KE KUMU HAWAII, Honolulu, Oahu, [Hawaii], Sept. 12, 1838

• Extremely rare Hawaiian publication
• Over 120 years prior to statehood

The very first newspaper in Hawaii was essentially a student newspaper, titled “Ka Lama Hawaii” (The Hawaiian Luminary), done by Protestant missionaries at their school at Lahainaluna on the island of Maui.
But it was just a few months later when the second newspaper in Hawaii–and considered the first “regular” newspaper on the islands–was published. “Ke Kumu Hawaii” began publication on Nov. 12, 1834 (some references cite an October beginning which cannot be verified).
The entirety of the issue is in the Hawaiian language.
Rather than a student or school newspaper, this was a regular newspaper for the general public. This is only the third issue of this title we have offered in our 50+ years.
Complete in 4 pages, never bound nor trimmed some very light foxing, nice condition.

Background: This September 12, 1838 issue of Ke Kumu Hawaii represents an extraordinarily rare artifact of early Pacific press history, capturing a pivotal moment when Hawaiian-language print culture transitioned from educational exercises into public journalism. While the Kingdom’s very first publication (Ka Lama Hawaii) functioned strictly as a school paper, Ke Kumu Hawaii debuted in late 1834 as Hawaii's second overall newspaper and its very first "regular" serial aimed at the general public. Printed entirely in Hawaiian (ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi) by Protestant missionaries in Honolulu, the four-page publication served as an indispensable medium for literacy, religious instruction, and cultural dialogue, even featuring notable content such as historical reflections on foreign misspellings of King Kamehameha's name. Complete four-page originals from this short-lived press run—which produced only 104 issues before folding in 1839—are virtually non-existent outside institutional archives, making this offering exceptional for its scarcity, surviving as only the third issue of its title encountered by the seller in over half a century.