This latest edition of the Baibala is fully bilingual with parallel text in Hawaiian and English. It is the first Hawaiian Bible to have diacritical markings in the new orthography. Great care and consideration was taken by dozens of scholars, teachers and volunteers into perfecting the Baibala Hemolele.

The Baibala will be released at a free, public event tomorrow night (Tuesday, November 20) at the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives. The event will run from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM, and include tours, special exhibitions, a short program (at 6:00 PM), and pūpū.

Hawaiian Mission Houses will have trade editions of the Baibala ready for purchase at the event. We also have a PIDF version of the Baibala available for a special pre-sale price of $50. See the flyer below for more information.

Although it is a religious text, Ka Baibala Hemolele is also a vital resource for families and students of the Hawaiian language. Hawaiian families have traditionally used the Baibala as a way to practice and perfect Hawaiian language reading and comprehension.

Baibala Hemolele, or the Hawaiian Bible Project, has been a program of Partners in Development Foundation since 2002. It initially started as a way to preserve the original editions of the Hawaiian Bible and make them available in a digital format to the public.

The project has since evolved to include a complete rewriting of the Hawaiian Bible to a standardized modern orthography. Efforts to digitally preserve the Baibala will continue, as will the creation of audio recordings online to help with pronunciation, cadence and intonation.

Parking for the launch event will be available at the nearby Kamehameha Schools’ Kawaiahaʻo Plaza parking structure after 5:00 PM. Enter on Kawaiahaʻo Street, and be sure to remove your vehicle before the parking closes at 8:30 PM. We hope you will join us in celebration at the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives.

As facilitator, Mahi also brought his own knowledge of the Hawaiian language to the fore of the discussion. His panel consisted of Kahu William Kaina, Kahu David Kaupu, and the daughter of the latter, Helen Kaupu Kaowili.

Kaowili is the Project Director of Baibala Hemolele which worked toward the reprinting of the Hawaiian Bible with the inclusion of diacritical markings, for use in the home and places of worship. But, it also serves as a resource that makes it easier for students of ‘Olelo Hawai‘i to learn the language.

Ms. Kaowili worked on the reprinting project since its inception in 2002 and persevered for a decade before the new version of the Hawaiian Bible was published and released in 2012.

Kahu Kaina shared his love of the Hawaiian language and how he learned it as a youngster without his parents knowing. He chuckled, sharing that it was customary at that time to switch to Hawaiian when adults wanted to speak of things “in secret,” but his mother realized after a time by the expressions on his face that he understood what they were saying.

He also spoke of “family worship” or the gathering of the ‘ohana to read passages from the Bible in both English and Hawaiian and discuss the particular lesson of the day.

Kahu Kaupu in turn, took us back to the beginning, with the death of Mo‘i Kamehameha the Great. He spoke of the looming and great spiritual void that was left with the King’s passing, and the arrival of the missionaries a year later.

Kamehameha’s son Liholiho was not sure about these newcomers at first, but relented when he found out that they had taken the time to learn the Hawaiian language, and put it into a written form.

After being accepted by the young King, Rev. Bingham held his first sermon at a site upon which Kawaiaha‘o Church now sits. The first passage that was translated into ‘Olelo Hawai‘i was from the Gospel of Luke 2:10, “Fear not: for behold, I bring tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”

A fascinating discussion for all who were in attendance…