The Bishop Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in tribute to his late wife, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, who was the last descendant of the Kamehamehas. The museum was built on the site of the Kamehameha School for Boys, which had been established by Princess Bernice. After her death, Charles Reed Bishop started the museum to showcase the Kamehameha family heirlooms and other Polynesian artifacts. The school eventually moved, allowing the Bishop Museum to expand, and it has grown over time so that it now houses a rather massive collection. One of the important pieces is a historic Heiau Ku carving - there are only two others, in the Peabody Essex Museum

classic

Peabody Essex Museum

Salem, MA

Museum & Store

in Salem, MA, and in the British Museum

classic

The British Museum

London, United Kingdom

Museum & Store

9.1

in London. The museum also features a section dedicated to what they call "Ku Kitsch," known to us as Polynesian Pop, with many fine examples of modern uses of the image of Ku, including a mug from Tiki Farm

Comments

tikiwagon

tikiwagon has visited Bishop Museum.

July 13, 2018, 2:17 PM

Visited twice, First time on our Honeymoon in 1996 then two years ago, Amazing artefacts to be found here

tikiwagon

tikiwagon has visited Bishop Museum.

July 13, 2018, 2:17 PM

Visited twice, First time on our Honeymoon in 1996 then two years ago, Amazing artefacts to be found here

Shop99er

Shop99er has visited Bishop Museum.

November 20, 2015, 10:08 PM

If you're going here to see tiki, you'll succeed. If that's the only reason you come here, you are wasting your time.

This is a grand place to learn about Hawaiian culture and history. Everytime we go to Hawaii, we budget a full day for the Bishop.

View all 5 comments