{"id":138576,"date":"2021-04-06T14:00:55","date_gmt":"2021-04-07T00:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=138576"},"modified":"2021-04-06T14:00:55","modified_gmt":"2021-04-07T00:00:55","slug":"in-memoriam-aunty-pat-namaka-bacon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/04\/06\/in-memoriam-aunty-pat-namaka-bacon\/","title":{"rendered":"In memoriam: \u02bb\u014clelo Protector Aunty Pat Namaka Bacon"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Patience
From left: Patience Namaka Wiggin sits next to Mary Kawena Pukuʻi<\/span> (h\u0101nai mother) and Pele Pukuʻi<\/span>, circa 1938. Courtesy, Bishop Museum Archives<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hawaiʻi<\/span> is mourning the loss of revered Hawaiian knowledge and ʻōlelo<\/span> Hawaiʻi<\/span> (language) expert Patience Namaka Wiggin Bacon<\/strong>, known to many as “Aunty Pat.” Bacon died on January 23, 2021, and she was 100 years old. Loved ones publicly announced her death in early March 2021. The Oʻahu<\/span> native was a h\u0101nai (adopted) daughter of renowned ʻōlelo<\/span> Hawaiʻi<\/span> scholar, Mary Kawena Pukuʻi<\/span><\/strong>, who is celebrated for publishing the definitive Hawaiian-English Dictionary<\/em> and Place Names of Hawaiʻi<\/span><\/em>. Like Pukuʻi<\/span>, Bacon dedicated her life to ensure the survival of Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u2019s native tongue.<\/p>\n

For years, Bacon demonstrated perseverance through multiple terms of service on a University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> panel established to protect and encourage a deeper knowledge of ʻōlelo<\/span> and the state\u2019s native culture—东精影业<\/abbr> Committee for Preservation and Study of Hawaiian Language, Art and Culture.<\/p>\n

“The committee to preserve everything, as it was lovingly called, fostered projects, many of which became educational or research resources, like Hawaiian newspapers, legends…” said 东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Hawaiian language Professor Emeritus Puakea Nogelmeier<\/strong>. More than 200 projects were funded through the 东精影业<\/abbr> committee\u2019s efforts and resources.<\/p>\n

Bacon\u2019s preservation work largely took place at Bishop Museum where she spent more than 60 years. She was integral in translating piles of old audiotapes filled with m\u0101naleo (native speakers) sharing Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u2019s oral histories. Those transcripts are still widely utilized in Hawaiian language curriculum at 东精影业<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n

Facing criticism over non-Hawaiian ethnicity<\/h2>\n
\"Patience<\/a>
Patience Namaka Wiggin Bacon, “Aunty Pat.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite her countless contributions to ʻōlelo<\/span> Hawaiʻi<\/span>, Bacon, who was Japanese, faced bouts of racial scrutiny. In 2007, Kamehameha Schools produced a documentary about her life<\/a>. One section features retired 东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Hawaiian and Indo-Pacific Languages Professor Naomi Losch<\/strong>, a close friend of Bacon. She tears up talking about those criticisms.<\/p>\n

“People say well, ‘she doesn\u2019t have Hawaiian blood,’” Losch said. “But our blood doesn\u2019t carry cultural traits. It\u2019s something we learn. And you learn how to be Hawaiian. It\u2019s nothing to do with blood quantum.”<\/p>\n

Nogelmeier recalls Bacon\u2019s stance with ethnically charged experiences. “She faced serious derision from certain corners for not being ‘blood\u2019’ and did so with humor and grace. ‘Take the high road; there\u2019s less traffic and the view is better,’” he noted.<\/p>\n

Hula expertise called on during competitions<\/h2>\n

Aside from language, the treasured archivist was also a loea hula (hula master) having trained alongside her mother, under legendary kumu (teachers) Keahi Luahine and Joseph Ilalaole. Years of lessons helped keep a number of hula kahiko (traditional hula), protocol and cultural context from vanishing. Bacon\u2019s expertise was often called upon to judge hula competitions such as the Merrie Monarch Festival.<\/p>\n

东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Native Hawaiian affairs program officer Kaiwipuni Lipe<\/strong> is a longtime ʻ\u014dlapa (dancer) and recalls her kumu (teacher) pointing out specific motions in songs that are associated with Bacon\u2019s influence on hula. “For me, she is a pivotal k\u016bpuna that connected ʻike (knowledge) from our past from people we didn’t have the chance to know with those who are here today.”<\/p>\n

Bacon\u2019s knowledge of Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u2019s heritage and ancient traditions has touched generations and will forever enhance the ongoing push to preserve the very essence that pulsed through ka pae ʻ\u0101ina o Hawaiʻi<\/span>, the islands of Hawaiʻi<\/span> for centuries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The revered ʻōlelo<\/span> Hawaiʻi<\/span> expert was integral in preserving Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u2019s native language alongside her mother Mary Kawena Pukuʻi<\/span>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[33,1057,756,9],"class_list":["post-138576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-hawaiian","tag-hawaiian-language","tag-in-memoriam","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138576"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":138663,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138576\/revisions\/138663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}