What’s Up with HPS?

Honolulu Star AdvertiserJune 6, 2025By Jamm AquinoA hula ki‘i exhibit opened Friday at Capitol Modern in Honolulu. Hula ki‘i, or Hawaiian puppetry in the form of carved hula figures, is a little-known genre of hula that marries hula (dance), mo‘olelo (story),…

See what we’ve been up to in 2024 & some upcoming happenings in 2025. View the PDF newsletter here.

HPS is thrilled to be the recipients of a Preservation Assistance Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). NEH announced awards on August 28, 2024 that support humanities projects across the country amounting to $37.5 million in grants for…

See what we’ve been up to in 2023 & what’s happening in 2024! View the .pdf newsletter here.

In March 2023, HPS was awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The funded project is to create an Indigenous-centered Controlled Vocabulary to enhance the description of video oral histories with Native Hawaiian elders. The project will also produce…

In January 2023, HPS released new tools to aid in the use of our online resources. A variety of video tutorials provide insight into using and navigating our virtual collections on Digital ʻUmeke, conducting research, and/or how to work with…

It is always hard to try and summarize an entire year in one sheet, but we try! Check out our “2022 at a glance!” newsletter below or download the .pdf here!

Wow, what a year! Some highlights for you here! Check ʻem out!

A new venture during the pandemic has been HPS’s participation in the Kekaulike Internship Program through Native Hawaiian Student Services, University of Hawaiʻi. In summer 2021, we welcomed two haumāna from Kapiʻolani Community College, Tre Zamora and Rain Abero. As…

In 2020, Hula Preservation Society celebrated our 20th anniversary. Leading up to the big year, we were excited to try and create a special commemorative t-shirt for the milestone. While all of our big, public celebrations were cancelled due to…

Wow, 2020!  What a year. It wasn’t exactly the 20th anniversary we had hoped for at HPS, but it was a strong reminder to count our blessings and be grateful for our kūpuna and their fortitude and dedication. The journey…

When the pandemic came to the islands in early 2000, HPS had to go into “reserve” mode like everyone else and immediately change our operations. We could no longer safely have our kūpuna come in and visit or volunteer, and our…