The Pa‘a Mo‘olelo Award
The Pa‘a Mo‘olelo Award was created in June 2005 by the Hawaiian Historical Society Board of Trustees to honor individuals’ lifetime contributions to Hawai‘i’s history. Pa‘a Mo‘olelo represents the foundation upon which historical accounts are perpetuated, the bearer of such historical accounts, and one who provides such a foundation for historical preservation and perpetuation.
The Society presented its first Pa‘a Mo‘olelo Award to Esther T. "Kiki" Mookini on October 22, 2005, at the Society's history conference, ‘Olelo Makuahine. Mookini was cited for her untiring efforts to preserve and perpetuate the Hawaiian language. Mookini’s contributions to Hawaiian history include service as a teacher and as a translator. In particular, her translations of historically significant works have made bilingual texts available for students and the general public. They include books such as Anatomia, 1838; various Hawaiian legends such as The Wind Gourd of La‘amaomao; and documents such as District Court Minutebooks. Her contributions to a variety of reference resources, including the Hawaiian Language Dictionary, Place Names of Hawaii, and The Hawaiian Newspapers have aided countless researchers and students.
Subsequent awards were presented to Dr. Richard Kekuni Blaisdell and Dr. Benjamin B. C. Young at the Society's October 30, 2008, membership meeting.
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Dr. Benjamin B.C. Young, left, and Dr. Richard Kekuni Blaisdell pose with Pa'a Mo'olelo Award certificates. |
Dr. Blaisdell is a physician trained in medicine, hematology, and pathology. In 1983 he was named chair of the University of Hawai‘i Department of Medicine and since then has taken a special interest in the health status of Native Hawaiians. He has studied the lifestyle and diet of traditional Hawaiians and identified the social determinants that affect Hawaiian health. His publications include “Historical and Cultural Aspects of Hawaiian Health,” in Social Process in Hawaii, and “The Impact of Disease on Hawai‘i’s History,” in the Hawai‘i Medical Journal.
Dr. Young is a psychiatrist who was also educated in English literature and church history. Prior to 1975, he was one of only seven Native Hawaiian physicians known to be in practice. He began a quest for earlier Hawaiian physicians, which led him to archives and cemeteries here and in England and elsewhere. Dr. Young is the premier historian in Hawaiian medicine and medical education in Hawai‘i. He is also a founder of the Polynesian Voyaging Society. Among his publications is a chapter, “The Hawaiians,” in People and Cultures of Hawai‘i.
