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.
Omens Associated with Hala Lei.
The series “Oihana Kilokilo Hawaii” discusses omens, both good and bad, that are associated with wearing and seeing the hala lei.
A day filled with joy for all.
Eighty-five years ago, Lei Day sounds like it was very festive for the people of Honokaʻa, as described by Hoku o Hawaii correspondent Hattie Linohaupuaokekoolau Saffery Reinhardt.
Errors in Newspapers Corrected Quickly.
Whether a mistake in a newspaper is caught during production or after distribution, corrections could be made and publicized relatively quickly.
Library Week (April 19–25)
In celebration of Library Week, a story on Hoʻokena getting a reading room, and T. K. Robert Amalu’s clever words used to encourage donations.
Law Restricting Hula Performances, 1859.
Newspapers were used to inform the people of what the legislature discussed while in session, and which bills become law. One of the bills considered in 1859 was one requiring a license issued by the Minister of the Interior in order to put on a hula show.
The “gold mines” of Kahului, 1899.
J. P. Iwa reports on a new source of salt on Maui.
Prince Kūhiō’s Birthday to be Added to the Holidays Celebrated in Hawaiʻi, 1923.
In the House of Representatives Session of 1923, a legislative bill was introduced so that Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole’s birthday, March 26th, would be assigned a holiday and added to the holidays celebrated in Hawaiʻi.
Bits of News from Lāʻie, Those Passed On and Kūlolo Peddled from Kauaʻi.
In many of the Hawaiian language newspapers, there was a column of short, random news items sent in by local correspondents: descriptions of neighborhood parties, extreme weather, fundraiser announcements, and so forth.
What was black and green and read all over?
The answer to the riddle above is the Kuokoa of May 23, 1863.
Rules for Writing to the Newspaper
The newspaper business was difficult enough without having to worry about people following the basic rules for submissions to be published.
Wilikoki’s Account of his Travels in Rome, the Wondrous City.
Robert William Kalanihiapo Wilcox (Wilikoki) was enrolled in the Royal Military Academy in Turin, Italy, as one of the youths sent abroad by Kalākaua to be educated in faraway lands, so that they may return and bring what they learned back home to serve their nation. This is the first part of Wilikoki’s account of his travels in Rome, a place he calls Ke Kūlanakauhale Kamahaʻo (The Wondrous City).
Abbreviations
How do you save space, time, and money? One way the Hawaiian language newspapers accomplished this was by using abbreviations.
Rev. E. Bailey’s Mission to Micronesia, 149 Years Ago.
The Hoku Ao leaves Honolulu for Micronesia on July 5, 1876 carrying aboard: Rev. Edward Bailey, representative of the Hawaiian Board; J. W. Kanoa & wife for Butaritari; Pilipo for the Gilbertese Islands; and John Smith who was returning to Wellington Island.
Aesop’s Fables by David Kaluhi Baker
Davida Kaluhi Beka [David Kaluhi Baker] (1863–1927) translates Aesop Romance, a fictional account of the life of Aesop. “He Wahi Moolelo Pokole no Esopa,” runs in Ko Hawaii Pae Aina from August 27 to October 29, 1881. Baker also translates and submits fables as well.
Be Prepared
We have been having a lot of bad weather lately. We, however unlike Hawaiʻi in 1918, have the Central Pacific Hurricane Center to keep us forewarned. Be prepared, and watch out for your family, friends, and neighbors.
Kingdom Era Photographer: Henry Lyman Chase, part 2.
It has been a year since we first talked about photographer H. L. Chase. Looking through the English newspapers also yield information not found in Hawaiian, and likewise the Hawaiian newspapers often speak of things that the English do not. Meanwhile, if possible, we should not forget the other language papers.
