About this Event
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:
When the first printing press arrived on the shores of Hawaiʻi in 1822, it broadcasted the Hawaiian language in galvanizing new mediums, such as the book and newspaper. Once the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi established mandatory education, literacy rates skyrocketed. What was once an informal system of sending mail along through passing ships became insufficient to meet the high demand for missives and thus the Hawaiian Kingdom’s postal system was established in 1850. Letters, both in manuscript and print, widely circulated amongst the Hawaiian population. Yet by the end of the century, the nation that had laid the foundation for this lively printscape had been overthrown. Hawaiian printers were jailed for expressing discontent with the new governing body that, soon after, declared English as the exclusive language of instruction. Yet the literary traditions of the Hawaiian people that long preceded the adversarial government persisted. One such literary tradition is the moʻokūʻauhau, which have served as a record of relationships since time immemorial. 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) but can also trace genealogies of knowledge (moʻokūʻauhau ʻike). This project is a moʻokūʻauhau of the Hawaiian Kingdom’s postal service, a vector for Hawaiian knowledge and protest.
This event is open to all with registration and will be held at Newberry Library.
Event venue & nearby stays
Newberry Library, 60 West Walton Street, Chicago, United States
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