Kānāwai and Kuleana - Hawaiʻi - Hawaiian Language Research - Research Guides at University of Hawaii at Manoa

Introduction: Law in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi

Throughout the 19th century law was published in both ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and in English. The texts and resources on this page a primarily those from the Hawaiian Kingdom period.

Search Strategies

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Use these links to see what items in Hawaiian have these subject headings.

Law reports, digests, etc.--Hawaii

Key Word Searches

Searching these phrases will being up a variety of different documents on law in Hawaiʻi.

Hawaii session laws--Kingdom

Law* Kingdom Hawaii

Session Law Hawaii Kingdom

Sample of Collected Laws

These are a sampling of items held at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Hamilton library.

He olelo no ke kanawai : Dekemaba 8, 1827 by Hawaii
Publication Date: 1827
Kanawai i kauia e ka moi, e Kamehameha III., ke alii o ko Hawaii pae aina : ua hooholoia e na 'lii ahaolelo a me ka poeikohoia, i ka makahiki iwakaluakumamakahi o kona noho aupuni ana, a i ke kolu a me ka ha o kona noho kuokoa ana, A.D. 1845 a me 1846 ... by Hawaii
Call Number: KFH30 1845-47 .A2342
Publication Date: 1847
He kanawai hoopai karaima no ko Hawaii pae aina, i hooholoia e na'lii a me ka poeikohoia i ka la 21 o iune, m. h. 1850; a ua huiia me kekahi mau kanawai e ae i hooholoia e na'lii a me ka poeikohoia i ko lakou akoakoa ana i ka makahiki 1850. by Hawaii
Call Number: KFH561 .A3 1850
Publication Date: 1850
Na kanawai civila o ko Hawaii Pae Aina : e hooholoia e ke Alii, me na 'Lii a me ka Poeikohoia o ko Hawaii Pae Aina i akoakoa iloko o ka Ahaolelo kau Kanawai. by Hawaii
Call Number: KFH30 1859 .A2355
Publication Date: 1859
Na kanawai o ke Aupuni Hawaii e pili ana i na haumana a me na hoopaa aelike e hana : me ka hoakaka pokole o na olelo hooholo o ka Aha Kiekie e pili ana ia mau mea by L. McCully (Lunakanawai)
Call Number: KFH154 .M3313 1882
Publication Date: 1882
hoomakaukau ia e ka Mea Hanohano L. McCully, Lunakanawai o ka Aha Kiekie.

Internet Resources

Punawaiola: Ka Huli Ao Digital Archive
Repository of legal and historical Hawaiian documents. Contains legislation, privy council minutes, house of nobles proceedings, and other items. All items are scanned. Some are in English and some are in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.
Hawaiʻi Laws & Legal History
Excellent guides about Hawaiʻiʻs laws create by the UHM Law School librarians.

Papakilo Database
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs' (OHA's) Papakilo Database, is the ongoing development of a cutting edge and comprehensive "Database of Databases" consisting of varied collections of data pertaining to historically and culturally significant places, events, and documents in Hawai`i's history.
This online repository of data will greatly increase OHA's ability to preserve and perpetuate cultural and historical information and practices, thus providing an invaluable resource to educate other regulatory agencies, OHA's Native Hawaiian beneficiaries, and the general public. NOTE: Free registration required to access the database.

Kipuka
Database that geo-references land records, including mahele records, land grant records, survey records, and tax map keys
Ava Konohiki
Created by Hawaiian studies graduate students, this is a database of Mahele land records. All items are available have been scanned, some have been transcribed. Highly useful for land related research in both ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and English.
Hawaiʻi - Land Tenure Locating Māhele Records
Research guide that walks you through the process of finding land tenure documents.

Hawaiʻi - Hawaiian Language Research: Kānāwai and Kuleana

Introduction: Law in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi

Search Strategies

Sample of Collected Laws

Internet Resources