Joseph Nāwahī

Documenting Hawaiian Lives and Times

 

The Hawaiian Historical Society is pleased to invite its members and friends to its fall membership program, Joseph Nāwahī, Documenting Hawaiian Lives and Times, on Thursday, September 24, 2009, at 7:30 p.m. at the University of Hawai‘i School of Architecture Auditorium.

The program will feature an exhibition of the documentary film Biography Hawai‘i: Joseph Nāwahī, followed by a panel discussion about biography as a way of understanding history and the process of making historical documentaries.

The panel of speakers includes:

• Dr. Craig Howes, director of the Center for Biographical Research and professor of English at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Dr. Howes is the co-producer and series scholar for the documentary.
• Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl, author and playwright. Ms. Kneubuhl is the co­producer and writer for the Biography Hawai'i film series.
• Dr. M. Puakea Nogelmeier, associate professor, Kawaihuilani Hawaiian Language Program, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Dr. Nogelmeier was the translator of the biography of Joseph Nāwahī, and he provides commentary in the film.

Joseph Nāwahī (1842–1896) was a Hawaiian patriot and Renaissance man. He was educated at Hilo Boarding School, Lahainaluna Seminary on Maui, and at the Royal School in Honolulu. He represented Hilo in the Kingdom legislature for nine terms and became a trusted advisor of Lili‘uokalani during the last months of the monarchy. With his wife Emma, he founded the Hui Aloha ‘Aina political party and its newspaper Ke Aloha Aina. They worked tirelessly to stop annexation and restore Hawai‘i's independence. Nāwahī's editorials and speeches continue to provide inspiration today.

Biography Hawai'i: Joseph Nāwahī is a production of the Biographical Research Center supported by funding from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Hawai‘i Council for the Humanities, the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, the Cooke Family Foundation, and PBS Hawai‘i.

This program is free and open to the public and is co-sponsored with the University of Hawai‘i Center for Biographical Research.