Mary Kawena Pukui Learning Commons

Mary Kawena Pukui Learning Commons 

For dreams. For creativity. For change. For everyone.

The Mary Kawena Pukui Learning Commons has been named for teacher, storyteller, historian and visionary Mary Abigail Kawenaʻulaokalaniahiʻiakaikapoliopelekawahineʻaihonua Pukui.  Mrs. Pukui is one of Hawaiʻi's most renowned ʻōiwi scholars and is universally valued as one of the 20th century’s uniquely influential resources in Hawaiian cultural preservation. Punahou was a beneficiary of Mrs. Pukui’s knowledge of storytelling, mele and hula as a teacher from 1936 – 1941, and her impact and influence endures. During the late 1930s, she taught in the Junior School, meeting with groups of children to teach Hawaiian language, stories, games and music, and creating curriculum in Hawaiian studies, or ‘ike Hawai‘i, at Punahou. 

“Mary Kawena Pukui was a transformative and compelling voice in the study of Hawaiian culture in the 20th Century. Her work continues to speak to us today, calling us to embrace our unique heritage and guiding the way toward a future of hope and community,” says school president Michael E. Latham, Ph.D. ’86. “The Mary Kawena Pukui Learning Commons will be a dynamic and welcoming space where our students, faculty, and staff will share ideas, create memories and grow together.”  

Mrs. Pukui had great aloha for Punahou. She shared that, “This school shall be a Spring of Wisdom. As the hala tree stands firm through wind or storm, so shall the children of this school stand strong and brave through joy and sorrow. And just as the hala tree has many uses, so shall these children be useful to Hawai‘i.”

These words inspired Punahou School’s new mission, adopted in 2023, which reflects the spiritual, social and ethical framework at the heart of a Punahou education. The mission statement reads:

We are children of Ka Punahou, the new spring.

From under the hala tree, we weave a mat that seats many,

our home to dream and discover our purpose

and kuleana to Hawai‘i and the world.

Naming the Learning Commons for an intellectual activist and inspirational teacher recognizes the courage, dedication, creativity and deep care that Mrs. Pukui had for the children of Punahou and Hawai‘i. Artifacts and scholarship of Mary Kawena Pukui, including photos, audio, moving images, text, and a dedicated space for ‘ike Hawai‘i, will be prominent features of the Learning Commons, and the decor will evoke her influence.