Mary Abigail Kawena Pukui
Recently I was contacted by the editor of the magazine, The Perpetual You to create a portrait for what they call their 'Maker's Page'. Apparently the editor had found my web page and thought my portraits fit with what they have going on. The Maker's Page highlights an historical woman who blends with the theme of the issue. My portrait would be of Mary Abigail Kawena Pukui. I was immediately interested!
Mary Abigail Kawena Pukui
What a woman!!!! Pukui, named during her lifetime as a Living Treasure of Hawaii, and inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame, was descended from a Kahuna Pule (Priestess) in the Pele line. Legacy is part of this particular issue's theme, and what a fabulous legacy this woman created.
Her list of accomplishments is huge. Fluent in the Hawaiian language and culture she:
+ Collected and translated folk tales, proverbs, sayings.
+ Worked as an ethnological assistant and translator.
+ Taught Hawaiian to scholars, and Hawaiiana at Punahou School.
+ Published ore than 50 scholarly works.
+ Wrote more than 150 Hawaiian songs.
+ Co-author of the definitive Hawaiian/English dictionary, and the books Place Names of Hawaii & The Echo of Our Song.
+ Chanter and hula expert.
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Pukui was born in 1895 and lived until 1986. Not only was she a fastinating, beautiful, intelligent, strong woman, but she correlates to the women I paint who wove spectacular baskets. To be commissioned to paint a portrait of this scholar, dancer, composer, educator is an honor, my next project, and one I am very excited about.
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