where he was born to Caroline Aku of Kealia, Kona, and Abraham Ahmad, a man with a rich heritage from Palestine. Growing up, Puhipau was deeply rooted in his cultural identity, shaped by his upbringing in Keaukaha and on the beautiful island of O'ahu.
His educational journey took him to the renowned Kamehameha Schools, where he graduated in 1955, and later, he received a prestigious football scholarship to the University of Oregon, a testament to his academic prowess and athletic abilities.
After completing his educational endeavors, Puhipau embarked on an illustrious decade-long tenure in the Merchant Marine, traversing the globe to numerous destinations in South America, the North Pacific, and Asia.
Puhipau's return to the Hawaiian islands marked a significant turning point in his life, as he found himself at the epicenter of a pivotal land rights struggle on Sand Island in Honolulu Harbor. The community of Hawaiians, who had been priced out of the exorbitant cost of living on the islands, had ingeniously established a subsistence lifestyle in an area previously used as a rubbish dump. Against all odds, they had managed to thrive off the bounty of the sea, living in harmony with their ancestors in one of the most productive fisheries on the island of O'ahu, specifically on the sacred land of Mokauea.
In the year 1980, a pivotal event transpired when Puhipau and a group of individuals were forcibly removed from their homes and apprehended by the Department of Land and Natural Resources, a development that was meticulously chronicled by the renowned documentarians Victoria Keith and Jerry Rochford in their esteemed work, "The Sand Island Story", and subsequently broadcast to a vast audience across the United States via the esteemed Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) television network.
As the trials unfolded, Puhipau's profound connection to the historical narrative of Hawaii was kindled by the impactful reading of Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen, a seminal moment that significantly influenced his resolute dedication to chronicling the rich cultural heritage and storied past of Hawai'i, which were concurrently facing an existential threat. This transformative experience ignited within him an intense passion to share the untold stories of his people with a global audience, thereby setting the stage for the creation of a video production team, collaboratively formed with Joan Lander, under the auspicious moniker Nā Maka o ka 'Āina, or "The Eyes of the Land", a collective endeavor designed to bring the fascinating tales of his ancestors to the forefront of international attention.
