A new exhibit about young Hawaiian scholars in the late 1800s who participated in one of the earliest study abroad programs in the world, and the program’s revival more than 125 years later, is now on display through March 7 at the University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu’s James & Abigail Campbell Library.
The library is hosting the “Hawaiian Youths Abroad” exhibit, which is on loan from the Native Hawaiian Student Services Office at UH Mānoa.
Between 1880 and 1887, 18 Hawaiians were selected and funded by the Hawaiian Kingdom government to participate in the Hawaiian Youths Abroad program, arguably one of the earliest study abroad programs in the world. The young scholars studied in six different countries around the world: Italy, England, Scotland, China, Japan, and the United States. The 17 young men and one young woman were selected by King Kalākaua to become future leaders of an independent and progressive nation, the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Native Hawaiian Student Services (NHSS) at UH Mānoa “restarted” the spirit of the Hawaiian Youths Abroad (HYA) program in summer 2018, after a 126-year hiatus. With a similar intent to the original program, the NHSS Hawaiian Youths Abroad program provides similar and appropriate points of examination by exploring both the Hawaiian Kingdom educational and international diplomacy prowess in the 19th century while critically examining the illegal attempts that have attempted to exterminate such progress.
“Through this exhibit, people will gain a deeper connection to how our Mō‘ī, especially Kalākaua, envisioned the future of Hawai‘i with Kānaka being educated in our culture and history while incorporating knowledge from other countries,” said Kawena Komeiji, Hawaiian Pacific Resources Librarian at the James & Abigail Campbell Library. “The revival of this program by UH Mānoa NHSS is a further testament to this vision.”
The exhibit is the final research posters of the 2019 cohort, who traveled to Paris and London to follow in the footsteps of some of the original Hawaiian Youths Abroad students who studied in England, as well as many ali‘i and diplomatic journeys of Hawaiians to Europe in the 19th century.
“Hawaiian Youths Abroad” is free and open to the public, and is on display during the library’s building hours through March 7 on the first floor of the library. For questions, contact the library at 808-689-2700 or uhwolib@hawaii.edu.
