The student selected as the 2022 Roselani Intern must be committed to the preservation of our media history and enrolled in or a recent graduate of a moving image or archival academic program. Working remotely, but virtually side-by-side with experienced archivists, the intern will gain practical experience in a moving image archive.
February 1 – March 15: Applications accepted April 15: Selection made May – August: Remote internship takes place over 10 consecutive weeks (30 hours per week)
Well 2021 was some kind of year! There were highs and lows throughout, but Covid-19 aside (if only it could be forever put aside), stories have thrived and human resilience has remained high. Here on the West Side of Oʻahu, ʻUluʻulu staff continued throughout the year to work wonders in preserving, cataloging and archiving Hawaiʻi’s precious films and videotape. We accomplished this through teleworking, which began in 2020, connecting us through the internet and finally moving back into scheduled office days in 2021.
We also welcomed incredible collections from Hawaiʻi residents – and from some who are no longer with us. The late Cal Hirai spent most of his career as a news camera operator and editor before moving on as an independent, producing the Outside Hawaiʻi series; recently departed Robert Liljestrand helped save his parent’s home, known as the Liljestrand House, by creating a foundation that not only preserved his dad’s legacy and that of architect Vladimir Ossipoff but the exceptional film collection created by his dad, Dr. Howard Liljestrand. And thanks to Paula Rath, whose grandparents founded and supported the Palama Settlement, the archive is caring for those treasured moving images.
These new collections are now part of ʻUluʻulu, an archive that keeps growing thanks to the support and inspiration of donors, researchers and funders. We are a unique educational agency that is about our past and our future. About memories that will last lifetimes. About stories that never get old.
We are grateful to you the reader, the supporter, the fan, the donor. Please continue to support ʻUluʻulu! We wish you the best in 2022!
Mayor Rick Blangiardi visits with the ʻUluʻulu staff.
Posing with some of the wonderful Liljestrand collection with Shan Liljestrand.
Receiving the Outside Hawaii Collection from Pauline Sato.
Picking up the “Palama Settlement” collection from Paula Rath and Rebecca Hirakami.
Head Archivist, Janel, gives State House Representative Gregg Takayama a tour of the ʻUluʻulu facilities.
ʻUluʻulu has recently completed digitizing the broadcast videotapes of Pau Hana Years, the popular Hawaiʻi Public Television series produced by the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education and the Hawaiʻi Public Broadcasting Authority. Branded as the television show “for and by the senior citizens of Hawaiʻi,” the series, hosted and produced by Bob Barker and later Charlotte Simmons, aired on KHET-TV for 16 years beginning in 1966 through its final episode in August 1982. Celebrating the older population of individuals and in groups and communities, the program profiled kupuna who told their life stories, showcased their talents, engaged in lively activities, and shared their cultural knowledge.
Nearly 200 episodes are now available online. Shot on location across several islands, these episodes cover a wide range of special interests, such as baking Portuguese bread in a traditional brick oven at Makawao, Maui; planting kalo in Keʻanae, Maui and Wainiha, Kauaʻi; cattle ranching in Waimea, Hawaiʻi; celebrating the Molokaʻi homestead with a hoʻolauleʻa at Kalamaʻula; and participating in a hukilau at Kualoa, Oʻahu. The studio interviews are just as lively. Some memorable episodes include Hawaiian music performances by legends Alice Namakelua, Charles K.L. Davis, and Ray Kinney, Hawaiian quilt displays by Deborah Kakalia, and a slightly boozy cooking demonstration by Chef Titus Chan and special guest Julia Child. Most importantly, the program captures the lives of a generation born at the turn of the 20th century under political and economic challenges. The series recorded their stories of personal struggles and achievements, preserving them for the next generation of viewers.
Guest spot with Julia Child
Ray Kinney shares some music in an early episode.
Recently we interviewed producer Joy Chong-Stannard about her days working on set of Pau Hana Years:
When did you work on Pau Hana Years, and what was your role there?
