Hawaiian Historical Society

We are excited to announce our new program series, Talk Story Saturdays! Our first Talk Story, The Origins of the Hawaiian Historical Society, will be on Saturday, October 5, 2024 from 10:00am to 11:00am.

Talk Story Saturdays encourages our communities to learn, share, and engage with each other about Hawaiian History. Dive deep into the Hawaiian Historical Society’s (HHS) stacks with the staff for a special insiders’ look into the rare and unique books and archival material not normally on public view. The hour-long tour will include: an introduction to the Hawaiian Historical Society, a curated exhibit, a chance to interact with historical material as well as an opportunity to learn how to research and access HHS’ resources.

Tickets are $15 per individual and free to members. In addition to the hour-long tour, each guest will receive a researcher’s toolkit to help with future research at the Hawaiian Historical Society. All funds go towards preserving the collections and to continue this educational program.

Check out our website to read more about each month's theme and to reserve your seat today! www.hawaiianhistory.org

In celebration of Hawaiian History Month, Island Life HI on KITV invited HHS to talk story about what Hawaiian history means to us both past, present, and future.

Big Mahalo to Lina Girl and Davey D for hosting us and to the staff for making it all happen! Also Big Mahalo to our President, Julian Ako and Trustee, Puakea Nogelmeier for their mana'o.

Check out the clip on Island Life Live youtube channel, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sxs3Td8yEs&list=PLCvHAvLHfDb75-pb7AezEIJmWZtwKC9NN&index=2

For this post, HHS features the first place John Clark mentions in his Beaches of the Big Island book, published by

Laupāhoehoe Point Park

The peninsula called Laupāhoehoe in the district of North Hilo was formed by a late lava flow from Mauna Kea that descended Laupāhoehoe gulch and entered the sea. As the lava flooded into the ocean, it created a wide, flat point of smooth lava (pāhoehoe) shaped like a leaf (lau).

The Park is the site of the former Laupāhoehoe School, where on the morning of April 1, 1946, a powerful tsunami struck the peninsula and overran the school grounds and took the lives of a number of students and teachers.

This is also the first photo HHS processed. Each photo from Hawaiʻi Ma Kahaone, Beaches of Hawaiʻi Collection will get its own archival preservation sleeve. It’s a mylar, transparent cover that protects the photograph from curious hands!

Image: Laupāhoehoe Point Park, photo by Nelson Makua, 1984. Hawaiian Historical Society, Beaches of Hawaiʻi Collection, Gifted by John Clark 2016.

On this day in 1870: Queen Kalama Hakaleleponi Kapakuhaili dies at age 53. she was a descendant of the Moana family, which served the aliʻi of Hawaiʻi Island from the time of Kalaniʻōpuʻu. She would outlive both her husband, Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III) and her nephew, Alexander Liholiho (Kamehameha IV), becoming known as the Queen dowager of Hawaiʻi.

Studio Portrait of Queen Kalama, photo by H.L. Chase, ca. 1866, Hawaiian Historical Society Call No. 2600.

Visit our booth at ʻOhana Family Day: Open House, Saturday, September 28, 2024 10am-3pm. Free to the Public.

Learn more about the Hawaiian Historical Society. Shop our books or or one of a kind totes and pouches made by .e.naturals or make a craft. We hope to see you and your ʻohana!

On March 9, 1901 the first taxis and U-drive motorcars began service in Hawaiʻi by the Hawaiian Automobile Company.

Did you know that these first automobiles were ELECTRIC?!

To learn more electrifying facts, join us for our next Archives Uncorked: We did what? When? Friday, October 11, 2024 5:30pm to 8:00pm. Gates open at 5:00pm. HHS and will feature curated exhibits highlighting quirky and peculiar firsts that will entice even the most avid trivia extraordinaire.

Ticket includes: a four-station tour, one drink, one personal charcuterie box, and one custom swag bag. Additional beverages will be available for purchase. Tickets are $65 for members and $75 for nonmembers per person. Seating is limited, so buy your tickets today at www.missionhouses.org/upcoming-events/

Image 1: Electric taxi parked out the “garage” or building built by the Automobile Company on King Street to house the electric cars, photo by Ray Jerome Baker, c. 1901, Hawaiian Historical Society Call No. 33.

