S. M. Kamakau
1961
In 1961 the first edition of the English translation of Samuel Kamakau's Ruling Chiefs of Hawaii was published by Kamehameha Schools Press. Many contributed to make its publication possible. A group of Hawaiian scholars was first selected by the trustees of Bishop Museum to translate Kamakau's florid literary style into readable English. The group included Mary Kawena Pukui, Thomas G. Thrum, Lahilahi Webb, Emma Davidson Taylor, and John Wise. Mary Kawena Pukui then reviewed the entire translation, together with Martha Warren Beckwith, who added the footnotes. Dorothy Barrere and Caroline Curtis proofread the manuscript. The resulting book was an immediate success, and soon became a classic of Hawaiian history. Now, thirty years later, the book has long been out of print. Kamehameha Schools is happy to publish a new edition, with significant advantages over the former edition. While the original text has remained unchanged, the new edition combines the very limited original index with the extensive index and appendices prepared by Elspeth P. Sterling and originally published as a separate booklet by Bishop Museum Press. New photographs have been chosen, and more comprehensive captions are provided. It is hoped that these additions and modifications, together with the new introduction by Dr. Lilikala Kameeleihiwa will provide teachers and scholars of Hawaiian history with significant new tools with which to approach Kamakau's text. The editors would like to thank the trustees of Kamehameha Schools/ Bishop Estate for their support of this project and Dr. Lilikala Kameeleihiwa, the Honolulu Academy of Arts, the Hawaiian Historical Society, and the staff of Bishop Museum for their assistance in preparing this new edition.
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