HONOLULU – The Women’s Community Correctional Center (WCCC) Trauma Informed Care Initiative today presented “Ua Mau Ke Ea / Ike Ku’oko’a” – A learning process that addresses the needs of incarcerated, Native Hawaiians who are affected by historical trauma. The initiative seeks to foster a deeper and clearer understanding of Hawaii’s history to enable healing and reconciliation of the past and present so that a better future for Hawai‘i’s community can be built. This program is made possible through partnerships with community-based non-profit organizations – Awaiaulu and Pu`a Foundation, along with the Department of Public Safety (PSD) Library Services.
Awaiaulu is sponsoring “Ike Ku’oko’a” – Liberating Knowledge, the Hawaiian Newspaper Initiative. They are seeking volunteers to transcribe Hawaiian-language newspapers written between 1834 and1948. The transcribed documents will be compiled into a word-searchable database.
“Over 125,000 pages of Hawaiian-language newspapers were printed in more than a hundred different papers from 1834 to 1948,” said Awaiaulu Project Manager and Documentary Producer Kaui Sai-Dudoit. “By making the whole collection word-searchable, it will open up hundreds of thousands of pages worth of data on history, culture, politics, sciences, world view, and more.”
Digital images were taken of the pages and 60,000 pages remain to be transcribed before the due date of July 31, 2012.
“The women incarcerated at the correctional center realize the value of preserving Hawaiian history and many eagerly volunteered to help with this initiative,” said Women’s Community Correctional Center Warden Mark Patterson. “PSD Library Services donated four refurbished computers that will be placed throughout the facility to allow the female offenders to participate in the transcribing of Hawaiian Newspaper text.”
The Pu`a Foundation will be donating copies of its Ua Mau Ke Ea: Sovereignty Endures Collection – a comprehensive historical documentary and educational textbook on the legal and political history of the Hawaiian Islands, as well as other Hawaiian history, language and reference resources.
“An important factor in recovery from historical trauma involves culturally appropriate opportunities for Hawaiians to construct and correct, when required, their own histories in comparison to existing sources of information.” said Pu`a Foundation Executive Director Toni Bissen. “Through participation in Ua Mau Ke Ea/Ike Ku‘oko‘a, women at WCCC will more clearly understand and link past events and experiences of Hawaiians and others in Hawai‘i to their present positions in the community and the world. This process will foster a deeper and clearer understanding of Hawaii’s past, and enable healing and reconciliation of the past and present so that a better future for themselves and for Hawai‘i’s community can be built.”
Textbook author Dr. David Keanu Sai, historical documentary producer Kaui Sai-Dudoit, and Pu`a Foundation Executive Director Toni Bissen lead the presentation today at WCCC.
If you would like to get involved with Awaiaulu’s Hawaiian Newspaper Initiative call Awaiaulu Director Puakea Nogelmeier or Project Director Kaui Sai-Dudoit at 845-8918, or go to their website Awaiaulu.org.
Submitted by the Department of Public Safety