Hosting and Integrating a Hawaiian Language Taxonomy in the British Museum’s Collection Database

Abstract

With more than 2.5 million catalogue records the British Museum’s digital collection database is one of the largest museum databases in the world, constituting a primary point of access to the collections both internally and externally. But its recording systems, developed over multiple generations, contain problematic data in a structure dominated by a single language. This article focuses on efforts to transform a portion of the data within the structural complexities. In 2021, a Hawaiian language research group was formed at the British Museum. Named Keaukānaʻi, this group supports the development and integration of a new taxonomy in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) for describing Hawaiian ancestral treasures physically at the museum. The authors reflect on the work initiated to deconstruct taxonomical violence, and to build a new path forward for hosting, integrating and centering an indigenous language and associated knowledge at the British Museum. The article presents key steps while also discussing the challenges and limitations encountered.