Molokai Hawaiian Studies: Resources

Ulukau: The Hawaiian Electronic Library

Ulukau is a compilation of various resources on Hawaiian culture, history, and language, including dictionaries, a database of place names, numerous books including the Bible, introductory Hawaiian books, and biographies, as well as oral histories.

The books in Ulukau are divided into 5 categories: Special Features, Beginners, Intermediate, General and Reference. Note: The Intermediate & General categories will probably be the most useful for your assignment

Kepano's Combined Hawaiian Dictionary (CHD)

A hyper-linked Hawaiian-English dictionary with a concordance of example sentences, numerous topical lists, links to online references and much more.

Use the following databases to search for Hawaiian newspapers available online.

Papakilo Database - Search Newspapers
This is a digital collection of historic Hawaiian Newspapers. This collection contains 11,934 issues comprising 58,612 pages and 379,918 articles.

Hoʻolaupaʻi (nupepa.org)

This is a collection of historic Hawaiian-language newspapers published between 1834 and 1948. The newspaper images can be retrieved by word search, title, or date.

The following books are about Molokai's history or can assist you in researching the history and stories of Molokai.

1. Molokai in History: A Guide to the Resources
2. ʻUalapuʻe, Molokaʻi : oral histories from the East End
3. Molokai: A Site Survey (located in LRC Hawaiian Collection, Call Number: GN4 .P32)

Use Primo OneSearch to search for books and media (videos, DVDs & CDs) on your topic.

When searching in Primo OneSearch or any other databases, it is important to find the appropriate keywords (and these can vary by database). Depending on your research topic, you may want to try different keywords to see what works best. To help get you started, below is a list of recommended keywords for researching legends about a specific akua (or kupua) or even stories about a particular place.

By Akua or Kupua

If you're looking for a specific akua or kupua, try keyword searching (playing with various spellings)

There are a few akua you can search for by subject search in Voyager (see examples below).  However, most akua are mentioned within more general texts, so doing a general keyword search is usually best. 

• Maui (Polynesian deity)
• Kamapuaʻa (Hawaiian deity)
• Pele (Hawaiian deity)
• Hiʻiaka (Hawaiian deity)

By Place/Geography

If searching for the legends of a particular place, use the following subject headings and the name of the place or island.

• Mythology
• Legends
• Folklore
• Cosmology
• Cosmogony
• Folk literature
• Origin
• Tales
• Oral tradition
• History

Remember to try different keywords and even different combinations of keywords in your searches.

Citations can feel tedious sometimes but it is important to cite the sources you use in your research. Not to worry, there are resources to help you... Review the Citing Sources guide to get started with citation basics and style guides.