Hula Preservation Society

The Hula Preservation Society will implement a collections stewardship project for a collection encompassing the lives of Hawaii's longest running hula teachers. The Alama Collection of several dozen photos and 40 hours of original digital video of the Alama sisters and their students was recently expanded with the contribution of nearly 1,600 new items. With the assistance of primary content experts and a consultant skilled in special collections, the project team will inventory materials, conduct condition assessments, and rehouse and relocate the items. The collection includes 400 manuscript items, 500 still images, 400 audio pieces in 4 formats, 50 videotapes, 60 costume pieces from Leilani Alama Hula Studio, 50 hand-crafted implements and lei, and 100 mostly rare and out-of-print books. Oral history sessions with elders will help identify the contents of the collections as they are processed and documented. Over 1,000 items will be digitized to provide for public access and discovery.