This film touches on some of the extraordinary ways Kawena’s scholarship contributes to the Hawaiʻi of today and tomorrow. Through interviews with her eldest grandson, Laʻakea Suganuma; Kanaka ʻŌiwi scholar Noenoe K. Silva; and Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum Historian, DeSoto Brown, we’re given a glimpse into the magnitude of her influence as a scholar, educator and composer. She helped preserve hula kahiko; translated nūpepa, mele, and oli at Bishop Museum; co-authored the 1957 Hawaiian Dictionary; recorded Kanaka Maoli oral histories throughout ka pae ʻāina; and collaborated with social workers at the Queen Liliʻuokalani Children’s Center. Mary Kawena Pukui was the 2020-2021 Honoree of our Hawaiʻi History Day program because of her outstanding leadership in this year’s theme: Communication in History, A Key to Understanding. Kawena’s life-long work drew inspiration from her moʻopuna and was guided by her kūpuna.
This film touches on some of the extraordinary ways Kawena’s scholarship contributes to the Hawaiʻi of today and tomorrow. Through interviews with her eldest grandson, Laʻakea Suganuma; Kanaka ʻŌiwi scholar Noenoe K. Silva; and Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum Historian, DeSoto Brown, we’re given a glimpse into the magnitude of her influence as a scholar, educator and composer. She helped preserve hula kahiko; translated nūpepa, mele, and oli at Bishop Museum; co-authored the 1957 Hawaiian Dictionary; recorded Kanaka Maoli oral histories throughout ka pae ʻāina; and collaborated with social workers at the Queen Liliʻuokalani Children’s Center. Mary Kawena Pukui was the 2020-2021 Honoree of our Hawaiʻi History Day program because of her outstanding leadership in this year’s theme: Communication in History, A Key to Understanding. Kawena’s life-long work drew inspiration from her moʻopuna and was guided by her kūpuna.