Project Narrative

1. Describe the topic and the nature of the resources to be preserved under this project and their value as humanities resources for then community. Your answer should also clearly and concisely state the intellectual need to which this project responds.

The legitimacy of the annexation of Hawai'i by the United States has recently emerged as a significant area of inquiry in Hawaiian studies. The question of the role of the U.S. in the overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom in 1893 also continues to be examined by students and researchers in numerous disciplines. This project seeks to support these inquiries by preserving documents of primary importance to these discussions: the reports popularly known as the "Blount Report" of 1894, and the "Morgan Report" of 1893-1894, the Hawaiian anti-annexation petitions of 1897 and other documents submitted to the U.S. Congress in protest of the annexation (including those of Queen Lili'uokalani), and the U.S. Congressional debates on the Organic Act of Hawaii from 1899 to 1900.

While the issues described above are more formally examined in classrooms and discussed in theses and other academic works, their close relationship to the issue of Hawaiian sovereignty also engenders interest in the broader communities of Hawai'i. The body of analytical and academic work that has been produced on these topics is relatively small, but it plays an important role in informing our communities of these issues. At the UHM Library's Hawaiian Collection, reference inquiries from non-academic people indicate that there is an interest in both the scholarly work being produced, and the primary documents (described above) referenced in these works. This project also seeks to strengthen connections between the academic and broader communities by making these materials, around which much public discussion and debate is centered, more widely available in an accessible and affordable format.

The materials selected present a clear view of the opinions of both the people of Hawai'i and the U.S. government officials who investigated the situation in Hawai'i in the short but critical period between the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy and the annexation of Hawai'i to the United States. The research upon which the selection of the materials is based challenges the dominant narratives presented in historical texts. The materials selected however are not one-sided. The Morgan Report challenges the Blount Report, which implicated the United States in the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy. Also, the U.S. Congressional debates documents the extended discussion between those who supported and opposed the annexation.

This project will promote the mission of the Hawai'i Council for the Humanities by supporting academic and personal inquiry into and analysis of historical events that continue to affect Hawai'i and the people of Hawai'i to this day.

Other projects that would do what this project will do have already been attempted or proposed. Digitizing of the Blount Report was begun by a community group several years ago but was never completed. The UHM Library's Hawaiian Collection has discussed the digitizing of the anti-annexation petitions with two other community groups in the past year; both groups have decided to wait for our project to be completed. In late 2001 and early 2002 the UHM Library received a grant from the UHM Diversity and Equity Initiative to begin work on this project. Under this grant, digitizing of all of the documents except the Morgan Report was initiated or completed. We are requesting assistance from the Hawai'i Council for the Humanities to complete and verify the accuracy of the digitizing and text conversion for all documents, and to prepare a portion of the materials for issuance on CD-ROM.

2. Describe the preservation activities which will be undertaken during the course of the project.

This project will produce digital image and text versions of the Blount and Morgan Reports, the Hawaiian anti-annexation petitions (image only) and related protest documents, and the U.S. Congressional debates on the Organic Act of Hawaii. The intent of this project is not to restore or preserve the documents by archival or preservation standards. Its intent is to provide broader alternate access to documents which are all now over 100 years old and out of print, thereby reducing demand for access to the remaining copies of the documents still available.

Digitizing involves scanning the pages of each document to an image format and processing each image through OCR (optical character recognition) software to convert the image to text. Each document will be presented via the world wide web as a text HTML document (i.e. plain text in a plain web page), as a digital image in PDF format (i.e. a precise visual reproduction of the actual page), and as a word processing document formatted similarly to the actual page. The variety of formats will provide people with flexibility in how they can use the documents. The text pages will be searchable, so that people can find precise points or references within each document. (This is not the same as formal indexing, but each document will have a detailed table of contents, and in the case of the Blount Report, a reproduction of the index already compiled for the original document.) The image documents will provide a more readable document, and maintain the visual integrity of the document.

