UH Press publishes open-access Hawaiian language journal

The University of Hawaiʻi Press now publishes the new, open-access resource for Hawaiian scholars, Palapala: a journal for Hawaiian language and literature.

The entirety of Palapala volume 1, issue 1, which includes contemporary research in both Hawaiian and English, is freely available at the UH Press website.

“We are honored to offer, through a collaboration with the UH library and the support of the university, an online journal of such scholarly importance to Hawaiʻi,” said Joel Cosseboom, UH Press interim director.

Palapala joins UH Press’s extensive list of Hawaiian studies titles, including The Hawaiian Journal of History, Kanaka ʻŌiwi Methodologies and the Hawaiian Dictionary. It is the first peer-reviewed Hawaiian language journal to be published exclusively online.

“In spite of a vast and complex body of literature written in Hawaiian and a growing number of speakers, there has not been, until now, an academic journal dedicated to either the study of the language or the literature produced in it,” said Palapala editor Jeffrey “Kapali” Lyon of the UH Mānoa Department of Religion.

“Palapala is intended to fill that gap as a peer-reviewed journal that allows scholars of Hawaiian from around the globe to present the results of their research through a centralized, scholarly archive dedicated to cherishing, preserving and advancing our knowledge of the native language of Hawaiʻi nei,” Lyon said.

The inaugural issue also features reprints from the Hawaiian alphabet, first published in 1822, and an anonymous 1857 account about translating the Bible into Hawaiian.

“We are excited to publish the first issue of Palapala,” said Pamela Wilson, UH Press journals manager. “This journal truly aligns with our mission to be a Native Hawaiian place of learning and an indigenous-serving institution.”

Palapala editorial board, submission guidelines and more

Palapala receives support from UH Mānoa’s UH Press and the following departments: College of Arts & Humanities, Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, College of Languages, Linguistics and Literature and UH Hilo’s Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani, College of Hawaiian Language.

The journal’s editorial board includes UH faculty members Joseph “Keola” Donaghy, kuʻualoha hoʻomanawanui and Hiapokeikikāne K. Perreira, as well as ʻŌiwi Parker Jones of the University of Oxford. UH Mānoa graduate student Jane Au will serve as managing editor for the 2018 volume, and UH alumna Keiko “Kiele” Gonzalez will continue as the journal’s copyeditor.

Palapala submissions guidelines, print requests and more details may be found at the UH Press website.