The International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management, Denver American Indian Commission and Denver Museum of Nature & Science are pleased to present a virtual edition of our monthly Indigenous Film Series. Please join us on August 11th at 7:00 p.m. (MDT) for the short film The Last ‘Opelu Man, followed by a live Zoom discussion/Q&A with Uncle Chuck Leslie, featured in the film. Program details are printed below. You will need to RSVP to get the Zoom link.

Thanks to the generous support of our Sponsors, the film and the discussion are FREE. For those of you who usually make a donation at the door, you can make an online donation (suggested donation $5) in our virtual donation bucket .

The Last ‘Opelu Man: I Ka Nana No A ‘Iki – “By Observing, One Learns.” (Director Bryce Groark). Knowledge of the Hawaiian traditional ‘opelu fishery, fishing techniques and the art of net-making is held by just a handful of kūpuna able to pass on this knowledge to the next generation. Charles “Chuck” Leslie, an 80-year old, third-generation hoop net fisherman is one of the few still practicing this tradition. When he was just five years old, Chuck starting learning hoop-net fishing at the side of his father, renowned fisherman Henry Leslie. Now he is passing down his knowledge to the next generation, connecting them to their past and keeping alive the cultural fishing traditions to ensure the ‘opelu population remains healthy. (Living Ocean Productions, 2017, 15 min.).