* Mahu: I learned the word Mahu as an adult. I asked google for connections between my Hawaiian roots and queerness and found teachings about Mahu, by Hawaiian Elder: Kumu Hina. As a diasporic, multi-racial person, I grew up Hawaiian dancing with my mom who told my sisters and I, “You are strong, proud Wahine - women in Hawaiian.” Being my mother’s daughter is encompassed in being a non-binary and gender fluid person for me. MAHU: “those who embrace the feminine & masculine traits within each and everyone of us. Mahu were valued & respected as caretakers, healers, and teachers of ancient traditions. We passed on sacred knowledge from one generation to the next. Through hula, chat, and other forms of wisdom… Kumu Hina. ” I see graphic recording as a pre-colonial & modern methodology to witness and pass on visual storytelling. Colonization on Turtle Island and in Hawaii employed similar strategies of banning Indigenous dance, language, and spiritual practice. People were categorized into the gender binary of man and woman, those who fell outside were forced to assimilate, abused, or killed. Colonial gender roles were imposed to consolidate power, decision-making, and ownership of land and bodies to white, able-bodied men. Mahu is an expression of body sovereignty and reclamation of my ancestral roots.