Threes and Eights

Threes and Eights

Hawai’i
Language
Grammar
Spelling
Dictionary
Henry Obookiah
Henry ‘Ōpūkaha’ia
Missionary Projects
Religion

This is an image of a manuscript found among Queen Emma’s private papers titled ‘A Short Elementary Grammar of the Owhhie Language’ along with a note on the manuscript saying ‘Believed to be Obookiah’s grammar.’ This is the first example of a grammar book for the Hawaiian Language. It is seen as a stepping stone towards the first Hawaiian dictionary, something that Obookiah wanted to achieve but never completed during his lifetime. This depicts the Westernisation happening in Hawai’i leading to the development of written language. He is also one of first Native Hawaiians to become Christian, and aimed to bring the religion to Hawai’ians, thus, he translated the Book of Genesis to teach his people. This directly links the development of written language to Missionary projects. Furthermore, his works towards the translation of the Hawaiian language are important to our course, as it represents the theme of written language.

Henry Obookiah/‘Ōpūkaha’ia

Peter T. Young

http://totakeresponsibility.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/

Early 1800s: there is no date specified on the source, however records written about him suggest that he wrote this sometime in the early 1800s.

Ameerah Abood

Unknown; image searches do not bring up where the document is originally housed. However, there are references to the book ‘Hawaiian Grammar’ by Samuel H. Elbert and Mary Kawena Pukui, as these translations were used to compromise the first Hawai’ian Grammar Book.

Hawaiian/English

Textual - handwritten manuscript

19th century Hawai'i