Original copies or best-available copies of each of the documents will be used for digitizing, to create the clearest and most accurate digital copies of the materials possible. For the Blount and Morgan reports, original copies of each will be used. For the anti-annexation petitions, the first-generation copy held at the Bishop Museum Archives, generally recognized to be the best copy available outside of the U.S. National Archives, will be used. For the related protest documents, photocopies of materials held at the U.S. National Archives will be digitized and manually cleaned. For the Organic Act debates, the UHM Hamilton Library's only positive copy of the collection will be used.

In addition to digitizing and offering these materials on a website, this project will also transfer the digital copies of the anti-annexation petitions to a CD-ROM. Because of the difficulty of interpreting the handwritten signatures on the petitions, creating a text version of this document is beyond the scope of this project. The petitions will thus be available on the web only as digital image files. Image files are considerably larger than text files, and take a longer time to access via the internet, particularly for those who do not have access to high-speed internet connections. To address this difficulty, this project will offer the petitions in an inexpensive and portable CD-ROM format. The UHM Library's External Services Program will be able to sell these CD-ROMs to the public on a cost-recovery basis.

There is no oral history component for this project.

4. Describe the final product or resource that will result from this project.

The project should produce an index, summary sheet or printed handout that indicates the scope of the material preserved and gives a general introduction to its historical importance or context. Which organizations (libraries, community colleges, museums) will receive a copy of this summary?

How will the availability of the resources be made known to the general public and especially to those with an interest in the areas of research they represent?

The resource that will result from this project is the Annexation Documents website that will present digital image and text versions of the documents described in question 1. This website will be hosted on the UHM Library's web server, and will be linked to from the Library's main webpage that features digitization projects. This website will be available at no cost to anyone with access to the internet. While the materials will be presented as a body of documents, each document will have its own detailed table of contents; the Blount Report will also reproduce the subject index included in its print version. The website will have a search feature and all materials, except for the signatures on the anti-annexation petitions, will be searchable.

We will distribute an announcement that provides a short introduction to the website and its materials' historical and current significance to University of Hawai'i System libraries, libraries at other Hawai'i institutions of higher learning, public libraries, other libraries, archives and repositories concerned with Hawai'i materials, the state Department of Education Hawaiian curriculum development offices, and Hawaiian community groups and civic organizations. We will distribute announcements where appropriate in print and via e-mail. We will notify e-mail listserv groups concerned with Hawai'i issues and instructional faculty working in Hawaiian studies and related disciplines. We will also register the website with search engine websites, and allow and encourage other websites to link to this website.

Another resource that will result from this project is a CD-ROM version of the anti-annexation documents. The CD will be accompanied by a short essay describing the historical and current significance of the anti-annexation petitions in the context of the other included documents. We will distribute notice of the availability of the CD-ROM along with the announcement of the availability of the website.

Budget Narrative

Stipends

HCH funds will be used to pay for 77 hours of student assistance to work on the project. The Library will contribute 23 hours of student assistance. This project will employ students with experience in graphic design and digitizing and will compensate them based on the skills they bring to the project. Student assistants' pay rate is based on the University of Hawai'i student pay schedule for graduate student assistants. Compensation for the humanities scholar and project coordinators will be assumed by the University of Hawai'i as in-kind contribution.

Operational Expenses

HCH All operational expenses will be assumed by the UHM Library, as in-kind contribution. The figure used is based on the UHM Library's established indirect overhead rate of 27.5% of the total project costs.

Travel

There is no travel planned for this project.

BUDGET

1. STIPENDS

   a. Graduate student Assistant (SA5)

     77 hrs @ $10.00/hr plus .67% fringe $821.59
     31 hrs @ $10.00/hr plus .67% fringe $330.77

   b. Humanities scholar

     Noenoe Silva, 1% of 1/2 yr salary      plus 22% fringe $323.30

  c. Others (1/2 yr salary plus 22% fringe)

 2. OPERATIONAL EXPENSES

  a. Preservation support (specify materials & technical support)

    Production of CD ROM of web site & scanned material (see attached price info from Disc Services) $1,300.00

    Use of library computers, scanning equipment, software, library materials to be disbound & digitized, server space to host website

  b. General support (telephone, postage, copy costs, etc.) Office space, general office equipment and furniture, general office supplies, telephone, etc.

