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.
Hauʻoli Lā Hānau e ke Aliʻiwahine Puʻuwai Momi
In 1891, in celebration of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, Kamehameha School hosted its annual Founder’s Day, a memorial to Pauahi’s birthday on the 19th of December. This tradition continues this year on the Kamehameha School campuses across Hawai’i, with festivities such as singing, hula, and scripture readings. Here at Bishop Museum, we will have a double celebration—to honor two important women who left behind important legacies—our namesake Ke Aliʻiwahine Bernice Pauahi Bishop, and Mary Kawena Pukui (in the last of the 2025 Nānā i ke Kumu Series).
“Old Plantation”
Many Hawaiian homes and buildings were given a name. Whether it be the house of bones of Kalaikoa called Kauwalua, or the modern palaces like ʻIolani Hale and Keōua Hale, or the drinking establishments like Nekina, or the former school house on the Bishop Museum campus named Hale Bīhopa. The Ward estate was not an exception. It was known as Old Plantation.
In pursuit of sovereignty
When looking for an event that occured on this day in history, we came across this article which speaks of Timoteo Haʻalilio being baptized aboard the ship Montreal on December 1, 1844.
E mau kō welo ana!
The Jubilee anniversary of the independence of Hawaiʻi fell on November 28, 1893. One of the larger commemorations that year took place in North Kohala.
George Luther Kapeau appointed lieutenant governor of Kona, Hawaiʻi, 1846
Kamehameha III appoints G. L. Kapeau lieutenant governor of Kona, Hawaiʻi in November 1846. Kapeau reports to Richard Armstrong describing his first days in that office.
Kaʻao, what they are and why they are important.
Abraham Panui, a school teacher from Kapaʻa defines “kaʻao” and explains why they are important.
Newspaper Subscriptions
Newspaper subscriptions were the lifeblood of the newspapers….just as long as they were paid for.
Hoʻi i ke Kai: Prince Kūhiō’s Canoe to Return to the Sea
Prince Kūhiō’s racing canoe will once again find its place upon the great Pacific, on Saturday, November 8, 2025. In commemoration of Henry Weeks, the canoe maker of Kainaliu, here are newspaper articles and other items from the Bishop Museum Library & Archives related to him.
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.
