Who Remembers the Hawaiian Renaissance?

Flickr: Cliff1066

WASHINGTON — Funny how history creeps up on you.

It has been some 40 years since a movement brought about a renewed focus on Hawaiian language and music, hula, ocean wayfaring, discussions of Hawaiian identity and sovereignty, and reclaiming sacred land like the island of Kahoolawe.

People called it the movement, the struggle, the Hawaiian Renaissance.

Leading academics now say Hawaii is past due for major exhibits and collections to record and preserve photos, documents, letters to newspaper editors, filmed footage, T-shirts and other artifacts from that era and the contemporary sovereignty movement it spurred.

"It's been a generation since this renaissance has happened, and you have a new generation now coming forward and assuming leading roles in the community and business and politics," said Davianna McGregor, one of the founding members of the University of Hawaii's Ethnic Studies Department. "So much of what we have now in terms of a flourishing language, Kahhoolawe itself being rescued, even accomplishments in the political realm, entitlements that Hawaiians have recognized in terms of access rights — the new generation takes it for granted because they haven't gone through the struggle to gain these rights, to have the culture be recognized."

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