Supplementing the editor’s column commenting on the Kauai Historical Society’s plea for support to its members are some facts of our resources and efforts to fulfill our mission statement: To collect, preserve, and provide public access to Kauai and Niihau’s
Supplementing the editor’s column commenting on the Kauai Historical Society’s plea for support to its members are some facts of our resources and efforts to fulfill our mission statement: To collect, preserve, and provide public access to Kauai and Niihau’s oral, written, and pictorial history and educate the public about the history and cultures of Kauai County, with the hopes readers will understand why we should be supported.
The strength of the Kauai Historical Society are its library and archival collections. Library collections refer to published works, which although sometimes rare, are works that have multiple copies. After 103 years of collecting publications and inheriting the library collection of the Coco Palms (complete with checkout cards reflecting who borrowed the books), we have a rich book collection focusing on Kauai and Niihau, most of which are out of print or with minuscule distribution.
Archival collections are usually unpublished works of diverse entities i.e. records of governments, businesses, personal manuscripts, oral history interviews, in a variety of formats; photographs, audio/visual and documents including narratives, correspondence, and maps.
The advantage of archives is the integrity of primary resources, those created for a specific function, not interpreted by others. This allows researchers to study unadulterated records, sometimes presenting different views on the same event or subject. The benefits of these resources can be wide-ranging.
Doug Haigh, County Building Division chief, found the original plans for the Wailua River Cane Haul bridge in our collections allowing the structural engineer to verify structural capacity and allow design for new use. The county modified the bridge to carry one lane of vehicle traffic (north bound) and a shared use path.
Our extensive records of Lihue, Kekaha, and Kilauea Plantations contain information providing scientists with a century of rainfall data indicating environmental changes. Developers and agricultural operations find records of land modifications and pesticides applied, blueprints for buildings and infrastructure, and families find personnel records allowing for genealogical research not to mention the social fabric of the era.
High in demand is the history of land tenure and for this reason, I secured at $15,000 grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to digitize and index the work of Frances Frazier, who for decades translated Hawaiian land documents for the Bishop Museum, Hawaii State Archives, and for individuals of deeds, Land Commission Award testimonies, and wills.
In collaboration with the University of Hawaii at Hilo and Alu Like, Kekaha twins Sharnelle and Marheah Renti Cruz prepared this collection to be added to OHA’s Papakilo Database, a composite of databases pertaining to historically and culturally significant places, events, and documents in Hawaii’s history. Interns from Kauai Community College also earned credits working with our collections.
Due to the efforts of Marie Fifield and Andy Bushnell, a successful historical walking tour was developed for Kapaa. Insurance costs forced us to abandon the tour, yet demand continued, so a $10,000 matching grant was secured from the Atherton Foundation to develop a GPS enabled mobile app.
It allows residents and the community to contribute to its content, providing an interactive tool for all to learn the history and cultures of a community which has experienced dramatic changes in its demographics and infrastructure.
Presentations by knowledgeable individuals have been a cornerstone of our education activities and include experts such as Randy and Chipper Wichman, Aletha Kaohi, Kawika Makanani, DeSoto Brown, and Chuck Blay. Our publications are held to the highest standard of review to assure accurate information is disseminated, exemplified by Pat Griffin’s “Lihue: Root and Branch of a Hawaii Town.”
When querying residents about their knowledge of the Kauai Historical Society, it dismayed me to find most were unaware of its existence, they thought it was the same entity as the Kauai Museum, or they could not imagine how it could benefit the community.
In my attempts to reach generational residents, I held presentations on genealogical research along with place-based resources in each district of the island. Unfortunately, we are thought of as a public service, like the library or due to our location in the Historic County Building (built in 1914, the same year we were founded), a government agency that provides services and information at no charge.
This misperception coupled with shrinking grant awards, even from historically generous funders, makes the need for increased support and membership all the more crucial.
•••
Helen Wong Smith is former executive director of the Kauai Historical Society.
