Hula Preservation Society

The Hula Preservation Society will document and digitize archival materials from the collection of its late founder, Nona Kapuailohia Beamer, a hula master, composer, author, activist, community leader, and teacher. The project team will review, inventory, catalog, and digitize 955 items and create online public access for 110 items, making them available for research and learning purposes. This will expand access to first-person accounts of history, traditional knowledge, and cultural heritage from the viewpoint of Hawaiians. The complete collection includes thousands of photographs, scrapbooks, published and unpublished teaching materials, stories and scripts, newspapers, hula studio notes and routines from Beamer family teachers, cultural artifacts, costumes, Hawaiian artwork, Native Hawaiians Study Commission materials, audio cassettes, and videotapes. Two native Hawaiian interns will assist with project activities and gain hands-on experience in collections management.