He Aupuni Palapala
Cover Image: Detail of front page of the January 1, 1862 issue of Ka Nupepa Kuokoa. Photo by David Franzen, ©2009 Bishop Museum Archives. QM 204791.
He Aupuni Palapala: Preserving and Digitizing the Hawaiian Language Newspapers is an ambitious, multi-year collaboration between Bishop Museum and Awaiaulu, supported by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority and with contributions from Kamehameha Schools. Its goals are to catalog the existing nūpepa (Hawaiian language newspapers) in public repositories in Hawaiʻi, recording the condition of each page. It will also redigitize and partner with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Papakilo Database to make word searchable the clearest pages available and to upload them online for free public access.
The Hawaiian language newspapers total more than 100,000 pages of text, encompassing practically all aspects of Hawaiian life, culture, literature, environment, and history—told in the words of Hawaiians of the day.
Aole o’u makemake e paio aku, he makemake ko’u e pololei ka moolelo o ko’u one hanau, aole na ka malihini e ao mai ia’u i ka mooolelo o ko’u lahui, na’u e ao aku i ka moolelo i ka malihini.
[I have no desire to argue, I want the history of my homeland to be accurate; it is not for the foreigner to teach me the history of my people, it is for me to teach it to the foreigner.]
—S. M. Kamakau, “Hooheihei ka Nukahalale…” Ke Au Okoa, 10/16/1865, p. 1
Aole o’u makemake e paio aku, he makemake ko’u e pololei ka moolelo o ko’u one hanau, aole na ka malihini e ao mai ia’u i ka mooolelo o ko’u lahui, na’u e ao aku i ka moolelo i ka malihini.
[I have no desire to argue, I want the history of my homeland to be accurate; it is not for the foreigner to teach me the history of my people, it is for me to teach it to the foreigner.]
—S. M. Kamakau, “Hooheihei ka Nukahalale…” Ke Au Okoa, 10/16/1865, p. 1
Detail of front page of the January 1, 1862 issue of Ka Nupepa Kuokoa. Photo by David Franzen, ©2009 Bishop Museum Archives. QM 204791.
Generous in Death as in Life
John Papa ʻĪʻī is known for his generosity—while alive and beyond.
Ke Kumu Hawaii
Ke Kumu Hawaii was the first newspaper printed in Honolulu. It was published by the Sandwich Island Mission, edited by Reuben Tinker, and ran from November 12, 1834 to May 22, 1839.
Why Hawaiian language newspapers?
Hawaiian language newspapers not only served to spread local and international news across the archipelago and beyond, but likewise they extended greatly the reach of a person’s voice speaking their own language.
A Well-Made House.
A 104-year-old article from Nupepa Kuokoa describes the practices and steps involved in building a house.
More Access
The Library of Congress defines newspapers as: a serial publication, which is mainly designed to be a primary source of written information on current events, local, national, or international in scope. Newspapers contain a broad range of news on all subjects and activities and are not limited to any specific subject matter. Such news is intended either for the general public or for a particular ethnic, cultural, or national group.
Hawaiian Names for Political Candidates.
In the Hawaiian-language newspapers, most political candidates had a Hawaiian name in their advertisements whether their given name was in Hawaiian or another language. This was to appeal to Hawaiian-speaking voters, because ballots were printed in both Hawaiian and English.
News from correspondents afar.
Orramel Hinckley Gulick, or Oramela (Oremela) H. Kulika, as he was known in Hawaiian, was the publisher of the Alaula, a newspaper1 intended to educate children. He is ordained in 1862 and in 1870 was assigned by the American Board to teach in Japan. He leaves Hawaiʻi with his wife Ann Eliza (Clark) on June 23, 1870 aboard the Ekake (Ajax). He writes to his Alaula and the Kuokoa of his impressions along the way.
A hundred years since the passing of King Kamehameha I, 1919.
The commission for the Kamehameha Day celebrations in 1919 strove to make the centenary celebration memorable–but most of all to instill a great aloha within all Hawaiians for the day honoring their nation’s founder –Kamehameha I.
The Harsh Realities of Newsprint
Did you know that newsprint has an expected lifespan of about 100 years?
A Literate Nation, Hawaiian Independence Day.
Last week Tuesday, we participated in two separate Lā Kūʻokoʻa events at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Lā Kūʻokoʻa Celebration, 150 Years Ago.
In 1873, a group of young men, the ‘Ahahui ‘Ōpiopio o Hawaiʻi (AOH) decided to have a large public celebration of Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea which had not been recognized among the official kingdom holidays since 1866. After successfully carrying out those plans, their minds quickly moved on to Lā Kūʻokoʻa.
Hawaiian Patriotism Lives On: Mrs. Vakeki Heleluhe Joins the Queen in Washington, D.C.
Queen Liliʻuokalani left for the United States on December 5, 1986 accompanied by her lady-in-waiting, Mrs. Kia Nahaolelua and Mr. Joseph Heleluhe. The trip took longer than expected and Mrs. Vakeki Heleluhe was summoned by the Queen to take the place of Mrs. Nahaolelua the following year.
A New Hawaiian Language Dictionary
An article expressing appreciation and hope for a planned Hawaiian language dictionary and what it could contribute toward a future of language vibrancy.
Maʻi Aliʻi, Maʻi Pākē, Maʻi Hoʻokaʻawale
Not only are people commonly known by different names, diseases often have more than one name as well.
Advertisement Codes
Is it only me, or has anyone else looked at ads and announcements and puzzled over the numbers at the bottom?
Translated and Descriptive Names
In an earlier post we talked about John Thomas Waterhouse who Hawaiians called either Walakahausi or Halewai. Walakahausi is the Hawaiianization (transliteration) of Waterhouse.