Mai Hawaiʻi a Niʻihau: From Hawaiʻi to Niʻihau

Ka Lama Hawaii or The Hawaiian Luminary was the first newspaper printed in Hawaiʻi. The newspaper was printed in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. The twenty-five numbers (Helu 1-25; Feberuari 14 to Dekemaba 26, 1834) of this periodical were issued primarily as an educational tool for the pupils of Lahainaluna Seminary.

The phrase, “mai Hawaiʻi a Niʻihau,” or “from Hawaiʻi to Niʻihau” appears in Ka Lama Hawaii, specifically photographed here is the December 1, 1834, p. 3. This phrase acknowledges the eight major islands in Hawaiʻi and extends a greeting to everyone on all the islands. It always follows the path of the sun, mentioning Hawaiʻi island first (where the sun rises) and Niʻihau last (where the sun sets).

Letter writers in the Hawaiian-language newspapers almost invariably used the phrase, or a variation of it, as part of their greeting to the newspaper editors and the readers, the people of Hawaiʻi. Variations might include place names on the east end of Hawaii island, such as Kumukahi or Haʻehaʻe, are substituted for the name of the island. The same is true for the island of Niʻihau, where sometimes the names of the smaller islands beyond Niʻihau (Lehua, Kaʻula, and Nihoa) are used in place of Niʻihau.

(Excerpt from Niʻihau Place Names, by John Clark (pp. 53-54)

To honor and recognize the importance of this phrase, HHS will be processing and preserving the Beaches of Hawaiʻi, John Clark Collection in order from sunrise to sunset, mai Hawaiʻi to Niʻihau.
Stay tuned for our next post to learn what treasures we find on the island of Hawaiʻi.

Article photographed, HHS Newspaper Collection:

No Ka Lama Hawaii. Helu 4.
Pela e ulu koke ka maikai ma ia wahi aku, a ia wahi aku, a piha loa ka aina mai Hawaii a Niihau i ka ai, a me na holoholona, a me na hale kula, a me na hale p**e, a me na hale maikai e noho ai.

For Ka Lama Hawaii. Number 4. [in response to an earlier article]
That is how progress takes place all over the country, so that everywhere from Hawaii to Niihau becomes full of food and livestock, and schools, and churches, and decent houses to live in.

“We name the places that we want to go back to.”--John Clark

John Clark, a well-known community researcher, scholar, and author has spent his life documenting Hawaiʻi’s surf spots and shorelines. In 2016 he bequeathed to HHS a collection of images and publications notes from 1974 to 1989. This valuable material is associated with his first four publications, Beaches of: the Big Island; Kauaʻi and Niʻihau; Maui; and Oʻahu.

Hawaiʻi Ma Kahaone, Beaches of Hawaiʻi is HHS' newly funded, year-long preservation project supported by the Hawai‘i Council for the Humanities, through support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Our goal is to preserve and provide access to this historical material. This collection will support place-based knowledge resources that encourage cultural heritage and environmental consciousness.

Follow us every Saturday from September 2024 to September 2025 for a “Sandy Saturday” post to learn more about our preservation journey and Hawaiʻi’s shorelines.

This program is funded by a grant from the Hawai‘i Council for the Humanities, through support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in HHS’ social media postings, website, and overall program, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Image: John Clark surfing at Canoes surf break, Waikīkī, O‘ahu, in December 2004 to mark his 50th anniversary of surfing, photo by Clarence “Mac” Maki.

On this day in 1831: Mission Seminary at Lahainaluna on the island of Maui begins instruction.

In celebration of we recognize the importance of this monumental place in Hawaiian history.

At Lahainaluna, notable Native Hawaiian Scholars like David Malo, Timothy Kamalehua Haʻalilio, and Samuel Mānaiakalani Kamakau attended. In 1838 the first history of the Native Hawaiian people, Ka Mooolelo, was published in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. In 1843 the first Hawaiian Historical Society was established; which became the foundation for the Hawaiian Historical Society and its establishment in 1892, 49 years later.

To learn more about Lahainaluna and its Historical Society, read HHS 21st Annual Report (1913) at http://hdl.handle.net/10524/41

Image 1: Sketch of Lahainaluna, HHS Illustrations, Call No. 1622.

