HistoricHawaii

This article, researched and written by Hawaiian Mission Houses, commemorates the Bicentennial Anniversary of Hawai‘i's first printing press and the development of a written Hawaiian language. ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i For centuries, the Hawaiian language thrived in a strong oral tradition, using chant and song to record history and genealogies and share stories over generations. Recording the language in written symbols was an unfamiliar concept. ‘Ōpūkahai‘a, a native Hawaiian man who made his way to Connecticut and converted to Christianity there, began developing a system of writing the Hawaiian language that incorporated both number and letters. He died in 1818 before returning to Hawai‘i, and his system was unused. The Pioneer company brought the original Ramage printing press to Hawaiʻi in 1820. It was used to print the first written Hawaiian language documents. A replica today is in the Hawaiian Mission Houses Hale Paʻi. Image courtesy Hawaiian Mission Houses. The missionaries of the Pioneer Company, who were inspired by ‘Ōpūkahai‘a’s life story, believed that the Bible and the ability to read it was fundamental to becoming a Christian. They were committed that the Bible be in the Hawaiian language, which meant developing the written word. The ali‘i drove this effort, with King Kamehameha II asking the missionaries to teach his people to read and write in ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, and Queen Ka‘ahumanu later stating, “When schools are established, all the people shall learn the palapala (writing).”[1] Work done from 1820-22 to establish a Hawaiian alphabet is not well documented, but the first printing revealed an alphabet of five vowels and twelve consonants.  The codification and standardization of the written Hawaiian language took shape between 1822-26, and was a collaborative effort involving Hawaiian scholars, Tahitian missionaries, ABCFM [...]

As the Kohala Koboji Shingon Mission closes in on its centennial anniversary, the Kapa‘au congregation has taken steps to repair and preserve the historic campus. The building complex—including the temple, community hall, priest’s cottage and community kitchen—dates to 1924. The historic temple on Hawai‘i Island has served the Kohala community with both church services and community events, including hosting the Aikido Dojo Club since 1995 and continuing traditional ceremonial events such as O-Bon and mochi making. However, the ravages of termites and weather caused leaks and damage to roofs, walls and flooring for all of the buildings. Coupled with the inability to gather during the Covid-19 pandemic, the congregation was concerned with the ability to use the property for future generations. The mission feared that without significant funding and immediate aid, the buildings would be lost. A historic preservation grant from the Freeman Foundation in cooperation with Historic Hawai‘i Foundation has helped to stabilize and repair the temple, making it usable and safe for continuing church services, community gathering and educational events. “The impact on the community is positively stimulating and greatly appreciated. To everyone’s relief, church members have not had to come regularly to the temple and empty buckets of rainwater due to the excessive roof and wall leaks, as well as having to navigate around the rotted deteriorated open flooring.” - Eugene Amar, Jr., Director of the Board, Kohala Koboji Shingon Mission The weathered Shingon symbols (mon) on the front façade of the Kohala Koboji Mission were replaced, matching the original design. All photos courtesy Kohala Koboji Mission. The project included termite tenting for all four buildings and repairs to the temple. The temple received a new roof, partials walls and floors, [...]

Historic Hawai‘i Foundation’s new initiative to partner with Native Hawaiian Organizations  (NHO) on hands-on stewardship training for historic and cultural properties has reached a significant milestone with selection of the first cohort of partners. HHF established the stewardship training program in 2021 through a partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park Service and Office of Native Hawaiian Relations, with funding through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Additional funding is provided by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority through a Kūkulu Ola grant for Native Hawaiian culture. The program objectives are to build capacity of NHOs towards historic preservation and stewardship with the goal of ensuring that their traditional cultural stories and places are being documented, preserved and shared in an appropriate manner with visitors and residents alike. “Starting up a new program, especially with federal funds and partners, has to be done systematically and deliberately,” said Kiersten Faulkner, executive director of Historic Hawai‘i Foundation. “We started with listening sessions to get a sense of the sites, the preservation needs and the landscape of NHOs working in cultural stewardship. That informed our decision to have a two-step selection process, first with an open Request for Expressions of Interest, followed by an invitation-only Request for Proposal.” Both the Expressions of Interest and the Proposals were evaluated and ranked by a program committee of HHF Trustees. Committee members include Maenette Ah Nee Benham, Allen Hoe, Donne Dawson, Lehua Kauhane and Kawika McKeague as well as ONHR staff members Stanton Enomoto and Lisa Oshiro Suganuma and NPS director of preservation partnerships Elaine Jackson-Retondo. “We had submittals from every island and for all types of historic and cultural properties, including sacred sites like heiau, places associated with food-ways like [...]

Kahu Rennie Mau in front of the Parish Hall at ‘Ewa Community Church ‘Ewa Community Church is located on Renton Road within the ‘Ewa Sugar Plantation Villages, a district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Villages is significant for its association with ‘Ewa Sugar Plantation, which played an influential role in Hawai‘i’s economy, culture, and politics throughout most of the twentieth century. It is also significant as an historic district for its vernacular architecture. The district includes the Verona, Tenney, and Renton Villages, which formerly provided worker housing for the ‘Ewa Sugar Plantation. Each of the distinct villages (eight total) was expressive of different cultures and ethnic groups, and had its own architectural and landscaping. ‘Ewa Community Church was built in 1937. A Parish Hall was added in 1951 and the church was expanded in 1956 in response to a growing post-war congregation. The Reverend Paul S. Osumi, remembered for “Today’s Thought,” a daily column in The Honolulu Advertiser, led the congregation at that time. Today the church remains a vital part of the surrounding community and is currently home to the United Church of Christ congregation. HHF has had a number of opportunities to assist in preserving the property. The Foundation staff recently interviewed the current minister, Kahu Rennie Mau, to learn more about him and the present role of the church in the community. Historic Hawai‘i Foundation: Tell us a little about yourself—where are you from, what are your interests and hobbies? Kahu Rennie Mau: I grew up in Hawai‘i on the island of O‘ahu living on the Windward side in Kailua at Coconut Grove and then later in Maunawili Valley. I went to St. Louis High [...]