III 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 195 

Recognizing Bishop Museum, the Nation’s premier showcase for Hawaiian 

culture and history, on the occasions of its 120th anniversary and the 

restoration and renovation of its historic Hawaiian Hall. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 19, 2009 

Mr. INOUYE (for himself and Mr. AKAKA) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

JULY 30, 2009 

Committee discharged; considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing Bishop Museum, the Nation’s premier showcase 

for Hawaiian culture and history, on the occasions of 

its 120th anniversary and the restoration and renovation 

of its historic Hawaiian Hall. 

Whereas Bishop Museum was founded in 1889 in Honolulu, 

Hawai‘i by Charles Reed Bishop in memory of his beloved wife, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the great 

granddaughter of Kamehameha I, to house the personal 

legacies and bequests of the royal Kamehameha and 

Kala ̄kaua families; 


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Whereas the mission of Bishop Museum since its inception 

has been to study, preserve, and tell the stories of the 

cultures and natural history of Hawai‘i and the Pacific; 

Whereas the collections of Bishop Museum include more than 

24,000,000 objects, collectively the largest Hawai‘i and 

Pacific area collection in the world, which includes more 

than 1,200,000 cultural objects representing Native Hawaiian, Pacific Island, and Hawai‘i immigrant life, more 

than 125,000 historical publications (including many in 

the Hawaiian language), more than 1,000,000 historical 

photographs, films, works of art, audio recordings, and 

manuscripts, and more than 22,000,000 plant and animal specimens; 

Whereas a primary goal of Bishop Museum is to serve and 

represent the interests of Native Hawaiians by advancing 

Native Hawaiian culture and education, protecting the 

collections and increasing access to them, and strengthening the museum’s connections with the schools of 

Hawai‘i; 

Whereas the national significance of Bishop Museum’s cultural collection lies in the Native Hawaiian collection, 

which collectively represents the largest public resource in 

the world documenting a way of life, and has been a 

source of knowledge and inspiration for numerous visitors, researchers, students, native craftsmen, teachers, 

and community and spiritual leaders over the years, especially since the cultural revival, which has been steadily 

growing and gaining in popularity; 

Whereas more than 300,000 people visit Bishop Museum 

each year to learn about Hawaiian culture and experience 

Hawaiian Hall; 


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Whereas the desire to see Hawaiian Hall and to learn about 

Hawaiian culture is the primary reason 400,000 visitors 

each year give for visiting Bishop Museum; 

Whereas Hawaiian Hall is the Nation’s only showcase of its 

size, proportion, design, and historic context that is devoted to the magnificent legacy of Hawai‘i’s kings and 

queens, and the legacies of its Native Hawaiian people of 

all walks of life and ages; 

Whereas Hawaiian Hall, constructed between 1889 and 1903 

and 1 of 3 interconnected structures known as the Hawaiian Hall Complex, is considered a masterpiece of late 

Victorian museum design with its Kamehameha blue 

stone exterior quarried on site and extensive use of native 

koa wood, and is one of the few examples of Romanesque 

Richardsonian style museum buildings to have survived 

essentially unchanged; 

Whereas Hawaiian Hall, designed by noted Hawai‘i architects 

C.B. Ripley and C.W. Dickey in 1898, was placed on the 

National Register of Historic Places in 1982, based on 

its unique combination of architectural, cultural, scientific, educational, and historical significance; 

Whereas the restoration and renovation of Hawaiian Hall and 

its exhibits by noted Hawai‘i architect Glenn Mason and 

noted national and international museum exhibit designer 

Ralph Appelbaum are integral to the museum’s ability to 

fulfill its mission and achieve its primary goal of serving 

and representing the interests of Native Hawaiians; 

Whereas the restoration and renovation of Hawaiian Hall, 

begun in 2005, included the building of a new gathering 

place in an enclosed, glass walled atrium, improved access 

to the hall through the installation of an elevator in the 


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new atrium to all 3 floors of the hall and other buildings 

in the Hawaiian Hall Complex, improved collection preservation through the installation of new, state-of-the-art 

environmental controls, lighting, security, and fire suppression systems, and restored original woodwork and 

metalwork; 

Whereas the restoration and renovation of the hall’s exhibits 

bring multiple voices and a Native Hawaiian perspective 

to bear on Bishop Museum’s treasures, by conveying the 

essential values, beliefs, complexity, and achievements of 

Hawaiian culture through exquisite and fragile artifacts 

in a setting that emphasizes their ‘‘mana’’ (power and essence) and the place in which they were created; 

Whereas the new exhibit incorporates contemporary Native 

Hawaiian artwork illustrating traditional stories, legends, 

and practices, and contemporary Native Hawaiian voices 

interpreting the practices and traditions through multiple 

video presentations; 

Whereas the new exhibit features more than 2,000 objects 

and images from the museum’s collections on the open 

floor, mezzanines, and the center space, conceptually organized to represent 3 traditional realms or ‘‘wao’’ of the 

Hawaiian world—Kai A ̄kea, the expansive sea from 

which gods and people came, Wao Ka ̄naka, the realm of 

people, and Wao Lani, the realm of gods and the ‘‘ali‘i’’ 

(chiefs) who descended from them; 

Whereas the new exhibit’s ending display celebrates the 

strength, glory, and achievements of Native Hawaiians 

with a large 40-panel mural titled ‘‘Ho‘ohuli, To Cause 

An Overturning, A Change’’, made by students of Native 

Hawaiian charter schools in collaboration with Native 

Hawaiian artists and other students, and interpreted by 


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Native Hawaiian artists and teachers in a video presentation; and 

Whereas the people of the United States wish to convey their 

sincerest appreciation to Bishop Museum for its service 

and devotion: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the reopening of historic Hawai3 ian Hall on the 120th anniversary of the founding 

4 of Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawai‘i; and 

5 (2) on the occasions of the reopening and anni6 versary of the museum, honors and praises Bishop 

7 Museum for its work to ensure the preservation, 

8 study, education, and appreciation of Native Hawai9 ian culture and history. 

Æ 


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