Records of the Mahele Aina, Boundary Commission & Royal Patent Grants Are Available
For the first time, the entire collection of the Mahele (including the original registration of, and testimonly for claims) has also been indexed, and is easily accessible. Previously, the primary indexing of the Mahele focused on those claims which were awarded, and as a result as much as 50% of the total record of native tenant residency and land use has been generally unrecognized. Additionally, a review of the original Hawaiian texts and the existing translations (which have been the primary references in the past) reveals that there are many significant inaccuracies in the English records. Inaccurate locations of claims, descriptions of land use, and transposing
Kuleana Claim of Haleole (No. 3965) at Honalo, Hawaii
of claimant and land names are among the problems with existing translations. Thus the access to, and review of the original records brings forth important clarification to the historical record and understanding of the cultural landscape.
Kumu Pono Associates LLC has spent years collecting and indexing all available documents associated with the Mahele Aina and Boundary Commission. At a nominal fee, Kumu Pono LLC will provide interested parties with a digitized copy (forwarded by e-mail) of the original handwritten records -- that is, all available: Register, Testimony, Mahele Award Book, and Royal Patent documentation for requested kuleana records.
To request copies of Mahele records, at $1.50 per page, contact Kumu Pono Associates LLC with your request, indicating the Helu (claim number).
If research is requred to determine the Helu associated with a given family, or if English translations are needed (where none, or only incomplete ones exist), Kumu Pono Associates LLC will research and/or prepare verbatim translations at a per-page fee (to be determined by the length of the text).
Additionally, all of the original records of the Boundary Commission (ca. 1865-1915), containing native testimonies and survey records of ahupuaa boundaries, land use, native customs and practices, and transitions in historic land use have been digitized, and available at a nominal fee.
Important records of the Palapala Sila Nila Nui (Royal Patent Grants) on lands across the Hawaiian Islands, covering the years from 1846 to 1923, have also been digitized and are available in the collections of Kumu Pono Associates LLC.
These documents provide the general public with access to records previously known to only a few individuals.
For further information on cultural studies, oral history interview programs or to request copies of Mahele, Boundary Commission and Grant records or historic maps contact Kepa or Onaona; we may also be reached at (808) 744-8806.
For faster digital delivery (confirmed payment is required before sending by e-mail) payments are accepted via PayPal.
Papakilo Database Partnership
Kumu Pono Associates LLC is honored to be a participant with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and archival institutions in the new digital Hawaiian library collection at Papakilo Database.