Enlightened by the work of our kūpuna
Illuminating the past
Kū nō i ka māna
Mai kinohi mai
Since 2003, Dr. Nogelmeier led a small circle of researchers and translators to provide the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program (Hawaiʻi Sea Grant) with historical data that documented regional fisheries and ocean-related practices, expanding the library of reference for researchers and policy makers. The resource gained recognition, and in 2009, the Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (JIMAR) proposed collecting information on historical weather events. Four thousand articles were culled, including some which helped prove Hawaiʻi Island was not immune to hurricanes, effectively derailing proposals for legislative dismissal of hurricane insurance and building codes for that island. The fact that recent visits by Hurricane Iselle, Madeline and Lester were still covered by insurance highlight the relevance of that data. The information collected through these two efforts was then embraced by the College of Education and incorporated into a new STEM curriculum and teacher-training program, Kahua Aʻo, which seeks to create new curriculum from a Hawaiian, place-based perspective. Another project, Ka Wā Ma Mua, Ka Wā Ma Hope, funded through Hawaiʻi Sea Grant, established a website housing over 350+ translations. That website has grown and is now housed right here, in this present space.
In 2016, the University of Hawaiʻi was awarded $20 million dollars through a National Science Foundation / Experimental Program to Support Competitive Research collaborative agreement to study ground water and water sustainability in Hawaiʻi called ʻIke Wai. IHLRT was one of eight other fields of study researching different aspects of this project.
ʻIke wai
ʻIke Wai is an “interdisciplinary project that aims to increase understanding of Hawaiian island hydrology to provide improved data for decision-making tools that address the challenges to water sustainability from climate variability, increasing population demands, and water contamination.” The project studied water quality and recharge in ʻEwa, Oʻahu and Kona, Hawaiʻi and includes records and translations from the Hawaiian Language newspapers that include, but are not limited to, the following recurring columns – Na Hoonanea o ka Manawa, Ke Kalaiwaa, Na Upena Lawaia and many more. This collection represents a collaborative project provided by IHLRT and administered by the University of Hawaiʻi’s EPSCoR program (Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research).
These materials are being added to our translation database. A copy of the research spreadsheet is available here. Interactive story maps produced by our haumāna are available here: (1) Na Hoonanea Ka Manawa, (2) Na Hunahuna no ka Moolelo Hawaii, (3) Water Stewardship in the Puʻuloa Aquifer.
JIMAR
This collection represents a collaborative project with the Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (JIMAR) located in the School of Ocean and Earth Science Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Research in JIMAR is focused on: ecosystem forecasting, ecosystem monitoring, ecosystem-based management, protection and restoration of resources, equatorial oceanography, climate research and impacts, tropical meteorology, and tsunami and other long-period ocean waves.
The project focused on hurricanes, tsunamis, seismic activity, and volcanic eruptions.
These materials are being added to our translation database.
Hawaiʻi Sea grant
Founded in 1968, the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program (Hawaiʻi Sea Grant) is part of a national network of 33 programs that promote better understanding, conservation, and use of coastal resources. Hawaiʻi Sea Grant works in partnership with the University of Hawaiʻi’s prestigious School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to identify Hawaiʻi’s critical resource management issues and guide cutting-edge scientific research to address these challenges.
Hawaiʻi Sea Grant collaborated with IHLRT on key issues relating to fish and fishing practices, as well as history and resource management at Haleleʻa.
In 2016, Hawaiʻi Sea Grant collaborated with IHLRT on a project to better understand how Native Hawaiians interpreted climate patterns on multi-year scales through documented accounts. By researching observations of potential El Niño indicators, we hope to better inform current day climate models and extend the climate record further back into the 19th century.
These materials will become a part of our translation database.
classics
Through a partnership with Folger Institute at the Folger Shakespeare Library, IHLRT identified and assembled a Hawaiian-language Shakespeare corpus. Other classic texts that were identified, assembled, and prepared with modern orthography include Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
These materials will become a part of our translation database.