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Cover Image: Cover detail of Ka Lei Momi printed in August 1899.
Aloha Nūpepa Monday!
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.
Under the Hawaii Newspaper Project in the 1980s, newspapers held in a number of libraries and archives across the archipelago were documented and later microfilmed. The material that fell outside the definition were marked exclude and generally not microfilmed. Buke moolelo for one were excluded. They consist of serialized stories with the occasional news story.
The stories often came from the old Hawaiian language newspapers. He Aupuni Palapala decided to include buke moolelo in their work because sometimes there indeed is news. Also, there is a chance that a missing part of an original story appearing in an old newspaper might be repeated in a buke moolelo.
See how the passage from “He Moolelo Kaao no Leinaala,” appearing in Ko Hawaii Paeaina on November 13, 1886 is almost identical as it appears in Ka Lei Momi, August 1899, p. 3.
Image: Front cover of Ka Lei Momi, August 1899.
Image: “Kaikamahinealii Leinaala,” Ka Lei Momi, August 1899, p. 3.
Image: “He Moolelo Kaao no Leinaala,” Ko Hawaii Paeaina, November 13, 1886, p. 1
This post is part of He Aupuni Palapala: Preserving and Digitizing the Hawaiian Language Newspapers, a partnership between Bishop Museum and Awaiaulu with assistance from Kamehameha Schools. Mahalo nui loa to Hawaii Tourism Authority for their support. Learn more about this project here.
