Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena Pukui featured on new $1 coin
U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono celebrated the launch of the coin earlier this year, after having sent a letter to then-Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urging the U.S. Mint to feature three prominent women from Hawaii in the American Women Quarters Program.
All three of her suggestions were featured—including kumu hula Edith Kanakaole on a quarter in 2022, Congresswoman Patsy T. Mink on a quarter in 2023, and now Mary Kawena Pukui on a $1 coin in 2025.
'Mary Kawena Pukui's work, from her translations to compositions, have sustained Hawaiian language and culture for generations, ' said Hirono in a news release. 'She was a prominent Native Hawaiian scholar, author, composer, and dancer dedicated to strengthening and preserving Hawaiian culture.'
She added, '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.'
The Native American $1 Coins have a distinctive edge and are golden in color, according to the U.S. Mint, and offer changing reverse designs every year.
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On the 'heads ' side, the coin features Native American Sacagawea carrying her infant son Jean-Baptiste, along with the words 'Liberty ' and 'In God We Trust.' On the 'tails ' side, the coin features Pukui wearing a hibiscus flower and kukui nut lei, along with 'United States of America.'
Her name is inscribed, along with 'Nana I Ke Kumu, ' the title of a book series Pukui helped to produce with the Queen Liliuokalani Children's Center.
The phrase, which means 'look to the source, ' is evocative of Pukui's life work and legacy, the U.S. Mint said, 'as she was someone who was continually consulted for her expertise on various aspects of Hawaiian knowledge.'
The U.S. Mint noted that while the term 'Native American ' is used interchangeably with 'American Indian ' or 'Indian, ' it is not typically used by Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders as a form of self or collective identification.
'The 2025 Native American $1 coin honors Hawaiian scholar, author, composer, hula expert, and educator Mary Kawena Pukui, a Native Hawaiian, ' said the U.S. Mint in an online description of the coin. 'In honoring Mary Kawena Pukui, the Mint recognizes the complexity of the term 'Native American' and encourages the public to learn about the distinct histories and cultures of American Indians, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.'
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