Preserving Maui’s stories: UH Center for Oral History lands $538K in new funding

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Link to broll (details below): https://go.hawaii.edu/yXR

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A surge of new funding is highlighting the critical mission of one of Hawaiʻi's most significant digital archives. Multiple grants are flowing into the College of Social Sciences ' Center for Oral History (COH) in recognition of its vital work to preserve the history, voices and experiences of Maui communities.

Housed in the Department of Ethnic Studies on the UH Mānoa campus, COH is leveraging these resources to launch a series of Maui-based projects focused on recovery, cultural continuity and environmental history.

"Taken together, these four projects form a complementary portfolio that documents Maui's people, places, environments and institutions during a critical period of transformation," said COH Director Mary Kunmi Yu Danico. "They intersect through their shared reliance on oral history, commitment to community collaboration, dedication to cultural preservation and focus on creating accessible and sustainable historical resources. Collectively, they not only preserve the past but also contribute to Maui's recovery, resilience and future generations' understanding of their heritage."

Four major initiatives

Maui Strong Fund of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation-$250,000

• Project: "Lahaina Memories: Preserving Oral Histories Through Intergenerational Storytelling"
• Principal investigator: Mary Kunmi Yu Danico
• Faculty researcher: Kyle Kajihiro
• Funding: Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, supported by UH Foundation

"Lahaina Memories" is a community-centered initiative designed to document and preserve the lived experiences, cultural knowledge and historical memory of Lahaina residents following the 2023 Maui wildfires. Thousands of homes, businesses and cultural landmarks were destroyed, making oral histories an essential tool for recovery, cultural continuity and intergenerational learning. The project will produce up to 100 hours of recorded oral history interviews, including 40 hours conducted by COH and 60 hours led by trained educators, youth and community members.

National Endowment for the Humanities grant-$159,000

• Project: "Echoes of Wai (Water): Oral Histories from Maui"
• Principal investigator: Mary Kunmi Yu Danico
• Faculty researcher: Ty Tengan

"Echoes of Wai" seeks to document the voices and experiences of Maui residents through 30 oral history interviews. The interviews will represent a broad range of cultural, generational and environmental perspectives on the history, present realities and future of water on Maui. The project will conduct 20 interviews in West Maui, with a particular focus on Lahaina, where many residents were directly affected by the August 2023 wildfires. An additional 10 interviews will be conducted with residents of Central Maui, specifically within Nā Wai ʻEhā (The Four Great Waters), encompassing the districts of Wailuku, Waiehu, Waikapū and Waiheʻe.

American Council of Learned Societies Digital Justice grant-$100,000

• Project: "Nā Moʻolelo o Nā Wāhine: A Digital Justice Oral History Project Preserving Maui's HerStories"
• Principal investigator: Mary Kunmi Yu Danico
• Co-principal investigator: Micah Mizukami

COH will expand its digital capacity by foregrounding the voices and experiences of women of color on Maui. Their leadership in education, labor, environmental stewardship and community life has shaped Hawaiʻi in profound yet often underrecognized ways. While COH's archive contains more than 1,000 digitized oral histories, many stories of Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and other historically marginalized women have not been fully activated or made accessible to the public. This project brings renewed attention to these narratives and deepens COH's long-standing commitment to inclusive historical preservation.

National Endowment for the Humanities Chair Grant-$29,000

• Project: "Lahaina Jodo Mission Oral History Project"
• Principal investigator: Mary Kunmi Yu Danico
• Co-principal investigator: Micah Mizukami

The objective is to conduct oral histories that systematically capture the history, memories and lived experiences of temple elders and individuals who attended or lived at the Lahaina Jodo Mission. The interviews will contribute to a deeper understanding of the mission's history and significance within the Lahaina community. The project will involve close collaboration with Jodo Mission leaders and elders. Through this partnership, COH will leverage community knowledge and preserve these stories for future generations. The information collected will support ongoing efforts to document the history of the Lahaina Jodo Mission as it rebuilds following the August 2023 Maui wildfires.

Read the entire story on the College of Social Sciences website.

Link to broll (details below): https://go.hawaii.edu/yXR

VIDEO:

BROLL:

Broll from the Center for Oral History, including footage from the Lahainaluna Oral History Project, the Lahaina Jodo Mission Project and the center's recent Oral Histories of Maui presentation

SUGGESTED VO SCRIPT:

INTRO:

The University of Hawaiʻi's Center for Oral History is getting a major boost to preserve Maui's stories.

VO:

Four grants totaling $538,000 will support new projects focused on Lahaina, water, women's history and the Lahaina Jodo Mission.

The center will record dozens of oral histories with Maui residents, documenting their experiences, cultural knowledge and memories.

The work is especially important following the 2023 wildfires.

Researchers say these stories will help preserve Maui's history and support recovery for generations to come.