As for the long awaited electric lights to illuminate this town of Honolulu, the work of the carpenters is progressing, and the electric wires are projecting out in every direction on the streets all about town. It was believed that the turbine wheel for the machine would arrive on this landing of the Australia, however, it did not arrive from the Eastern states when the steamship left San Francisco.
Should it arrive aboard the next steamship, then it will be perhaps two or three weeks after that when everything will be ready to put it to work, and that will be when the presses here in Honolulu will be lit up by modern electric lights; it is something which we all have not seen before and have greatly desired, like of what we’ve heard of the electric lights in foreign lands.
[Honolulu Magazine this month has done a feature where it gives us a glimpse into what it was like here in 1888 (when Paradise of the Pacific, the forefather of the current magazine, began). I thought i might try to add to that in the upcoming weeks, randomly putting up 1888 articles while as always, posting news from other periods as well.]
(Kuokoa, 2/11/1888, p. 2)
Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Buke XXVII, Helu 6, Aoao 2. Feberuari 11, 1888.
We kindly request of the visitors to leave their bags, canes, umbrellas, and so forth at the place to leave them by the entrance. Gentlemen are to remove their hats, and the Japanese guests are to leave their “wooden shoes” on the lanai.
Children are not allowed to enter unsupervised by adults who are to keep them in control and to watch them lest something gets damaged.
Do not smoke withing the building; do not spit on the floors. Dogs are not permitted in the building.
The bringing in of food into the building is not allowed; if here for an extended period, they must, if hungry, go outside to eat.
[This came from “A Handbook for Visitors to the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum of Polynesian Ethnography and Natural History” Honolulu 1903. I just came across this today and thought it was interesting.
In Japanese, the only big difference seems to be that it says if a child damages the building or one of the exhibits, then the accompanying adult must take responsibility. And those “wooden shoes” must have been troublesome, because it appears to be talked about in all four other languages as well!]
(“A Handbook for Visitors to the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum of Polynesian Ethnography and Natural History” Honolulu 1903.)
“A Handbook for Visitors to the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum of Polynesian Ethnography and Natural History” Honolulu 1903. Prepared by William T. Brigham, Director of the Museum.
A Precious Gift.—We have heard that our Composer of “Mele Lahui Hawaii,” the Honorable Mrs. Lilia K. Dominis, was gifted a music book from Germany, by one of their singers; it was presented with honor for her famous accomplishment: the composition of the lyrics and the searching for the music of “Mele Lahui Hawaii,” which is sung all the time by the choir of Kawaiahao and by all of us everywhere and its fame has been heard of in Germany. The book was sent by way of Mr. F. Banning, Esq., Consul of Belgium, to our precious alii. Printed in gold lettering on the cover was: “Lilia K. Dominis.” This young alii has thus received the fruits of her labors, and we hope that there will be more of her compositions here after.
[Anyone know what this book is and where it is located today?]
(Kuokoa, 3/28/1868, p. 2)
Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Buke VII, Helu 13, Aoao 2. Maraki 28, 1868.
Much appreciation goes out to all the good people at the Center for Biographical Research at UHM! And to Anwei Skinsnes Law and Henry Law for their presentation today!! I came out of it feeling upbeat, and excited that there are people out there looking at Hawaiian-Language source material for a window into the past (outside of the University).
I encourage people to go check out the talk, questions and answers, and book signing put on by Native Books from 3 to 5 in the afternoon this Sunday.
Kalaupapa: A Collective Memory
I was at a presentation tonight by DeSoto Brown of the Bishop Museum on some of their treasures held in the Museum’s archives. Of particular interest to you all might be the number of new material that is available online and is word searchable!
Here is the search page for their Government and Governance: A Digital Initiative page.
One of the great many topics of interest is Leprosy.
“In the early years of the reign of Kamehameha V, he brought to my notice the fact that the Hawaiian people had no national air. Each nation, he said, but ours had its expression of patriotism and love of country in its own music; but we were using for the purpose on state occasions the time-honored British anthem, “God save the Queen.” This he desired me to supplant by one of my own composition. In one week’s time I notified the king that I had completed my task. The Princess Victoria had been the leader of the choir of the Kawaiahao church; but upon her death, May 29, 1866, I assumed the leadership. It was in this building and by that choir that I first introduced the “Hawaiian National Anthem.” The king was present for the purpose of criticising my new composition of both words and music, and was liberal in his commendations to me on my success. He admired not only the beauty of the music, but spoke enthusiastically of the appropriate words, so well adapted to the air and to the purpose of which they were written.”
(from Hawaii’s Story by Hawaii’s Queen, pp. 31–32.)
“Ina makahiki kinohi o ka noho moi ana o Kamehameha V., ua hoike mai oia ia’u i ka mea oiaio, aohe himeni lahui o na kanaka Hawaii. O na lahuikanaka, wahi ana, aka, koe kakou, ua hoopuka ae lakou i ko lakou makee a me ke aloha i ka aina ma kona mele ponoi, aka, ia wa e mele ia ana ka himeni o Beritania, “E ola ka Moiwahine i ke Akua,” no na manawa nui. O keia kana i makemake ai e kulai, ma o kekahi mele a’u e haku ponoi ai. Maloko o ka manawa o hookahi pule, ua hoike aku la au i ka moi, ua pau ka’u hana i ka hana ia. O ke Kama’liiwahine Vitoria, ke alakai o ka papa himeni o ka luakini o Kawaiahao, aka, i kona make ana ma ka la 29 o Mei, 1866, ua lilo ae la ia’u ke alakai ana. A maloko o keia hale, a na ia papa himeni i hoopuka mua mai i ke “Mele Lahui o Hawaii.” Ua hoea ae ka moi no ka manao ana e hooponopono i ka’u mele i haku ai, i na huaolelo a me ka leo, a ua haawi mai hoi oia i kona mau hoapono no ka holopono o ka’u mea i hana ai. Aole wale o ka leo kana i mahalo ai, aka, ua hoopuka ae oia i na huaolelo walohia nui o ka hoomaikai no ka pili pono o na huaolelo i ka leo mele.”
(Aloha Aina, 5/14/1898, p. 7)
Ke Aloha Aina, Buke IV, Helu 20, Aoao 7. Mei 14, 1898.
[The following link is of a document found at the Hawaii State Archives. It is commentary by Curtis P. Iaukea on the Liliuokalani Educational Society. He gives the year 1886 as the beginning of the Society. It is word searchable.]
(Hawaii State Archives, Liliuokalani Trust, Liliuokalani Education Society, M-397)
nupepa 