Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 5, 1 May 2010 — 'LET IT BE PRINTED!' [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

'LET IT BE PRINTED!'

By Kau'i Sai-Dudoit Barely 10 years after the Hawaiian language was reduced to a written form, the Hawaiian people were anxious for new and different reading material. In 1834, Lorrin Andrews, the first principal of Lahainaluna Seminary now known as Lahainaluna School, celebrated the fortunate circumstances that brought

an old Kamage pnnting press into his possession. He planned and instructed a class dedicated to teaching the students this new medium of eommunieation. Here the students were taught how to set type, operate the press,

create copper engravings and book binding; and on Feb. 14, 1834, the first newspaper in the Kingdom, Ka Lama Hawaii, rolled off the press. The reaction to Ka Lama Hawaii was immediate and overwhelming. The excitement spread and soon people were clamoring to read the newspaper. This ignited an explosion of Hawaiian language newspapers that would last for the next 114 years. It is important to understand this era in the Kingdom. Hawaiian society was a mere decade removed from the ancient kapu system, a system that for so long provided Hawaiian society with its organic laws, customs and traditions. Many governmental changes were underway; laws were being printed and distributed; English was heard and spoken more and more as the number of foreigners increased; the many years of foreign diseases had cut in half a onee thriving population and left in its wake a fertility problem that would plague the Hawaiian populaee for generations; and as Honolulu heeame a mercantile town of businesses and government offices, the need and demand for currency drew the maka'āinana from traditional stations of cultural practitioners and agriculture to that of day labor for hire. The impact of these gradual but increasing changes in Hawaiian tradition left decreasing numbers of people to carry on traditional practices in all areas. These changes, although unavoidable for Hawaiian govemanee to retain its authority against foreign aggression and insistence, did not go unnoticed by both the ali'i and maka'āinana, and prompted them to utilize the newspapers as a means to both preserve and archive Hawaiian knowledge and practice for the future generations. In an 1834 editorial titled "I ka hiki ana mai o ka malamalama i Hawaii nei," (Enlightenment arrives in Hawaii) in Ka Lama Hawaii, Mataio Kekuanaoa promotes the new mode of communication with this directive: "... Malia paha o pau oukou i ka hala e aku, nalo wale loa ka olelo kumu o Hawaii nei mai ka mole mai. A i ole e pai ia la ea! he hoailona ia no ka na lii malama i ka mea kahiko."

na, malia paha o pali oukou i ka hala e aku^ nalo wale loa ka olelo kumu o linwaii nei mai ka mole mai. A i ole e pai ia la ea! he hoailona ia no ka na'lii malamai ka mea kahiko.

Hawaii, from its very taproot, will disappear completely. To avoid that let it be printed! as a sign of the chiefs eoneem for the things of old." In 1 842, Samuel M. Kamakau closed his writings on history and genealogy with this note: "I mea e maopopo ai i keia hanauna; a ia hanauna aku ia hanauna aku." 18.12.) KA NONANONA. 1!» lCc \\o ww K-uipuno \kv\Wvko Vov\ \wa\ o Whwwu we.'\, u V\VVv TOO\ u\ W v\V\c(\. Mui \u W uVcvv mu\ u \\W\ nu \ Vtcu\w\viwawa u \\V\VloU c \\oV\0 Wt\, V tovo c TOVVO\\opo \\\ V VcAw \\VTOOUWVl!, u \u V\a\\oui\«L v\ku vn \\wuftuuft wku. (Ka Nonanona, Oct. 25, 1842). "So it will be clear to those of this generation and generations to eome." As a contributing writer in the Hawaiian language newspapers for more than three decades, Kamakau frequently referred to perpetuating knowledge of the past, opening an 1865 editorial with this statement: "He mea maikai loa ka imi ana i na mea i haule a nalowale o na mea kahiko o Hawaii nei; a ke imi nei kakou e loaa mai me ka pololei, a e lilo ia i waiwai na na hanauna mahope aku nei i ka wa pau ole." / Kmuunianao. He mea maikai loa ka imi ana i na mea i Aaule a nalowale o nā mea kahiko o Hawaii nei ; a ke imi nei kakou e loaa mai me ka pololei, a e hlo ia i tvaiwai na na hanauna mahope aku nei i ka wa pau ole. (Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Oct. 28, 1865) "It is very worthwhile to seek that whieh has fallen away or disappeared regarding ancient things of this land, Hawaii; we are striving to find what is accurate, for it will be something of great value to future generations for all time." While many writers expressed a general eoneem about documenting knowledge for those of future generations to eome, some were quite specific. In 1862, J.H. Kānepu'u, ended his editorial with this reminder urging that legends and mele be published in full:

"E makemake ana ka hanauna Hawaii o na la A. D. 1870, a me A. D. 1880, a me A. D. 1890, a me A. D. 1990."

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I ka n«i»w«1e, B tn«keif»l(e »»» k» b»r»«onn o n» In A. I). I*t70. a mo A. 17, a we A, D I Hf», a lue A. D. i&.K). (Ka Hoku o ka Pakipika, Oct. 30, 1862) "Hawaiian generations of the 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, and the 1990s will need it." After 72 years of urgent pleas, this commentary by historian and editor J.M. Poepoe, was part of a passionate plea for eontinuity of knowledge and the teaching of history to successive generations, a plea that ran six days a week in his newspaper, Ka Na'i Aupuni: "A o ke kanu mau ana aku o ia moolelo iloko o ka opio a kanaka makua wale ae oia, he hoomau ana aku no ia i ke aloha mawaena o ka hanauna hou a me ka hanauna i nalo aku, a e nalo aku ana hoi ma ka welelau komohana o keia ola ana." kona aina kulaiwi iaia." Aj o ke kana mau ana aku o ,va uioolek) iloko o ka opio a kanaka makua waleaeoia, he hoomau ana aku no ia ike aloha mawaena o ka han iuna hou a me ka hanauna i p«lo aku, a e qalo ako ana hoi ma ka welelau komohana o keia ola ana. Ua olelo ae o (Ka Na'iAupuni, Dec. 22, 1906) "The continual cultivation of that history in the young people until they are mature adults is a perpetuation of love and regard between this new generation, those who have gone on before, and those yet to pass at the furthest reaches of this existence." For over a century, Hawaiian writers intentionally documented their world for themselves and for future generations. Today, we have unhampered access to these writings that were left purposefully for our benefit. Let us not have their efforts be in vain. ■ Ho 'olaupa 'i: Hawaiian Language Newspaper Project is a coīīaborative partnership among the Bishop Museum, Awaiaulu Ina, Aīu Like Ine. anel Hale Kuamo 'o to utilize moāem technology to preser\>e anel provide access to the voīuminous writings in the Hawaiian Ianguage newspapersforfree access at nupepa.org. Kau 'i Sai-Dudoit has been the Project Manager ofHo 'olaupa 'i since 2002.

www.oha.org/kwo

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Virtual library Visit nupepa.org to see the Hawaiian language newspapers online.

Andrews

Kekuanaoa