The collection of Hawaiian history, legends, books, maps and more inside the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s Mookini Library now bears the name of a revered Native Hawaiian scholar, kumu (teacher) and haku mele (composer)—who dedicated her life to teaching and preserving Hawaiian culture—Edith Kanakaʻole.
Renamed in May, the Edith Kanakaʻole Hawaiian Collection serves students and faculty from both UH Hilo and Hawaiʻi Community College. More than that, it’s also become a trusted resource for community members looking to reconnect with their roots.
“We have a lot of people that are just looking for research about their ʻāina or about their families, and they come in and utilize our resources,” said Annemarie Paikai, librarian of the Hawaiian collection. “Based on my personal experiences learning from her family, I think that’s what Aunty Edith really wanted, is for that perpetuation to happen on a larger scale, so that it lives within our families and our communities.”
ʻIke Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Knowledge) treasures
The Hawaiian collection is home to some rare gems, including detailed 19th-century maps of Hawaiʻi Island that highlight ancient place names for ahupuaʻa (land divisions) and ʻili ʻāina (land sections), names that are no longer commonly used. Visitors can also explore microfilm reels of Hawaiian language newspapers that reach back to the era of the Hawaiian monarchy.
The collection’s vault contains a substantial number of rare books including early edition copies of works by Queen Liliʻuokalani, Samuel Mānaiakalani Kamakau, David Malo, W.D. Alexander, as well as many early malihini (foreign) explorers and scientists of the 19th century, and archival materials such as a Hawaiian quilt pattern collection.
“People can come with their own tracing paper and trace patterns. We’ve had a number of researchers come in…and try to do these old patterns,” Paikai said.
Kanakaʻole legacy
The dedication ceremony for the newly named collection was filled with the sounds of oli (chant), mele (song) and hula performed to one of Kanakaʻole’s original compositions Ka Uluwehi O Ke Kai about various limu (seaweeds) found in the ocean. Held in May, the event brought together members of the Kanakaʻole ʻohana, UH Hilo leadership and library staff to honor the renaming. Four generations of Aunty Edith’s ʻohana, including her daughter Pua Kanahele, were present—highlighting the deep cultural and personal significance of the occasion.
Kanakaʻole worked as a teacher at Hawaiʻi CC from 1971 to 1974 and at UH Hilo from 1974 to 1979.
For her great-granddaughter Lanihuli Kanahele, seeing Kanakaʻole’s name within the Hawaiian collection is both an honor and a reminder.
“Education and being a scholar was a waiwai (value) for her,” Kanahele said. “Especially in our ʻohana, it continues to be an important thing for us.”
Native icon
In 2023, the U.S. Mint honored Kanakaʻole as one of five American women featured on new quarters through the American Women Quarters™ Program. To celebrate the recognition, a mural of the Keaukaha native was unveiled on the building named Edith Kanakaʻole Hall at UH Hilo. Created by Hawaiʻi artist Kamea Hadar in collaboration with Kūhaʻo Zane—Kanakaʻole’s grandson and creative director at Sig Zane Designs—the mural was made possible with the support of UH Hilo Kīpuka Native Hawaiian Student Center.
For more go to the Mookini Library website.
