Student Research Spotlight: Hawaiian Protest in Print

Join the Kim-Park Program at Newberry Library for a Student Research Spotlight from Sam Maza, a PhD Candidate in English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago. Hawaiian Protest in Print examines the myriad printing methods employed by Hawaiian citizens to assert their sovereignty. Public reactions to the 1843 Paulet Affair and the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom can be witnessed in newspaper articles, as well as pamphlets, songs, and petitions. Project Abstract: Since time immemorial, moʻokūʻauhau have served as a record of relationships. They depict the temporal associations between beings- whether that be people, celestial bodies, or concepts. These chronological connections are often used to depict ancestry (moʻokūʻauhau pili koko), tracing the familial lineage of blood and non-blood (hānai) relations alike. Yet moʻokūʻauhau ʻike (genealogies of knowledge) and moʻokūʻauhau hālau ʻike (schools of knowledge) deal with the ancestry of thoughts. In this way, the format of mo'okū'auhau is flexible- able to encompass family trees, cosmogonies, and even provenance histories. This project examines the moʻokūʻauhau of the Hawaiian Kingdom's postal system. The first chapter examines the works of Joseph Liwai Kukahi, a 30 year veteran of the postal system who published mo'okū'auhau. This event is open to all with registration and will be held at Newberry Library (https://www.newberry.org/).