Total operational expenses based on UHM Library indirect overhead rate (27.5% of sponsor's share of expenses of $1,655.23) $455.19

3. Travel (specify traveler & if airfare,per diem, mileage & rate) 0

SUBTOTAL Sponsor Share: $2,110.41

SUBTOTAL HCH Grant Funds Requested $2,121.59

TOTAL COST OF PROJECT $4,232.00

Noenoe K. Silva noenoe@hawaii.edu
Department of Political Science
University of Hawai'i at Manoa
2424 Maile Way Saunders Hall 640
Honolulu, Hawai'i 96822
(808) 956-8030 (work)

CURRICULUM VITAE

Education

* Ph.D., Political Science, with departmental honors. University of Hawai'i at Manoa, August 1999. Dissertation: Ke Ku'e Kupa'a Loa Nei Makou (We Most Solemnly Protest): Kanaka Maoli Resistance to Colonization. Chair: Deane Neubauer.
* MLIS (Master's degree in Library and Information Studies), School of Library and Information Studies.
* University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 1993.
* BA, Hawaiian Language (with distinction).University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 1991.

Research Experience

* Major Hawaiian language historical research contribution to Nation Within, book and video. Tom Coffman, writer and producer. 1998.
* Hawaiian language and historical research consultant to Sacred Times, Sacred Places, an organization which plans celebrations and commemorations at 'Iolani Palace, Honolulu, Hawai'i, 1995-1996, and 1999.
* Original research in Dialog on the indexing of gay and lesbian periodicals in library journal indexes. For Library Studies course in electronic information resources. 1993.
* Tracing of land title from 1848 Mahele to the present. For Hawaiian language translation course. 1991.

Teaching Experience

* Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Spring 2002. Courses taught: Political Science 110 (Introduction); 381 (Hawai'i Politics II).
* Department of Hawaiian and Indo-Pacific Languages University of Hawai'i at Manoa, August 1999 to present as assistant professor; January 1992 to May 1998 as lecturer. Courses taught: Hawaiian 101, 102, 201, 202, 301, 302 (Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced Hawaiian); HAW 345 (Reading Hawaiian Newspapers); HAW 426 (Hawaiian Literature).
* Center for Hawaiian Studies University of Hawai'i at Manoa, May 1999 to August 1999. Course taught: Hawaiian Studies 107.

Publications

Peer reviewed

* Aloha 'Aina: Native Hawaiians' Struggle for the Land and Sovereignty to 1898 (working title; based on Ph.D. dissertation.) To be published by Duke University Press, 2002-03.
* "I Ku Mau Mau: How Kanaka Maoli Tried to Sustain Aloha 'Aina Within the U.S. Political System," reviewed and currently being revised for American Studies.
* "Pele, Hi'iaka, and Haumea: Representations of Women in Native Hawaiian Literature, 1861 & 1906" Women of Oceania special issue of Pacific Studies. Under review.
* "Dancing on the Page: Representations of Hula in Hawaiian Literature During the Legal Ban (1861), under review with School for American Research.
* "'He Kanawai E Hoopau I Na Hula Kuolo Hawaii': The Political Economy of Banning the Hula (1857-1870)." Hawaiian Journal of History 34: 29-48, 2000.
* "Hawai'i." Encyclopedia of Homosexuality Volume I: Lesbian Histories and Cultures 2nd ed. New York: Garland Publishing Inc., 2000.
* "Ku'e: Hawaiian Women's Resistance to the Annexation." Women in Hawai'i: Sites, Identities, Voices. Social Process in Hawai'i 38: 4-15. Honolulu: Department of Sociology, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 1997.

