Step into 19th century Hawai‘i on a guided tour of one of the Islands’ most fascinating museums. Tour the exhibition gallery to see how present-day Hawai‘i is connected to the past.
Mission Houses Museum was established in 1920 by the Hawaiian Mission Children’s Society, a private, non-profit organization and genealogical society. Its three restored houses and research library provide a unique glimpse into 19th century Hawai‘i, and its temporary exhibition gallery expands the Museum’s relevance and positive impact on the community through the presentation of such exhibitions as The Marquesas: Two Centuries of Cultural Traditions and Lasting Impressions: Printing & Engraving in Hawai‘i. The visitor experience is further enhanced by an orientation Center, a shop and the Winterbourne Tea Room.
Mission Houses Museum collects, preserves, interprets and exhibits documents, artifacts and other records of Hawaii’s “missionary” period of 1820 – 1863 and beyond. The Museum interprets its historic site and collections and makes these collections available for research, educational purposes and enjoyment. Altogether, the Museum’s collection holds over 3,000 Hawaiian, Western, and Pacific artifacts and more than 12,000 books, manuscripts, original letters, diaries, journals, illustrations and Hawaiian church records.
The 1820-1863 “missionary” period serves as a point of departure or touchstone for the Museum’s exhibitions and programs; however, 1820 is not the beginning point of the relevant stories to be told, nor is 1863 the endpoint. The Museum strives to promote cross-cultural understanding of Hawaii’s history, both past and present, and thus it places great emphasis on incorporating contemporary elements into nearly all of its exhibitions, adult and school programs, workshops and special events.
Because of its historical roots, the Museum is in a unique position to offer multiple perspectives on Hawaiian history and culture. While the “missionary voice” has a strong presence given the Museum’s name and collections, it is only one of a number of relevant voices that are valuable and meaningful to the Museum’s audience. By including the stories of the native peoples of Hawai‘i, the Museum is able to cultivate a more richly textured view of history. The Marquesas and Micronesia are also included in this focus since the Sandwich Islands Missions extended into these regions of the Pacific as well.
The influence of Hawaii’s “missionary” period transcends the introduction of Christianity to the Pacific—the lives of the people in these regions were greatly affected on many different levels. Thus, by contrasting cultural traditions and examining cultural change through foreign contact, the Museum serves as an advocate for creative and critical thinking about history, colonialism and cross-cultural contact and transformation.
The Museum offers a wide variety of public programming events and activities. Over the past year, the Museum has implemented a vigorous temporary exhibition program in the First Floor Gallery of the newly restored Chamberlain House. These exhibitions are complemented by a number of public programs, including scholarly lectures, gallery talks, workshops and demonstrations. More traditional programs also continue such as quilting classes, lauhala weaving, the annual holiday craft fair, letterpress printing demonstrations on the Museum’s reproduction of a 19th century printing press and historic house tours.
In May, the Museum launched its Saturday family program, Explore!, and in fall 2004 it will unveil the Places in Our Hearts lecture series featuring extraordinary individuals from our community speaking about beloved places on Oahu that hold family memories, inspire passion in their work, contain historical, cultural and spiritual legacies, or are significant because of contested ownership.
As it continues to develop new and innovative programming, Mission Houses Museum is committed to give particular emphasis to native Hawaiian and Pacific Islands communities and to include their voices in the telling and interpreting of Hawaii’s rich and complex history. By so doing, the Museum will actively seek to increase and diversify its local audience. Currently, more than 15,000 people — mainly comprised of tourists, school groups and local residents — visit the Museum each year.
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