Joy: My work with Pau Hana Years began in the early 1980s and lasted for about two years. This was at the tail end of the show. I was just beginning my career as a producer/director/editor and worked with longtime producer Charlotte Simmons. She had previously worked with Bob Barker, the show’s original host and producer of the program. After he retired, Nino Martin, the Executive Producer for the Culture & Arts Division at Hawaiʻi Public Television, took over the reins of the program, and he selected a new host, big band leader Del Courtney.
How and why did you consider the series ground breaking?
Joy: Pau Hana Years was a groundbreaking production for its focus on Hawaiʻi’s multicultural community of senior citizens. It gave them a platform to express their concerns as well as to celebrate their contributions to our island home. Many of the people featured are now considered cultural legends in our state, and we are fortunate to have captured some of their talents and stories on videotape and film.
Deborah Kakalia
A segment in East Maui
How has Pau Hana Years helped you grow as a producer/director?
Joy: Working on Pau Hana Years provided me a unique opportunity to build my skill set as a filmmaker and television director. Before I started on the project, the series was shot on 16mm film. Portable video cameras were just coming into play in the late 1970s, and we were able to shoot a lot more footage on a lower budget. I was able to work with this new technology that made access to editing much easier. And, of course, it allowed for shooting multiple takes if needed. We also taped many segments in the studio, including musical numbers that required innovative sets and lighting on a very limited budget. We also used multiple cameras to capture the performers.
(L-R) Larry Sichter, Joy Chong, Charles Peck, Charlotte Simmons, Nino J. Martin.
What were some memorable moments working on the show?
Joy: During my time with the program, I was able to meet with many of the older generation living on the neighbor islands as well as some musical legends like Del Courtney who, for many years, performed at the Monarch Room at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. My first documentary that I directed and edited featured a farewell to the iconic old Halekulani Hotel before it was renovated into a luxury resort in the mid-1980s by its new owners from Japan. Capturing the memories of the older generation who used to patronize the House Without A Key restaurant at the hotel and from the many local musicians who performed there gave me a unique insight to that time and place that was Waikiki before the tourist boom that we are witnessing today.
I find it somewhat ironic that, with the baby boomer generation nearing retirement, and the increasing population of older people in our state’s demographics, we don’t have more programs devoted to the older generation. Pau Hana Years was surely ahead of its time.
February is Invasive Species Awareness Month here in Hawai’i, but the importance of value of the topic warrants discussion and learning all year long. Invasive species can take the form of plants or animals and could be big or small. Many of us are familiar with invasive species like cane toads and rats, but did you know that species like strawberry guava and ants fall into that category, too?
This is the perfect time to learn more about the difference between endemic, indigenous and introduced species and what makes something invasive. Something as simple as a beloved house plant can end up becoming a problem if left unchecked. Since the time that many of the recordings in our collection were created invasive species threats have grown. Now, we have Little Fire Ants and the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle, as well as invasive seaweeds and reef fish. Read more about Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Month, here, and challenge yourself to be more aware and learn about what you can do to protect Hawaiʻi’s unique natural environment.
In the spirit of boosting the message, we’ve assembled some clips and resources below that show or discuss introduced, invasive and native species and what work has been taking place to help protect Hawaiʻi’s native flora and fauna.
Non-Native and Introduced Species
Click on the images below to watch the clips.
Lana’i City and Kalua Pigs
Mongoose
Yama hunts for pig May 27, 1995
Interview and lei making with Kumu Hula Pualani Kanakaʻole-Kanahele
Native Species
Click on the images below to view the clips.
Bankoh and Bishop Museum : The Best of Treasures Volume 6
May Earth Live: A Journey Through the Hawaiian Forest
As this challenging year comes to a close, I think we can all empathize with the readers of the Washington Post who were asked to describe 2020 in one word or phrase and they responded with “exhausting,” “lost,” “chaotic,” and “dumpster fire.” But in the midst of this exhausting and chaotic year, there were also many uplifting and positive moments that we experienced at ‘Ulu‘ulu which fit other descriptive phrases from the Post readers.
