HCR71

WHEREAS, Mary Kawena Pūku‘i, born in 1895 as Mary Abigail Ka-wena-‘ula-o-ka-lani-a-Hi‘iaka-i-ka-poli-o-Pele-ka-wahine-‘ai-honua (The rosy glow in the sky made by Hi‘iaka who was raised in the bosom of Pele, the earth consuming woman) Na-lei-lehua-a-Pele (Pele's lehua leis) Wiggin, in rural Ka‘u on the island of Hawaii grew up bilingual and bicultural, with a Hawaiian mother, who spoke only Hawaiian, and a Salem, Massachusetts, native father who spoke to her in English, although he spoke fluent Hawaiian; and

WHEREAS, Mary Kawena Pūku‘i's lifelong desire to understand and preserve her Hawaiian culture can be attributed to her grandmother, Po‘ai, who had been a dancer in the Queen Emma Court, and with whom young Mary Kawena Pūku‘i spent the first six years of her life, as was customary; and

WHEREAS, by her early teens Mary Kawena Pūku‘i was collecting stories, legends, and traditions given to her by family and friends; and

WHEREAS, through her recognized language and writing skills, Mary Kawena Pūku‘i found herself at the Bishop Museum, where she would spend some fifty years working closely with its staff, including anthropologists, ethnologists, and biologists, and co-wrote the Hawaiian-English Dictionary to assist them; and

WHEREAS, Mary Kawena Pūku‘i's published work spanned over fifty years and significantly contributed to the fields of Hawaiian language and Hawaiian studies, which might have remained lost or been translated much later; and

WHEREAS, at the beginning of the twentieth century, Hawaiian culture was largely repressed in favor of Western education; however, its resurgence in the "Hawaiian Renaissance" movement of the 1960s to 1970s resulted in Hawaiian culture being fully integrated into today's Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, had it not been for Mary Kawena Pūku‘i's dedication and diligence in preserving the knowledge and culture of the Hawaiian people, the resurgence of the Hawaiian culture would have failed or faltered to the loss and misfortune of the whole State of Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, the legacy of Mary Kawena Pukui in perpetuating the Hawaiian culture must be recognized, honored, and memorialized; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2020, the Senate concurring, that the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts is requested to develop a plan to recognize, honor, and memorialize the legacy of Mary Kawena Pūku‘i in perpetuating the Hawaiian culture by:

(1) Using funds in the Works of Art Special Fund for the development and implementation of a plan to recognize, honor, and memorialize Mary Kawena Pūku‘i;

(2) Determining a memorial befitting Mary Kawena Pūku‘i's legacy, such as a monument or statue in her likeness in a setting that reflects her legacy of perpetuating the Hawaiian culture and history that will survive for generations to come;

(3) Determining an appropriate site for the memorial where residents and visitors can admire, understand, and appreciate Mary Kawena Pūku‘i's contribution in perpetuating Hawaiian culture and history; and

(4) Identifying any legal, financial, or cultural impediments to recognize, honor, and memorialize Mary Kawena Pūku‘i and proposals to address those impediments, including proposed legislation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Executive Director of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts may create a working group to support and assist in the development and implementation of the plan as requested by this measure; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Executive Director of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts is requested to submit a report on its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, regarding the development and implementation of a plan as requested by this measure to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2021; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Chairperson of the Hawaiian Homes Commission, Executive Director of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, and President of The Mary Kawena Pūku‘i Cultural Preservation Society.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Mary Kawena Pukui; Memorial; Plans and Implementation

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	71
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2020
STATE OF HAWAII