Mary Kawena Pukui — a Native Hawaiian scholar, composer, hula expert and educator whose work has helped sustain the Hawaiian language and culture — has been commemorated on the U.S. Mint’s 2025 Native American $1 Coin.
According to the Mint, the coin’s reverse, or tails, side features Pukui wearing a hibiscus flower, a kukui nut lei and a mu‘umu‘u with an aloha print, and “stylized depictions of water” in the background.
The coin includes the inscription “Nānā I Ke Kumu,” which translates to “Look to the source,” and also is the title of a series of books she helped produce with the Queen Lili‘uokalani Children's Center, the Mint says.
According to the Mint, the reverse side designs of the Native American $1 Coin change each year, while the common obverse, or “heads,” design features the Sacagawea design first produced in 2000.
U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono in 2021 asked then-Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Janet Yellen to consider three women from Hawai‘i for depiction on commemorative coins: Congresswoman Patsy Takemoto Mink, Edith Kanaka‘ole and Pukui.
Kanaka‘ole was commemorated in the 2023 American Women Quarters Program, while Mink was featured in the 2024 American Women Quarters Program. These coins feature designs on the reverse side that are “emblematic of the accomplishments and contributions of American women,” the Mint said in 2024.
“Mary Kawena Pukui’s work, from her translations to compositions, have sustained Hawaiian language and culture for generations,” Hirono said in a statement. “She was a prominent Native Hawaiian scholar, author, composer, and dancer dedicated to strengthening and preserving Hawaiian culture. I am glad to see the Mint honoring Mary Kawena Pukui on this year’s Native American $1 Coin design, and hope that people across the country will learn more about her valuable contributions to uplift Native Hawaiian language, history, and culture.”
Pukui lived from 1895 to 1986.
More information about the Native American $1 Coins can be found here.
Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
