Native Hawaiian Perspectives
The new Hawaiian Hall will invite visitors to learn more about the history of Hawai‘i by entering the world of the Hawaiians themselves. Native Hawaiian voices and perspectives will be heard throughout the Hall, and on all floors, spanning time, gods, class, gender, age, and politics. Oli and mo‘olelo, chants and stories, will emphasize the Hawaiian oral tradition and pervade the halls, in both written and spoken forms.
The interpretation will be informed by the concept of kaona or layers of meaning; the subtleties and multiplicities of meaning will increase from the first to the third floors, so that visitors will find deeper insights into Hawaiian culture as they move up through the building.
1st Floor: Kai Ākea
On the first floor of the Hawaiian Hall, visitors enter the realm of Kai Ākea, and the world of pre-contact Hawai‘i. It represents the wide expanse of the sea, and the realm of watery origins. On this floor, visitors will learn about the legends of old, and see how religion permeated the daily lives of ancient Hawaiians.
The hall is anchored by key artifacts of meaning, power, and emotion: the renovated hale, the heiau model, and the large ki‘i. These artifacts will be displayed in ways that pay tribute to and respect their inherent power.
2nd Floor: Wao Kanaka
The second floor introduces visitors to the realm of Wao Kanaka and the importance of the land and nature to Native Hawaiians. It is the realm where people live and work, grow crops, and harvest plants. Daily life and cultural traditions are explored and enhanced through contemporary voices and practices.
3rd Floor: Wao Lani
Visitors find a changing and dynamic Hawai‘i on the third floor, the realm of Wao Lani, a distant mountain region inhabited by the descendants of the gods and chiefs. On this level, visitors discover the enduring resilience of the ali‘i — Hawai‘i’s chiefs — and their traditions. They will look past the romance of the islands to the inspiring stories of those who have held steadfast, and to the complexity of modern Hawaiian life. This floor feels alive with the sounds and images of contemporary Hawaiians embracing their heritage. Here, visitors will meet the ali‘i through their own words, and look through key moments in Hawaiian history through their eyes.
Throughout the Hall, artifacts will be displayed in ways that pay tribute to and respect their inherent power. The development of exhibits and mounting techniques will respect traditional uses of objects. Every effort will be made to ensure that artifacts are handled with care and according to cultural and conservation standards. Our objective is to create a flexible display system that allows for frequent rotation of artifacts over time within a lasting interpretive framework.
Some large free-standing artifacts, like the heiau, hale, and ki‘i, will remain or be located in positions of importance — central in the Hall and to the story. They will be displayed with minimal railing barriers to maintain a feeling of openness, yet discourage touching. Other large objects, like the canoes and sperm whale, will remain in hanging positions. The use of these large objects out in the open will create surprising moments of encounter, in contrast to the more regular rhythm of casework lining the Hall.
