Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 9, Number 12, 1 December 1992 — OHA Culture Division surveys Hawaiian resources [ARTICLE]

OHA Culture Division surveys Hawaiian resources

by Jeff Clark Who are the keepers of Hawai'i's'living cultural traditions? In an attempt to help preserve and nurture the Hawaiian culture, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Culture Division has begun a survey of Hawaiian eultural practitioners. Approximately 1,000 surveys were to be mailed mid-November to artists, chanters, hālau hula, na kumu ' ōlelo Hawai'i (Hawaiian language teachers), carvers, lei makers, and other practitioners. OHA eulture officer Plkake Pelekai says the information gathered will be a "who's who" of Hawaiian cultural practitioners. For those who want to locate the people who know Hawaiian culture, "This will be a central plaee where people ean get information," OHA culture specialist Manu Boyd said of the database. "It will be made available to whomever needs it." The information will be available to the community at large as well as the Hawaiian community, and may help establish a network through whieh information about grants, funding and other kinds of support ean be shared.

"Onee we know who the players are, we ean help in the perpetuation of the culture," Pelekai said. Pelekai and Boyd hope to identify "vanishing treasures," outstanding kūpuna whose work and mana'o deserve to be recorded before they are lost. The survey lists a broad range of specialty areas including both traditional and Westem arts. So modem activities like painting and video are included with traditional practices such as oli (chant), lā'au lapa'au (traditional healing) and weaving. There is also a space marked "other" to allow people to name their particular area of expertise if it is not listed. Survey participants ean choose to have their names kept off the database, or they ean be listed, but have their address and/or phone number kept confidential. The information may eventually be the basis for a directory.