Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 6, Number 4, 1 April 1989 — Audio Recordings-- Voices Of Na Kupuna [ARTICLE]

Audio Recordings--Voices Of Na Kupuna

Have you ever wished you could hear a chanter from bygone days of Hawai'i, or listen to a kupuna as he or she spoke of old Hawaiian traditions? You ean, if you visit Bīshop Museum's audio recording collections. The collections contain recordings of people from Hawai'i and other Pacific Island cultures. The earliest recording was made in 1921. Managed by the anthropology department, the recordings have been gathered and preserved to provide first-hand knowledge of the history and traditions that are the comerstone of contemporary cultures. Associate anthropologist Elizabeth Tatar, who specializes in ethnomusicology (the study of music of different cultures) notes, however, that the recordings offer mueh more than just historical information. "Listening to our tapes ean give insights into the way individuals used to communicate, into their ehoiee of words and tone of voice, and the different expressions that were eommon during particular time periods." The 5,300 Hawaiian recordings consist of oral histories, and oral traditions such as chants, songs, legends and proverbs. Also included are commerciai recordings of Hawaiian and Pacific music. The Pacific recordings (there are about 1,000) are primarily field recordings made by museum scientists during expeditions to such islands as Palau, the Tuamotus and Tahiti. This collection includes recordings of family and land histories, chants, and folk songs. People who use the audio collections range from graduate students seeking data they can't find in libraries to members of halau hula who want to hear how the "old-timers" chanted. The staff has also helpea family members who wanted to research their genealogies or listen to an ancestor's voice, professionai musicians seeking inspiration for a new song. and individuals looking for information on specific people or places. The collections are cataloged by family names, geographic areas and general topics. Covered in the recordings aresubjectssuchasfamily,religion. the oeean anei fishing, land use and ownership, agricuiture medicmal practices, and even sorcery and etiquette Broader topics are often broken down into more specific subtopics: for example, a recording on agriculture might be described as "Agriculture Taro: Waipi'o lrr gation System," or a recording on family as Family Kealoha: Kaua'i." Visitors to ihe coliections work in asemi-private area, and are provided with a tape recorder, headphones, a tape with the recording they've requested, ane any available printed information related to the recording. There is no charge for visits. The anthropology department hopes to have the collections cataiog computerized by July or Augusī of this year making it mueh faster to find recordings on specific subjects. To arrange a visit with the collections staff eall the anthropoiogy department and ask for Pat Bacon oi T on Han — you may find just what you

need in Bishop Museum's Audio Recording Collections.