Browse Exhibits (2 total)
Ali'i Letters
Exhibit Overview
Aliʻi Letters, 1823–1887
The Aliʻi Letters exhibit features more than 200 letters written by 33 aliʻi between 1823 and 1887. This project was created with Awaiaulu, Inc., whose work in transcription, translation, and annotation makes these primary texts accessible for research and exploration.
The letters reveal aliʻi voices on governance, relationships, travel, faith, land management, and daily life, offering a rare look at how Hawaiian leadership communicated across decades of change.
What You Will Find
- Personal and official correspondence by aliʻi
- Transcriptions and modern English translations
- Annotations providing historical context
Using These Letters
- Search by aliʻi name or date range
- Compare how topics like land, diplomacy, and family appear across letters
- Use the annotations to connect people, places, and events
Together, these letters preserve aliʻi perspectives across decades—supporting deep reading, historical insight, and research grounded in the words of the authors themselves.
William Owen Smith Papers: Primary Records of the Week of January 17, 1893
Exhibit Overview
William Owen Smith Papers, January 1893
This exhibit brings together documents from the William Owen Smith papers that serve as primary records of the days surrounding the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in January 1893. The materials include proclamations, notices, correspondence, and official statements created by individuals and bodies involved in the transfer of political authority.
The items are not presented as a complete chronological narrative. Some documents carry specific dates, while others do not. Instead, the exhibit is designed to provide direct access to contemporaneous written evidence produced during this period.
What you will find
- Proclamations and public notices
- Letters and correspondence
- Official statements and declarations
How to use this exhibit
- Browse by document type or theme
- Compare language across items
- Note dates, signatures, and stated authorities
Taken together, these documents offer evidence of actions taken, declarations issued, and assertions of authority made during this period, allowing readers to examine the records closely and draw their own conclusions from the sources.