Lyman Museum: Creation of Ka Baibala Hemolele

Image courtesy of Dr. Kapali Lyon.

Lyman Museum will host two presentations recounting the groundbreaking effort that resulted in Ka Baibala Hemolele, the Hawaiian translation of the 1839 Bible from Hebrew and Greek.

Hailed as “the single greatest literary project ever undertaken in Hawaiian,” it required more than 10 years of intense cooperation between a team of American Biblical scholars and a group of Hawaiian language experts that included high-ranking ali‘i and their advisors.

Dr. Kapali Lyon, Chair of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s Department of Religion, will present his extensive research on the collaborative effort to make Ka Baibala Hemolele a reality on two occasions: Monday afternoon, Oct. 30, from 3 to 4:30 p.m., and in the evening on the same day from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Dr. Lyon will shed light on this little-known, yet important aspect of Hawai‘i’s history that yielded one of the great Bible translations of the 19th century.

The nationally accredited and Smithsonian-affiliated Lyman Museum is located in downtown Hilo at 276 Haili Street. Showcasing the natural and cultural history of Hawai‘i, the Museum is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call (808) 935-5021 or visit www.lymanmuseum.org.