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Sharing Mana‘o

Remember. Preserve. Inspire.

Seventy years ago, the Maui Historical Society was organized and incorporated with the mission to collect, study and preserve Hawaiian historical materials, particularly those pertaining to Maui, Moloka’i, Lana’i and Kaho’olawe. Six years later, on July 6, 1957, the historical society opened the Valley Isle’s first history museum, Hale Ho’ike’ike.

Now called Hale Ho’ike’ike at the Bailey House, the museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Originally built in 1833 as a mission house on the royal compound of Maui’s last ruling chief, Kahekili, the structure later served as a boarding school for young women, then as home to missionary/teacher/artist Edward Bailey and his family.

Today the historical society stewardship includes more than 8,000 historic photos, a 2,000-piece artifact collection, a research library and extensive archives including maps, manuscripts, genealogies, biographies and other documents. On the museum grounds, the Chas Fisher Memorial Gardens feature Native Hawaiian plants which played important roles in Hawaiian culture, along with nonnative plants typical of the missionary era. The museum gift shop (which you can also access online) offers local crafts, books, music and more.

Hale Ho’ike’ike occupies a cherished chapter in my own personal history, as I’ve shared several times in this space. Ten years ago, after attending the annual “A Bailey House Christmas” fundraiser, I wrote:

“As young children, my cousin Mark and I discovered the museum while exploring our Wailuku neighborhood. A warm and wonderful Hawaiian woman — I think it was Auntie Hannah Lai — welcomed us on our visits as if we were family, coming to spend the day at Grandma’s. That’s how it felt, too. Even though I couldn’t sit on the magnificent peacock chair, or nap on the hand-stitched Hawaiian quilt covering the four-poster bed, or hold the porcelain doll with the spooky glass eyes, I still felt very much at home there. It was my personal playhouse, where I could live my little girl time-warp fantasies.

“Downstairs, Auntie patiently answered my questions about the tools and weapons displayed alongside drawings and artifacts. She nurtured my imagination and fed my fascination with Hawaiian history and culture …

“Last Saturday, as I stepped into the Bailey House for the first time in over a decade, I had a Dickens moment. Like Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Past, I saw my 7-year-old self, peering into a glass case, trying to count the strands of hair in the lei niho palaoa. Other visitors probably thought I was having an asthma attack, the way I gasped and squealed at every turn. It was all there: the dog-tooth necklaces, the faded pink square of kapa, the parlor spinning wheel, the ornate mantle clock, the bed, the chair, all of it. I was even happy to see the spooky doll, who didn’t look nearly as scary as I remembered.

So I joined the Maui Historical Society. I never got to thank Auntie for lighting this particular fire in me; I figure the best I can do is to pass it forward.”

A year or two after writing that column, I’m ashamed to admit, I let the flame fizzle out and allowed my membership to lapse. But recently, I ran into another Hale Ho’ike’ike spark plug, Crystal Smythe, who volunteers as assistant to Executive Director Sissy Lake Farm. Crystal mentioned that the historical society was about to launch a campaign to support Hale Ho’ike’ike at the Bailey House as the organization, like nearly all of us, works to regain its footing in the “new normal.” Her passion reignited my interest and I renewed my membership that afternoon.

The museum is currently open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays; appointments for visits may be made online at mauimuseum.org. When you visit the website, be sure to watch the five-minute documentary about the impact and work of the historical society. You’ll also have the opportunity to donate or join; annual memberships start at just $25.

We all have a stake in preserving Maui’s history; our collective history and heritage inform our future.

Remember. Preserve. Inspire.

* Kathy Collins is a radio personality (The Buzz 107.5 FM and KEWE 97.9 FM/1240 AM), storyteller, actress, emcee and freelance writer whose “Sharing Mana’o” column appears every other Wednesday. Her e-mail address is kcmaui913@gmail.com.

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