A young Native American filmmaker, Kymon Greyhorse, who lives in New Mexico, USA, says he is tapping into his Tongan roots, to inspire his next film.

His recent short film “I am Home,” that premiered at Sundance Film Festival [2] in the USA last year, has opened up new opportunities, only six months after he graduated with BFA degree in Film & Digital Arts from The University of New Mexico.

Kymon now 24, is working on his first feature-length film about a Native Hawaiian and Tongan woman.

Kymon who is of Native American (Diné Nation) and Tongan descent, recently caught the eye of the reknowned American photographer Annie Leibovitz who was working for IKEA's Life At Home showcase [3], which features 24 others from across seven countries. Her photos of Kymon were shot at Albuquerque, where he lives with his mother, bringing an indigenous representation of what 'Home' means to this international advertising campaign that launched in Paris yesterday.

“Physically and materialistically my home is simple but ... Home for me really centres around family, as long as you're surrounded by those who love you and nurture you in a safe space I think that is the core,” he says.

Tongan father

In an interview with Huffpost [4] recently, he says he grew up in Utah and New Mexico, splitting his time between his Tongan father in Salt Lake City, and his Navajo mother in Albuquerque.

“I was born in Salt Lake City, so that was home — but when I was five my parents separated and my mom moved to Oregon, so I lived there for a while, and that was home, too. I feel at home when I am anywhere at all, as long as my family is with me. I’m half Navajo and half Tongan, so when I’m with my dad, I get to learn about that part of our family, and our cultural differences from my Navajo side. And when I’m living with my with my mom and my aunties and uncles, I learn about my Navajo roots.”

He says the short film “I am Home” was written during the pandemic, a time of loneliness and isolation, a search for belonging, a journey of finding ‘home’. “A poetic reflection of who I am, where I come from, and where I will go. ... Dedicated to the matriarchal figures in my life. All powerful women that have transcended tradition, epitomized resilience, strength and family.”

Two-spirit

He identifies as two-spirit, a term that describes Indigenous people who have both masculine and feminine energy. When he was bullied for his identity, including his Native and Pacific Islander background, he drew strength from his family.

“They always reassured me that I was loved and that at the end of the day, I can come home and be myself fully and be loved for who I am,” Kymon says.

He told Matangi Tonga that his paternal grandmother, Lavinia Toe'api (Palau) is originally from Tu'anekivale, Vava'u, Tonga. His grandfather, Salesi Palau, is originally from Tongatapu, Tonga.

Although he knows very little of his family in Tonga, one of his favorite memories growing up was couponing with his family in Utah to gather and send care packages back home. He hopes to one day visit his family in Tonga and the land they care for.

- MLF