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Hawai‘i Council for the Humanities eNewsletter, September/October 2015

A Message from the Executive Director

The humanities are fundamentally about stories. The ones dealing with war, however, can be among the most challenging and difficult for us to tell or even read. Recall that it took the Greek warrior Odysseus ten years to journey home from the Trojan War, and he is so changed by hardship that no one, not even his wife, Penelope, recognizes him.

HCH is pleased to announce the Hawai‘i debut of Talking Service, a reading-discussion program for veterans hosted by Windward Community College that will run from October through December 2015, using readings from Standing Down: From Warrior to Civilian, an anthology created by The Great Books Foundation, another of our partners, along with the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of its Standing Together: Humanities and the Experience of War initiative.
(Photo courtesy of Talking Service)

A New Room at Hawaiian Mission Houses

Hawaiian Mission Houses will hold a grand opening celebration of The Domestic Arts Room, an important new addition to the 1821 Mission House, on Saturday, September 5, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Grand opening festivities include a discussion on the various aspects of this newly renovated space as well as hands-on activities and demonstrations.

The Domestic Arts Room will serve as a primary space to showcase the role missionary women played in introducing Hawaiian women to Western textiles and clothing in the early 19th century. This interpretive room will also give Hawaiian Mission Houses a place to tell the stories of the relationship and interaction between the women of the two cultures.

Event is free and open to the public. Click here for more information.

This project is supported in part by a grant from the Hawai‘i Council for the Humanities.
(Photo courtesy of Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives)

Hawai‘i History Day will hold its 2015 kickoff event at Chaminade University of Honolulu on Saturday, September 19, from 8 a.m. to noon. Those looking to get a head start on History Day projects will have several workshops to choose from on topics ranging from how to analyze historical topics to teaching the history research process (C3 Framework) in the classroom. Participants will receive educational materials and resources developed by the History Day program at no charge. Free and open to the public. Click here to sign up for the kickoff event.
Author Yoshiko Okuyama will discuss her recently published book, Japanese Mythology in Film: A Semiotic Approach to Reading Japanese Film and Anime, on a tour around Kaua‘i (September 19 and 21) and Maui (September 22, 23 and 24). Japanese Mythology in Film introduces film semiotics and demonstrates its use as a theoretical tool for reading Japanese popular movies and anime. Using eight case studies, including popular Japanese films and anime such as Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and Departures, the author showcases each film’s use of common mythological motifs while unveiling more covert cultural signifiers and folktale motifs encoded in the Japanese filmic text. Okuyama's book is suitable not only for college students studying Japanese language and culture but also for anyone acquainted with Japanese film and mythology. All Kaua‘i and Maui events are free and open to the public. Click here for the Kaua‘i event flyer. Click here for the Maui event flyer.

Opportunities for Teachers

Hawai‘i History Day Teacher Workshop 2015
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
‘Iolani Palace--Kana‘ina Building Lecture Room

Historians, research experts and the Hawai‘i History Day state coordinator will lead educators through a day of activities to learn about the Hawai‘i History Day program and how to create effective projects. This workshop includes a walking tour of the following sites: Hawai‘i State Archives, Hawai‘i State Library, Hawaiian Historical Society and King Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center. All workshop participants will receive a free Hawai‘i History Day packet and a certificate of completion. Limited travel funds are available for neighbor island teachers. For more information and/or questions about inter-island travel logistics, contact Lisa Yamaki at 732-5402, ext. 2 or lyamaki@hihumanities.org. Click here to register for the workshop.

Board Member Spotlight

In the May/June 2015 eNewsletter you met board member Helen Cox, now we would like to introduce you to Noelle M.K.Y. Kahanu. Ms. Kahanu is currently a faculty member in the American Studies department of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. She has served on the HCH Board of Directors since 2013.

Name: Noelle M.K.Y. Kahanu
Island: O‘ahu
Occupation: Assistant Specialist in Public Humanities and Native Hawaiian Programs

What is your favorite humanities-related activity?

As a 15 year veteran of Bishop Museum, I love Museum Studies and the Arts. I believe exhibitions can create experiences that are transformative--emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.

What book changed your outlook on life?
I can’t cite any one book. As the child of poet Diane Hina Kahanu, I was surrounded by local literary giants, like my mom, and Puanani Burgess, Imaikalani Kalahele and Mahealani Wendt. Their poetry textured my world--filling it with a sense of justice, anger, tenderness and joy.

With what fictional character do you most identify?
I gravitate towards the outsiders, like Harold in Harold and Maude, or the Alan Bates character in King of Hearts. It is the perennial question--who is really crazy and who is really sane?

Which historical figure would you most like to have dinner with – and why?
I would probably not be worthy of being in his presence, and I certainly could not share a meal with him, but I would like to meet Kekuaokalani--he who took the last great stand for the traditional kapu system at Kuamo‘o--a great warrior who knew that the world was changing about him but he nonetheless stood for what was right until the end.

What type of music do you listen to in your car?

I normally listen to Hawaii Public Radio except when I am forced to listen to K-Pop because my 16-year-old daughter is in the car!

Why do you support the humanities?
Because the humanities makes life worth living. The humanities challenges our thinking about ourselves, each other and the world and urges us to leave this a better place.
(Photo of Noelle Kahanu, HCH board member)

The mission of the Hawai‘i Council for the Humanities is to connect people with ideas that broaden perspectives, enrich lives and strengthen communities.