Other

"Lorrin Andrews's Dictionary: A Bridge to 19th Century Hawaiian Thought" introduction to reprint edition of A Dictionary of the Hawaiian Language by Lorrin Andrews [1865], Honolulu: Island Heritage (in press).
* Review of Turning Tide: The Ebb and Flow of Hawaiian Nationality, by Niklaus R. Schweizer (New York: Peter Lang, 1999). Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development vol. 22:3, 2001, 288-290.
* "Decolonizing History in the Classroom." with Guy Kaulukukui. 'Oiwi: A Native Hawaiian Journal vol. 3. Honolulu: Kuleana 'Oiwi Press, 2002 (in press).
* Translations into English of "Ka Leo Alii I Mua O Ka Lahui," "E Kupaa Mau I Ke Aloha No Ka Aina," and a speech by Robert Kalanihiapo Wilcox, from Ke Aloha Aina newspaper, 1900, for 'Oiwi vol. 2. Honolulu: Kuleana 'Oiwi Press, 2001 (in press).
* "Ku'e: Hawaiian Women's Resistance to the Annexation." Reprinted from Social Process in Hawai'i in Moana: Pacific Islander Student Publication, Vol. 2, University of Utah, Spring 1999.
* "Kanaka Maoli Resistance to Annexation." 'Oiwi. Honolulu: Kuleana 'Oiwi Press, 1999.
* "Papa Kuhikuhi Kiko'i (Index)." In Kamakau, Samuel M. Ke Kumu Aupuni. Honolulu: 'Ai Pohaku Press. 1997. (In Hawaiian).
* "Ka Nupepa Kanaka Maoli Mua Loa." Ka Wai Ola o OHA. May 1997 (in Hawaiian).
* "Hi'iaka the Hero." In Folklore Around the World. ERIC Resources in Education, November 1994.
* Russell Sprouts translation into Hawaiian for Department of Education, 1993.
* A Canoe for Uncle Kila translation into Hawaiian for Department of Education, 1992.

Grants and Major Funding Received

Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship for Minorities, 1998-1999.
* Pacific Islanders in Communications Research Grant, 1997-1998.
* National Science Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship for Minorities, 1994-1997.

