Mary Kawena Pukui: Knowledge is Life

WAYFINDERS is a new series of biographies celebrating Hawai‘i’s leaders—women and men who have helped shape the islands as we know them today. These books shine a light on those well-known and lesser-known educators, scientists, athletes, artists, activists, and political leaders who have transformed Hawai‘i and paved the way for future generations.

This second WAYFINDERS book is about Hawaiian educator, scholar, composer, and author Mary Kawena Pukui, who spent her life documenting, preserving, and teaching ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i and Hawaiian history, culture, and traditions for future generations. She translated countless works and interviewed many kūpuna in the Hawaiian language so that today’s Hawaiian language learners can hear the Hawaiian spoken by their elders, which provides a valuable connection to the past. In addition to her extensive research work at Bishop Museum, Mary also taught at Kamehameha Schools and Punahou School, teaching generations of keiki about the Hawaiian culture and language.