Sharing the Multilayered History of Honokaʻa

Presentation and Panel Discussion

Friday, June 3, 2022

11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Virtual (via Zoom)

Cost: Free, registration required

VIEW THE EVENT RECORDING BELOW

Historic Hawai‘i Foundation and our project partners are excited to introduce the Honoka‘a Story Map!

Click the PHOTO ABOVE to access the Honoka‘a Story Map.

Honoka‘a Story Map: He Koaʻe, Manu o ka Pali Kahakō

Historic Hawai‘i Foundation developed the Honoka‘a Story Map in collaboration with project partners, Cultural Surveys Hawai‘i; the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, History Department and Professor Kerri Inglis; Honoka‘a Heritage Center and members of the Historic Honoka‘a Town Project. Students from UH Hilo contributed to the research and content of the map as part of their history course curriculum under the direction of Professor Inglis. The project also enlisted three student interns who worked closely with Professor Inglis and contributed research, contextual essays, and photography.

Honoka‘a Presentation and Panel Discussion

More than 120 people joined HHF on June 3, 2o22 for a virtual presentation and panel discussion with Honoka‘a Heritage Center executive director Nicole Garcia, UH Hilo History Professor Kerri Inglis, and a student panel. The discussion shared the context, process, and purpose of the Honoka‘a Story Map, along with reflections from the students themselves relaying how this project has impacted their view of Honoka‘a and the surrounding area, themselves, and their own sense of place.

Historic Hawai‘i Foundation has partnered with Cultural Surveys Hawai‘i, the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, History Department, Honoka‘a Heritage Center, and Historic Honoka‘a Town Project to create the Honoka‘a Story Map. Students from UH Hilo are contributing to the research and content of the map as part of course curriculum under the direction of History Professor Kerri Inglis. In addition, three student interns are contributing research, contextual essays, and photography.

The goal of the Story Map series is to take a deep dive into the multilayered history of historic districts in Hawai‘i. Each story map will include various components such as: the area’s history, historic and contemporary images, cultural practices and traditions, myths and legends, maps, and descriptions. Key elements are community collaboration, youth engagement, and sharing diverse, inclusive, and multicultural histories of place.

View the Hilo, Capital Historic District, Hale‘iwa Story Maps by clicking on the hyperlink.

Image at top: The Harunaga Family in front of the Honokaa Theater. Lester Harunaga DDS Collection Provided and Researched by Doreen O’Rie Harunaga.

Panelists

Kerri A. InglisProfessor of History, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo

Kerri A. Inglis teaches Hawaiʻi and Pacific Islands History at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. She resides in Kaloli, Keaʻau, in the moku of Puna, but was born and raised in the Fraser Valley region of British Columbia, Canada. Kerri moved to the islands and earned a BA from BYU-Hawaiʻi (1993), completed her MA at the University of Toronto (1995), and returned to Hawaiʻi to pursue a doctorate in Hawaiian history – with complimentary fields in Pacific and World history – at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (2004).

Kerri’s research specialization is in Hansen’s disease/leprosy, publishing her first book, “Ma‘i Lepera: Disease and Displacement in 19th century Hawai‘i” with University of Hawai‘i Press in 2013. She has presented her work internationally and published in several journals – most articles dealing with Hansen’s disease, epidemics, medical treatments, and community, in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. More importantly, she enjoys teaching and emphasizes place-based, applied, and service-learning opportunities with her students.

Nicole GarciaExecutive Director, Honokaʻa Heritage Center

Nicole Garcia is the director of the Honokaʻa Heritage Center (HHC) where she oversees the day-to-day operations including exhibit development, research and interpretation, fundraising, visitor services, volunteer management, marketing, and communication. Prior to opening HHC in 2021, Nicole worked at the Heritage Center of the Kō Education Center under the direction of Dr. Momi Naughton. During this time, Nicole earned her Masters Degree in Heritage Management at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.

Nicole was a featured presenter at the Symposium on Women in Museums at UH Hilo in 2020 and has also presented on the impacts of World War II and Camp Tarawa on the North Hawaiʻi towns of Waimea and Honokaʻa.. Nicole and Dr. Peter Mills gave a public presentation in Honokaʻa on 19th century store ledgers from North Hawaiʻi and what they tell us about consumption patterns and lifestyles of residents during that time period.

Nicole is committed to preserving and sharing history in the community and works closely with members of her local community to support their desire to gather historical information, document community histories, and develop exhibits. Always eager to learn more about North Hawaiʻi Island, Nicole is most passionate about hearing community members tell their own stories and researching and preserving local history. She feels that the most important contribution that she and HHC can make is helping the community share their memories for future generations.

Visit Hawai‘i’s Historic Places Virtually!

The Honoka‘a Story Map is supported by the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) through appropriations from the Legislature of the State of Hawai‘i or grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).