Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law focuses on education, research and scholarship, community outreach, and the preservation of invaluable historical legal materials. With the goal of promoting Hawaiian culture, history, and law, Ka Huli Ao has undertaken an ambitious and wide-ranging program, which includes Punawaiola, Ka Huli Ao’s online digital archives.
Punawaiola is dedicated to the collection and dissemination of digitized Hawaiian Kingdom historical and legal materials. The hope is to maximize public access to these important, yet difficult to find, resources. Punawaiola, which is translated as “spring water of life,” thematically represents how our past nourishes and sustains us today.
Aloha
Hawaiian Language
A thorough knowledge of the Moʻolelo of your Motherland is the first knowledgeable step in political action that will enable you to fight for the welfare of our governance.
Punawaiola is the first bilingual website at the William S. Richardson School of Law. We support the expansion of the Hawaiian language as the medium of communication here at the law school, in government, and in the courts.
*Joseph Mokuʻōhai Poepoe was a talented lawyer, scholar, and writer. He wisely recognized over 115 years ago that knowledge of our history and traditions would empower Native Hawaiians.
Digitization Efforts
In collaboration with the Hawai‘i State Archives and LLMC Digital, we have amassed approximately two hundred thousand images of various historic documents. Since 2008, we have been working collaboratively with the State archives to digitize significant historical legal collections housed in their repository. To read more about Punawaiola’s history, please read this article: The Realization of a Dream: A Digital Archives Partnership.
Director’s Acknowledgments
Greetings to the visitors of Punawaiola. Punawaiola is presented with aloha and appreciation to you. This is the first bilingual site to provide public access to a wide range of Hawaiian legal archival materials. Moreover, it is the first bilingual website at the William S. Richardson School of Law. It took many hands to create Punawaiola—this is because no such endeavor has been attempted at the law school.
Keith Johnston and Ray Wang, 2008
Many people have contributed to Punawaiola and I am exceedingly grateful to all of you! My appreciation is extended to Raymond Wang, Keith Johnston (ʻ08), and Il Ung-Jeong for their help in creating Punawaiola. I am also very grateful for the work of those who helped craft the Hawaiian language used on this website: Iokana Aronowicz Esq., Kamakakaulani Gramberg (ʻ18), Leimomi Morgan Esq. (ʻ17), Liʻi Nahiwa (ʻ21), and Kamalolo Koanui-Kong Esq. (ʻ17). Finally I would also like to thank Kaleio Cromwell (ʻ20), Rachel Figueroa (ʻ16), Kealiʻi MacKenzie, Brittanie Nery, Mason Yano, and Zeslie Zablan.
Finally, I am blessed to have two kumu: Lalepa Koga and Kapali Lyon. I am grateful for their continued support. I also wish to recognize Lalepa’s excellent help in correcting grammar and spelling mistakes. Importantly, however, any remaining typographical errors are my own.
