Hawai‘i’s Legacy of Literacy
Puakea Nogelmeier is a professor of Hawaiian language at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where he has taught for more than 30 years. His bachelor's degrees in Hawaiian language and anthropology, MA in Pacific Islands studies and PhD in anthropology were all completed at UH Mānoa. Beyond the university, he trained for decades in learning Hawaiian language, traditional dance, chant and literature. Nogelmeier has undergone formal training and ceremonial graduation (ʻūniki) as both a dancer (ʻōlapa) and a teacher of dance (kumu hula). A prolific composer of Hawaiian poetry in both traditional and modern styles, his compositions are widely published and recorded. Nogelmeier works extensively with the various Hawaiian language archives and is active in rearticulating historical Hawaiian knowledge into fields of study today, producing translations, new presentations and reprintings of archival materials for publication and dissemination.