“Transformative.” Our UH West O‘ahu campus closed to the public on March 20, 2020 and ‘Ulu‘ulu, like all other departments across the UH System, very quickly transformed our in-person operations into a robust telework environment. We successfully pivoted to working from home, relying on remote communication with our researchers and students, as well as with each other. Zoom meetings, our online catalog and streaming server, and the Ask an Archivist reference portal became even more crucial tools and transformed the way we deliver our services.
“Perseverance.” I applaud our ‘Ulu‘ulu team for its perseverance in 2020. Despite our limited on-site presence at the archive, we were able to provide preservation, cataloging, collection care, research assistance and access to the footage in our collections. We completed digitization projects supported by grants from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Hawaiian Legacy Foundation, and Frank Moy and Marcia Mau. We continued our work with the Bishop Museum nitrate film collection, supported by the Hawai‘i Council for the Humanities. And we implemented our closed captioning program, transcribing and captioning over 600 video clips now streaming on our website.
“Six feet apart, yet closer than ever.” We were able to remain close with our researchers through our digital collections, which reached numerous audiences this year. We were thrilled to partner with the Polynesian Voyaging Society to screen four films and a live panel as part of the “Made in Hawai‘i: Visions of Hōkūleʻa” program during the HIFF 2020 online film festival. And we launched the web series “‘Ulu‘ulu Zoom Time” featuring interviews with some of the people who have contributed to our archival film and video collections. These conversations shed a light on the importance of archives, especially while we are apart.
We’d like to share more highlights from 2020 and wish you all the best for 2021!
Click here to view the ‘Ulu‘ulu 2020 Annual Newsletter report on our new collections, digital preservation projects, television and film premieres and more!
With the current pandemic environment, many regularly scheduled festivals and gatherings have sadly been cancelled over the last several months. However, The Hawaiʻi International Film Festival (HIFF) was able to go virtual instead of cancelling. So, while we, film-buffs, are unable to gather together to celebrate, we are fortunate to be able to take part in the festival from the safety of our homes.
The switch to the new format meant that ʻUluʻulu’s participation in the HIFF would change a little from the last several years. Usually, we do an Archival Screening Night, featuring a selection from our vault that is restored and shared on the big screen for a curious public. While we weren’t able to do the usual Archival Screening Night, we were able to co-sponsor and collaborate with the Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS) on the screening of four documentaries on the Hōkūleʻa for the “Made in Hawaii: Visions of Hōkūleʻa Program.” Three of the documentaries are older pieces, selected from the ʻUluʻulu vault, “Hōkūleʻa, Star of Gladness,” “Hōkūleʻa: Return to Tahiti,” and “Hōkūleʻa: The Proud Voyage Home,” and one is a new, collaborative piece between ʻUluʻulu and PVS titled, “He Waʻa, He Honua.” All will be available for free online streaming, along with Naʻalehu Anthony’s, 2018 film “Moananuiākea: One ocean. One people. One canoe.” from November 16th through the 29th!
The program also includes a discussion panel, that will take place this Friday, November 20th, at 7:00pm. The panel will include: Dr. Emmet Aluli, Pomai Bertelmann, Bruce Blankenfeld, Denise Espania, Larry Kimura, Kaiʻulani Murphy, Walter Ritte, Nainoa Thompson, and Governor John Waihee.
We are excited that sharing history and heritage through our collection and our work with others is still a possibility through the HIFF in this difficult time. Find out more about how to attend the panel or the films by following the links below!
Many of the last themes that we have posted to our website have focused on life in early 20th century Hawaiʻi and practices and traditions that survived from those times.
ʻUluʻulu is honored to be the repository for so much visual history, and our collection continues to grow in depth and breadth. Our themes aim to showcase the richness of our fascinating resources that are open to anyone to use on their journeys of life-long learning. For more information on how to navigate our themes, check out our blog entry on that here: https://hkgarchives.org/2020/03/25/exploring-theme-pages/
Below we’ll detail a little about each of the themes that have recently been posted. You never know when you might find something really special hidden within the short clips; it pays to browse!
