Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 10, 1 ʻOkakopa 2010 — RARE HULA BOOK ARCHIVING PROJECT COMPLETED [ARTICLE]

RARE HULA BOOK ARCHIVING PROJECT COMPLETED

The archiving project of 19th-century chants began when the unexpected gift of the books saved from the ravages of a Waimea River flood were presented by kupuna William Goodwin to Kumu Roselle Bailey in 1979 with the understanding that she would bring the material to life in hula and song presentations. The flowing penmanship was water-smudged, but remained legible. Recognizing the rarity and worth of these books or chants set down by an unknown person, or persons, Kumu Bailey gave life to the chants when dancers of Kahiko Halapa'i Hula Alapa'i premiered first one and then another of the chants in the Merrie Monarch Festivals, some 100 years after dates shown on some of the entries. Now, three decades since the manuscripts were received, the book archival project has been completed under the guidance of Ka 'Lmi Board members by the University of Hawaii Mānoa Library Preservation Department through a grant from the Hawai'i Council for the Humanities. The chants and entries of these manuscripts "provide a unique perspective from a native speaker (and thinker) of Hawaiian language," Kumu Manea said. She also noted that the authors "tell stories and offer observations, all in a dialect of Hawaiian language that no longer ean be heard in daily conversation in the (Waimea) district today." ■ For a brochure or video on the archival project, visit the Ka 'Imi Na'auao O Hawai'i Nei Institute educational booth at thefestival. For information on Ka 'Imi, visit www.kaimi.org.