Amy hard at work in the Bishop Archives

Report on our Trip to Honolulu, July 2002

In July 2002, we traveled to Honolulu, Hawai'i for 2 weeks to conduct research and meet with advisers and supporters of The Insular Empire. It was naturally wonderful to be in a place that takes Pacific Island issues seriously! Again, we were pleased by the support we encountered and the rich archives we were able to access.

First, we met with Karen Peacock and some of her colleagues at the Hamilton Library's Pacific Collection at the University of Hawai'i (UH). We consulted bibliographies and pored through the photographic materials they have collected, including especially the Peacock Collection (curated by Karen's father, Daniel) and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Collection (curated by the talented Sam McPhetres of Saipan). We were able to digitally collect over 150 photos from these two collections. They are mainly of the Northern Mariana Islands during the Japanese colonial period (1914-1944), the postwar U.S. naval administration (1945-1962), and the Trust Territory era (1962 through the early 1980s).

We also explored the incredibly rich and beautiful photo collection at the Bishop Museum and Archives. The staff at the Bishop ­ DeSoto, Patty, B.J., Linda, and Ron ­ were friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful ­ all that you could ask for in archivists and librarians! We digitally collected 60 images from the Samoa and American Samoa collections, dating from the 1880s and 90s (Samoa was divided between Germany and the United States in 1899), the 1930s, and the 1960s "Great Society" era. We also supplemented our Mariana Islands material with about 30 archival photographs and about 30 engraved images from Dumont D'Urville's mid-nineteenth century expeditions, and the gorgeous Atlas Historique by Louis Freycinet.

But our trip was not just about archives! We spent time consulting and "talking story" with Keith Camacho, a Ph.D. student at the University of Hawaii who is currently our script consultant, as well as a good friend from Guam. Our friend and research/production intern Amanda Rang took us to our first ava (kava) bar, where we kicked back and listened to some cool Hawaiian music.

We also had the chance to meet in person with two of our most important advisors – David Hanlon, Pacific historian and Director of the Center for Pacific Islands Studies, and Bob Kiste, Pacific anthropologist and fellow at the East West Center (formerly the Director of CPIS). They offered us suggestions, camaraderie, and support while we were in Honolulu.

Next, we met with Tom Barlow, Executive Director at Pacific Resources in Education and Learning (PREL), to learn about his organization and to discuss how we might be able to assist each other in our work in Pacific media.

We dashed from our meeting with Tom to lunch with Gus Cobb-Adams, program manager at Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC), the branch of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting devoted to media "by and about Pacific Island cultures." We discussed PIC's upcoming grant deadline and Gus gave us lots of great feedback on our proposal and budget. Thanks, Gus!

Lastly, we had a great meeting with Ed McNulty, VP of Programming and Production at KHET, Hawaii's public television station. We exchanged ideas and information, and Ed assured us that KHET will definitely be interested in airing The Insular Empire as a series. We will also explore the possibility of collaborating with KHET to receive LInCS (Linking Independents with Community Stations) funding from ITVS.

And, lest we forget: we stayed in Honolulu courtesy of Wayne Schaut, a friend, intense snorkeler, and brilliant legal consultant; and while in the Bishop we were delighted to get to know Michael Willard, Assistant Professor of History and Director of the American Studies Program at Oklahoma State University, who is working on a project about four American sports stars of the early-20th century, including Duke Kahanamoku.

All in all, it was another wonderful, exhausting, productive experience. So mahalo and si yu'us maase to everyone in Honolulu who ensured that, once again, we had a successful research trip!