Bishop Museum’s project preserves Hawaiian language (fwd)

[Phil Cash Cash]

Bishop Museum’s project preserves Hawaiian language

By Huy Vo
Posted: Thursday July 31, 2003
http://www.hawaiibusiness.cc/hb72003/hbe-brief.cfm?hbeid=505

Thanks to Bishop Museum's newspaper project entitled Ho'olaupa'i,
Hawaiian language newspapers are now easily accessible.  Nineteenth and
early 20th century Hawaiian newspapers are an untapped source of
historical information about Hawaii.  Thoughts and ideas of Hawaiians
during this time period will be revealed for the first time in a
century to researchers and the general public.

In partnership with Alu Like and Hale Kuamo'o at the University of
Hawaii at Hilo, Bishop Museum is archiving and providing research tools
for improved access to the newspapers.  The project is striving to have
a partial database of Hawaiian newsprint available on the Internet by
the end of this summer under the direction of Project Manager Kau'i
Goodhue.  Over the next five years, a searchable database of the more
than 100 different Hawaiian language newspapers, with 125,000 pages of
Hawaiian Language Newsprint will be available to researchers on the
Internet, through the help of the project.

Ho'olaupa'i is initially funded by federal grants of about $360,000,
contributed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training
Administration, and the U.S. Department of Interior, National Park
Service - Native Hawaiian Culture and Arts Program.  Full operation is
expected by next year, and the Bishop Museum expects Ho'olaupa'i will
be in need of about $500,000.  Bishop Museum is finding ways to secure
the increased funding requirements from foundation grants and private
contributions.

With the help of optical character recognition technology and Hawaiian
language students, Ho'olaupa'i will create the most comprehensive
searchable database for Hawaiian language newspapers.  By capturing
previously unrecorded Hawaiian words from the newspapers, the project
is generating words not found in the standard Pukui & Elbert Hawaiian
language dictionary.

"We are honored to take part in such a culturally important program,"
says Bishop Museum President Bill Brown.  "Ho'olaupa'i gives renewed
life to these important Hawaiian language newspapers that will
contribute to furthering the perpetuation of the Native Hawaiian
culture and language."