And there’s always so much more to learn and see in the footage beyond the clips – don’t forget to reach out to us to see more!
Transportation: Planes, Trains and Waʻa
People have utilized many different forms of transportation to get from place to place on land, across the ocean or through the air. In Hawaiʻi, of course, it’s no different – we’ve used cars, planes, trains and boats of various sorts. But, as usual, we have always done it with a unique sense of flair.
We had fun pulling together old footage of railroads that ran on many of our islands, the grand, old cars that used to grace the often dirt roads, and scenes of Paniolo working hard on their horses. Tucked away in the frames are the gems that really make these fragments of history so valuable: from the way everyone dressed and behaved during a day out, to seeing the last day of service on the Historic ‘Oahu Railway to catching a glimpse of some of our local heroes in action.
A float plane blessing from the Bishop Museum Collection.
Riders on the Hilo Railway in the 1940s.
Outrigger Canoes on Hawai’i Island in the 1940s.
A 1953 Paniolo Ride.
Plantation Life
This theme gives you the opportunity to peek into plantation life as according to footage taken at active plantations over the years and the stories of the people that worked them. While the sugar industry managed to survive in Hawaiʻi until very recently, life in camps has all but disappeared. This theme is an introduction to the years of footage and interviews in our collection with individuals who experienced life in the camps as cane field workers, picture brides, and even labor organizers in major movements that helped form Hawaiʻi’s labor unions. In some cases we were lucky enough to receive footage of life on the plantations, including during strikes, at that time.
Life in the plantations was incredibly difficult. This is a generation that we know we owe a great debt to, and we’re proud to be the caretakers of so many of their stories.
Ah Quon McElrath discusses labor conditions in plantations.
The Murodas laugh about how their arranged marriage came about.
1958 Sugar Strikers on the Big Island
Cha Soon Kim talks about how her life as a Picture Bride was very different than what she expected.
Harry Ho shares about the Chinese and Hawaiian connection on Kaua’i.
Traditional Arts and Skills
This theme focuses on manual skills that are often associated with working on plantations, as well as, traditional skills that have often been passed down through generations. Some of these skills or arts have been made “obsolete” by modern technology, but nothing can ever really replace the quality and value of the work of a true master.
Armed with foresight, several of the filmmakers who have donated to our archive over the years set out to document the knowledge and stories of Hawaiʻi’s many masters.
We’re trying some new things on our social media pages. Please keep your eyes open for our new Staff Picks posts. Through these posts, the staff will be sharing some of their favorite clips that are available for everyone to view.
We intend to highlight the great variety of material that is available through our collection from Hawaiian Arts to the numerous cultures that are now part of the make-up of the islands.
Take a look at some of the picks we’ve already shared! Click on the images to see the corresponding clips!
If you want to see the full-length video of any of the Staff Picks, don’t hesitate to contact us and ask to stream the whole thing!
This essay and the accompanying digital video theme page were written and curated by Sidney Louie and Haunani Haia as part of their Spring 2020 Library and Information Science course called LIS 658 Archival & Special Collections Management. Sidney and Haunani are graduate students in the LIS program at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa and are also Archive Project Assistants at ‘Ulu‘ulu.
“A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children.” – John James Audubon
When Earth Day was founded on April 22, 1970, environmental issues of pollution, depleting natural resources, and endangered species pervaded the news. This global movement mobilized earth’s citizens to advocate regulatory legislation within their national and local governments. Building the next generation of environmental stewards, educators developed curriculum and activities for community transformation. Fifty years later, environmental protection issues are still being discussed with newer practices of sustainability, climate action, zero waste, and restoration.
With a threat like the COVID 19 coronavirus pandemic, we are forced to re-evaluate our responsibilities to environmental sustainability. In the midst of this pandemic and enforced lockdowns across the planet we see the effects of less pollution being caused and the earth breathing again. Our connection and impact to the world is more powerful than anything else on earth.Today we see fish returning to the canals of Venice; views of the Himalayan Mountains in India which havenʻt been seen clearly visible in almost 30 years; and clean, clear skies in the U.S. and China. Although our fight for the environment is not over; a crisis like this helps to clear the fog of economic and social development. We all must do our part in protecting the earth and the environment for generations to come.