Image 2: Cover of Ka Mooolelo Hawaii, reprint.

As part of HHS' mission, we strive to publish scholarly works and share them with our community. In the early 2000s HHS started the Ke Kupu Hou, Hawaiian Language Reprint Series, to reprint and circulate historical texts like the 1838 Ka Mooolelo Hawaii. Email [email protected] to get your copy today!

On this day in 1883: St. Louis College (now St. Louis School) is established.

St. Louis College, photographer and date unknown, Hawaiian Historical Society, Photograph Collection, # 5014. Gift of Society of California Pioneers, Chas. B. Turrill Collection.

In observance of Labor Day, HHS will be closed Saturday, August 31, 2024.

This weekend we also honor our mōʻī wahine (Queen) Liliʻuokalani. On September 2, 1838 Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Kamakaʻeha is born to Analea Keohokālole and Caesar Kapaʻakea. She would later become our last reigning monarch of Hawaiʻi.

Cropped portrait of Queen Liliʻuokalani, original by J.J. Williams, c. 1891. Hawaiian Historical Society, Photograph Collection, No. 4149.

What an amazing way to start September and celebrate

Don Francisco de Paula Marín– a Spaniard who became an advisor to Kamehameha I and lived in the Islands from 1793 to 1837–was a horticultural experimenter who is credited with introducing many agricultural products. He was the first to plant avocados, guavas, pineapples, and grapes. In a journal entry from February 24, 1815 Marin refers to planting the “Kings Vines;” which then became WINE!

Tip your glass to Marín and celebrate the firsts of wine and many others at the next Archives Uncorked: We did what? When? Friday, October 11, 2024 5:30pm to 8:00pm. Gates open at 5:00pm. HHS and Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives will feature curated exhibits highlighting quirky and peculiar firsts that will entice even the most avid trivia extraordinaire.

Ticket includes: a four-station tour, one drink, one personal charcuterie box, and one custom swag bag. Additional beverages will be available for purchase. Tickets are $65 for members and $75 for nonmembers per person. Seating is limited, so buy your tickets today at www.missionhouses.org/upcoming-events/

To read more about Marín and the “Kings Vines” check out HHS’ publication, Don Francisco de Paula Marin: The Letters and Journal of Francisco de Paula Marin, by Ross H. Gast and Edited by Agnes C. Conrad, 1973.

Email [email protected] to order your copy of the book or with any questions about our upcoming event.

On this day in 1862: Prince Albert, son of King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma dies at age 4.

Read more from "Reminiscences of the Court of Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma," by Curtis Piʻehu Iʻaukea, Papers of the Hawaiian Historical Society, number 17: 17–27. http://hdl.handle.net/10524/961

Image: Prince Albert Edward Kauikeaouli (1858-1862), carte de visite by Henry L. Chase, from a painting by Enoch Wood Perry. Jr., 1865-1868.

We're excited to announce our next Archives Uncorked Series with Hawaiian Mission Houses!

Archives Uncorked: We did what? When? will feature curated exhibits from HHS and Hawaiian Mission Houses highlighting quirky and peculiar firsts that will entice even the most avid trivia extraordinaire.

Ticket includes: a four-station tour, one drink, one personal charcuterie box, and one custom swag bag. Additional beverages will be available for purchase. Tickets are $65 for members and $75 for nonmembers per person. Gates open at 5:00pm. Seating is limited, so buy your tickets today at www.missionhouses.org/upcoming-events/

October’s theme explores some of the first appearances on the islands from tooth extractors and sewing machines to counterfeit money and a train robbery. Guests will be treated to four special-access experiences. First, take a pull on the printing press and learn about the first publications in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. Next, view early medical instruments in one of the original mission houses, while discovering Hawaiʻi’s first surgeries and treatments in Western medicine. In the Library Reading Room, interact with rare archival material and immerse yourself with the first written accounts of meteorological phenomena. Finally, explore the firsts of wine with a special tasting.This month we welcome guest sommelier, and librarian, Krystal Kakimoto from Bishop Museum. Join us for Archives Uncorked: We did what? When? for a night of firsts and experience the exclusive opportunity to tour the collections of two historically renowned organizations in one location. Come sip, snack, and learn about Hawaiʻi’s history.

