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.
Lā Hānau o ke Kama Aliʻi Kaʻiulani
In celebration of Princess Kaʻiulani’s birthday, we would like to highlight a mele composed for the Princess by Mrs. Kala, published in the Hawaiian language newspaper Ka Leo o ka Lahui on March 10, 1893.
Nā Kīʻaha Lama o Kamehameha III
John Henry Wise writes about Kamehameha III’s drinking vessels, Makaanapu and Kikipani, which were reserved for straight alcohol alone.
Nā Kūlana O Ke Ola
Two different lists describing the stages of life from birth to death, printed in the Hawaiian language newspaper Ka Lanakila and Bishop Museum’s HEN collection.
Nā Hale Inu Rama o Honolulu
Five different saloons vie for your patronage, enticing you with their advertisements in the newspapers of the day.
Hohole Samoka!
The Hawaiian language and other Polynesian languages use reduplication, which nuances the meaning of a base word by repeating some part or all of the word. The Hawaiian language newspapers record not only reduplicated indigenous vocabulary, but interestingly, reduplicated loan words as well.
Lahaina Town, 1901
In 1901, a writer from the Lahui Hawaii newspaper describes the improving conditions of Lahaina and compares it to the Lahaina of his youth. We catch a glimpse of the cultural and political landscape of Lahaina in the early 1900s—three saloons, remodeled homes, sweeping fields of sugar cane, government leaders hindering progress, and an unsettled citizen voicing discontent with a call to action. The writer’s message to Lahaina is to elect alternative candidates in order for progress to be made.
Lahaina Water Rights, 1895
The fight to retain traditional water rights is not new. In 1894, Henry Dickenson, newly appointed Commissioner of Water Rights, heard a complaint against Kumuliilii (m) and 57 others over their water usage, filed by C. F. Horner and Paul R. Isenberg of the Pioneer Mill. Dickenson sides with the Pioneer Mill.
Newspapers Need Subscribers… Who Actually Pay
S. N. Haleole, writes an article appearing in the Kuokoa newspaper on January 9, 1864, titled, “Pehea e ola loihi ai ka Nupepa?” [How will the newspaper live a long life?].