Papers & Presentations

"Pele, Hi'iaka, and Haumea: Representations of Women in Native Hawaiian Literature, 1861 & 1906" at 12th Berkshire Conference on the History of Women, June 8, 2002, University of Connecticut at Storrs.
* "Hawaiian Women's Resistance to Annexation," at Women's History Month Reception of the Honolulu County Committee on the Status of Women," March 2002.
* "Traditional and Contemporary Hawaiian Ideas About Women's Work," in Women's Studies 418 (Women and Work), October, 2001.
* "Kanaka Maoli Women in Politics: A Historical Perspective," in Women's Studies 374 (Women and Politics), October, 2001.
* On responder panel for "Indigenous Peoples, Research & Power: The Ethics & Politics of Knowledge" presentation by Patrick Tierney, author of Darkness in El Dorado: How Scientists & Journalists Devastated the Amazon, September, 2001, Center for Hawaiian Studies, University of Hawai'i at Manoa.
* "Kaleimaileali'i: The Queen's Women," speech giving historical background for the drama presented on Queen Lili'uokalani's birthday at the Kana'ina Building on the grounds of 'Iolani Palace, September 2, 2001.
* On panel of Kanaka Maoli women for Women's Studies 360 (Pacific Asian Women in Hawai'i), September, 2001.
* "The Importance of Hawaiian Language Sources for Understanding the Hawaiian Past." Building Bridges with Traditional Knowledge II: An international summit meeting on issues involving indigenous peoples, conservation, sustainable development and ethnoscience. Honolulu, May 28-June 1, 2001. Also presented in: Anthropology 385 (Indigenous Anthropology), October, 2001; Seminar on International Cultural Studies, East-West Center, Honolulu, March, 2000.
* "The Importance of Stories and Ceremonies," Keynote Speech at Commencement, Center for Hawaiian Studies, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, May, 2001.
* "Recent Developments in the Hawaiian Sovereignty Movement" in Mehana Hind's Hawaiian Studies 107 class, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, April, 2000.
* "Aloha 'Aina Following the U.S. Occupation, 1893-1900," at the commemoration of the centennial of the Organic Act, April 30, 2000, 'Iolani Palace, Honolulu.
* "Them's Got Democracy's We Got Survive: Narrating Aloha 'Aina After the U.S. Occupation," Colloquium Series, Department of Political Science, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, April 28, 2000.
* Speaker on panel on Hawaiian Sovereignty for the Close-Up Foundation, Waikiki, March 9, 2000.
* "I Ku Mau Mau: How Kanaka Maoli Tried to Sustain Aloha 'Aloha within American Politics," at "The Limits of American Citizenship: A Conference on Local Culture, Hawaiian Identity, and Mainland Influences in Hawai'i." Sponsored by Boston University's Institute for the Study of Economic Culture, March 11, 2000.
* "La Ku'oko'a: Hawai'i's Independence Day" at 'Iolani Palace, November 28, 1999.
* Co-moderated panel on sexual orientation at Ford Foundation Conference of Fellows, Washington, D.C., October 1999.
* "Recovering Hawaiian Women in History Through Hawaiian Language Sources" at "Women in World, American, and Hawaiian Histories," 1999 Summer History Institute, Chaminade University, Honolulu.
* "Ka Hoku o ka Pakipika (The Star of the Pacific): The Voice of Kanaka Maoli Resistance to Cultural Imperialism." 1998 Ford Foundation Conference of Fellows, Irvine, California. October 1998.
* "Ka Po'e Aloha 'Aina: Hawaiian Patriots" at "Na Pua Hana No'eau" Bishop Museum Lecture Series. August 19, 1998.
* "Kanaka Maoli Resistance to Annexation" at the symposium "Contesting 1898: Marking a Century of Resistance in Puerto Rico and Hawai'i." Center for Cultural Studies, University of California at Santa Cruz, May 28, 1998. Also presented at: World Indigenous Peoples' Conference on Education, Hilo, Hawai'i, August, 1999. Lyman Museum, August, 1999. Queen Lili'uokalani Children's Center, Punalu'u, November 1998.
* "Resistance in Paradise" Lecture Series for AFSC, Hilo, Hawai'i, October 1998. Thompson Family Reunion, St. Andrew's Church, Honolulu, August, 1998. St. Matthew's Church, Waimanalo, July 1998. Sovereignty Education Forum for AFSC, Kaumakapili Church, Honolulu, May 1998.
* "The Public Health of Kanaka Maoli Depends on Achieving Self-Determination" at "Advocating for Social Justice in Public Health," Hawai'i Public Health Association 1997 Annual Meeting. Honolulu, May 9, 1997.
* "The Importance of Hawaiian Language Histories and Literatures." Presentation for Pacific Century Fellows, at Bishop Museum, April 11, 1997.
* "La Ku'oko'a: Hawai'i's National Independence Day." For Kua'ana Student Services, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, November 1996.
* "Decolonizing Historiography in Hawai'i." For Hawai'i Politics 380, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Professor Deane Neubauer, April 1996.
* "Hawaiian Women and the Nation." Forum on Women and Nationalism, University of Hawai'i Women's Center, April 1996.
* "Hawaiian Women's Resistance to Annexation." School of Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific Studies Graduate Student Conference, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, March 1996.
* "How Budget Cuts Are Affecting Native Hawaiians." Forum on Budget Cuts, sponsored by Center for Instructional Support, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Spring 1996.
* "Current Issues in Hawaiian Sovereignty: A Report on the Pualu." For Political Science 110, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Professor Phyllis Turnbull, March 1996.