On this day in 1908: Native Hawaiian paniolo Ikua Purdy wins the Steer Roping Championship at the annual Frontier Days Celebration in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Photograph of Paniolos or Cowboys on horse-back, unidentified at the "Capitol grounds," Honolulu, Oʻahu. Photographer unknown, c. 1905. Hawaiian Historical Society-Photograph Collection-Hawaiians-Paniolos and Paʻu Riders # 3479.

HHS will be closed Friday, August 16, 2024, Admissions Day.

We will resume normal reference hours (10am to 2pm) On Saturday, August 17, 2024. Please email [email protected] or call (808) 537-6271 to schedule your appointment or for any further questions. Mahalo!

On this day in 1959: The Ala Moana center opens.

Photograph from the article, "Ala Moana Center Flourishing," Hawaii Industry, vol. 7, July 1961: 56-57, [Call No. 605 H31].

Caption to the photograph reads: "Future plans for the center call for the addition of the buildings shown in the foreground."

On this day in 1932: Clarence L. “Buster” Crabbe sets an Olympic record in winning the 400-meter swimming event in the Los Angeles Olympics.

As we come to end of this year’s 2024 Summer Olympic Games, we want to highlight one last Hawaiʻi Olympian: Buster Crabbe!

Clarence L. “Buster” Crabbe was born in Oakland California in 1908, but was raised in Hawaiʻi. He swam for Punahou School and graduated in 1927, and went on to the ‘28 Olympic Games in the 1500m Freestyle Swimming Event. He brought home a bronze in these games.

Crabbe competed in the ‘32 Olympic Games in the 400m Freestyle Event, this time winning gold. Over the course of his career, Buster Crabbe accumulated 16 world swimming records and 35 national swimming records. After his retirement from athletics, he went on to become an actor in several Hollywood productions.

(Photo Courtesy of Honolulu Star Bulletin)

Remembering today.

Image: Maui from the Anchorage at Lahaina, ca. 1850, Hawaiian Historical Society Illustrations [Call No. 1623]

As we continue to celebrate this year’s Olympic Games, we want to celebrate another Hawaiʻi Olympian: Keala O’Sullivan!

Rachel Kealaonapua (Keala) O’Sullivan was born in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi in 1950. She competed in the ‘68 Mexico City Games, where she brought home a bronze medal in Springboard Diving. This made O’Sullivan the first Hawaiian athlete to make an Olympic podium in diving.

In more recent years, O’Sullivan has served Hawaiʻi youth as a coach for many different schools, continuing in her contributions and legacy to the diving community

(Photo Courtesy of Punahou School)

On this day in 1830: The ship, Becket, returned with news of the loss of Governor Boki and party who had sailed south on a sandalwood venture. Only 20 of the 375 men returned.

Image: Boki and Liliha, Photograph Collection [Call No. 2568].

Aloha Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea kākou! On this day in 1843, the sovereignty of the Hawaiian Kingdom was restored after a 5 month period of British occupation. This restoration of independence inspired mele and celebrations across the pae ʻāina!

Image: “Mele Hoi Hou Ana” Ka Nonanona, September 19, 1843

Meet one of our newest interns: Hepua! Her favorite historical item, “He Mele Lahui Hawaii” (Hawaiian National Anthem), composed by Lilia K. Dominis and published in 1867.

If you are interested in learning more about our mele collection please schedule a reference appointment with us!😊

In honor of this yearʻs upcoming Olympic Games, we want to honor some of Hawaiiʻs very own Olympians this month!

Duke Kahanamoku was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1890. He went on to compete in multiple freestyle swimming events in the 1912, 1920, and 1924 games. His career ended in 5 Olympic medals, and an international profile as one of the most notable watermen of his time.

Image: Cover of Honolulu Magazine April 1967 [Call No. 050H35H]

Today we celebrate What an honor to be invited by and for the unveiling and blessing ceremony, memorializing the celebrated Glade Show Club in historic Chinatown.

To learn more about the history of the Glade Show Club and the Lei Pua ʻAla project visit their website
www.queerhistoriesofhawaii.org

The Hawaiian Historical Society is dedicated to preserving the historical material on the history of Hawaiʻi that supports our communities in sharing their historical narratives. Happy Pride!