Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 3, 1 March 2014 — Hawaiian-focused writing and arts website aets international attention [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaiian-focused writing and arts website aets international attention

By Heidi Chang ANative Hawaiian writing and arts website is garnering global attention after being selected as a finalist for best new blog in the 2013 Edublog Awards. Edublog is a service for educational institutions to create websites and blogs.

The PūpūA 'O 'Ewa Native Hawaiian Writing and Arts website eame in seventh plaee in the intemational competition. Not bad for a new site produced by teachers and students at Leeward Community College. "I was thrilled it was nominated," says Pat Kamalani Hurley, who created the website. "This is a great thing for our students - to express themselves and inspire them. We didn't win, but it was an honor for our students to get some welldeserved recognition." First plaee went to spellingitoutblog, an Irish man's account of training to become a teacher in Scotland. Hurley has been teaching business writing and linguistics at Leeward CC since 1982, and is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools. The origins of the website began in 2010, when Hurley and Hawaiian language Professor Kepa Badis co-founded the Ka 'Umeke Kā'eo

Native Hawaiian Writing and Arts Achievement Awards, honoring "the well-filled mind." Leeward's Language Arts department and student government funded the awards to encourage students to express themselves in English and Hawaiian, through writing and artwork about ke 'ano Hawai'i, all things Hawaiian. The quality of the award-winning pieces inspired Hurley to showcase them on a website. The site's name comes from "Pūpū A 'O 'Ewa," a mele wahi pana (a song that speaks of a specific plaee). "It's a metaphor for the people who live in the Lee-

the Wai'anae Coast," says Hurley. The song was written for a church fundraiser in the 1800s. The name of the composer is unknown. When you watch a video of students singing "Pūpū A 'O 'Ewa" on

the website, the melody may also remind you of another song. "In the modern era, someone borrowed the hui (chorus) to "Pūpū A 'O 'Ewa" and wrote a cute little love song that became known as "Pearly Shells." It's catchy. But in no way does the poetry of the two songs compare," says Aaron Mahi, former Royal Hawaiian bandmaster and musician. For Leeward CC student Hi'ilei Mano'i-Hyde, sharing her awardwinning chant in a video on the website has inspired her to share her passion for haku mele (writing songs in Hawaiian) with everyone. "It is a way to honor my kūpuna (ancestors), and heed a great responsibility in continuing to perpetuate the values they have left behind." These days, Hurley is working to improve the quality and variety of the works featured on the website. She accepts submissions from everyone in the community, whether or not the contributor is Hawaiian. But their pieces must be Hawai-

' ian-focused. For example, you 1 ean submit poetry, personal histories, songs, artwork, photography and videos. Topics ean range from Native Hawaiian identity to culture, history, i arts, politics, lands and nature. To encourage view- , ership, the website has introduced "New ! Release Mondays." Eaeh week, a new | work is posted and | featured on the site. ■ Heidi Chang is a multimedia journalist , who produces news and feature stori.es about Hawai'i for a global I audience. See heidi chang.com.

www.oha.org/kwo | kwo@OHA.org NATIVE HAWAIIAN » NEWS I FEATURES I EVENTS

EDUCATI0N

QN THE 'NEĪ • Pūpū A '0 'Ewa Native Hawaiian Writing anel Arts website, pupuaoewa.org • Students sing "Pūpū A '0 'Ewa" on video, pupuaoewa. org/welcome-2/about-our-name • Hi'ilei Mano'i-Hyde shares her award-winning chant in a video, bit.ly/LXKMJf • Pūpū A '0 'Ewa Native Hawaiian Writing and Arts places seventh, bit.ly/leaASdd

Leeward Community College Professor Pat Kamalani Hurley, editor of the Pupu A '0 'Ewa Native Hawaiian Writing and Arts website. - Courtesy: RokkiMidro

The website began as a way to showcase the winning entries to the college's Ka 'Umeke Kā'eo Native Hawaiian Writing and Arts Achievement Awards, such as the photos "Maui," above, and "Hāloa," helow, both by Shawn Kaho'olemana Naone.

ward side of O'ahu, stretching from Pearl City to the North Shore and