From the Tom Coffman collection, scenes from May Earth Live : A Journey Through the Hawaiian Forest.
From the Tom Coffman collection, scenes from May Earth Live : A Journey Through the Hawaiian Forest.
The conservation efforts chronicled and recorded by our local filmmakers and videographers are available to view in ‘Uluʻulu’s collections in our Earth Day Theme Page. These videos represent the wide breadth of Hawaiʻi’s natural resources. They show our interaction with the environment, reflecting Native Hawaiian culture with respect to indigenous plants, animals, land and water.
The clips that we post are only about 10% of the full-length footage. So, if you find yourself wanting to know just how the rest of an interview or segment went in one of the clips, request the full-length video on the “Ask an Archivist” button located at the bottom of every page on our website. If you click on that button, you can fill out the form. Please indicate the title name and number. From there, we’ll be able to assist you in getting the full-length footage streamed directly to you.
The last several months have been a whirlwind for us all. While the world learns to deal with the concept of “social distancing” we hope that everyone is able to find some bright spots in their abundance of “me time.” The ‘Ulu’ulu staff is largely working from home, at the moment, but there are still parts of our collection that you can access without contacting us directly. For example, if you haven’t gotten a chance to familiarize yourself with our website, please do! The clip collection, in particular, is a feature on our website that is meant to assist anyone interested in searching our collection for research or just for fun. It’s perfect for when you have some extra time on your hands.
Anyone can search the clip collection using the search bar that should be at the top of every page on our website. The clip collection is always growing and we also create themes to pull some of them together by topic. Some topics are entertaining and some are more solemn, but we try to encompass the breadth of our collection in these themes. Past themes have included The Merrie Monarch Festival, Wai (water rights), politicians, women’s history month, paniolo and so much more. We have continued creating theme pages and are aiming to release new ones regularly as more items from our collections are digitized.
From our home page uluulu.hawaii.edu you can follow the navigation link at the top right hand corner of the page that says “Explore,” and this will take you to the complete collection of Theme Pages. You can browse through all of them and even discover a jumping off point for learning more. The sampling of clips in our themes are not exhaustive, but we hope they are an enlightening introduction to the many facets of Hawai‘i that are preserved in our archive. Below, are the two most recent themes focusing on the Performing Arts in Hawai‘i and Food!
The performing arts have always been a big part of the cultures of Hawai‘i. From Hula to comedy, everything we do is unique or has a unique spin on it. We thought this would be a terrific opportunity to highlight ‘Ulu’ulu’s growing collection of performing arts materials.
We added a corresponding web theme to share some of the many clips that are available on our website to view. This collection focuses on the performing arts legacy that Hawai‘i and its people have nurtured for generations. Because of its multitude of cultures, Hawai‘i has regularly churned out artists and performances that are distinctly its own. Included here are a combination of clips depicting dance, stage drama, comedy and musical performances.
We updated an older theme on food to include some of our more recently generated clips, as food is one of the most important facets of any group of people. We need it to survive, but we also consume and share certain foods as ways to celebrate life events, comfort ourselves and demonstrate pride in our heritage. Here is our updated, theme page with clips from our numerous collections showing some of the many aspects of food in Hawai’i, from gathering to production to enjoyment.
The clips that we post are only about 10% of the full-length footage. So, if you find yourself wanting to know just how the rest of an interview or segment went in one of the clips, there is the “Ask an Archivist” button the bottom of every page on our website. If you click on that button, you can fill out the form and let us know which clip you want to see more of. Try to give as much information as possible; the title and the title number are particularly helpful. From there, we’ll be able to assist you in getting the full-length footage streamed directly to you.
We hope that this additional knowledge helps boost understanding about the archive and what we do.
ʻUluʻulu: The Henry Kuʻualoha Giugni Moving Image Archive of Hawaiʻi 