Career
Rubellite "Ruby" Kawena Kinney Johnson is a Historian of Hawaii. Her maternal grandparents were Solomon Kamaha Kaʻulili and Kawena Ah Chong. Her paternal grandparents were William Kihapiʻilani Kinney (1868–1953) and Mary Francesca Vierra (c 1879–1915).
Her paternal great-grandfather was William Kinney (1832–1915) who came to the Hawaiian Islands from Nova Scotia.
She was named for the mineral rubellite which is more commonly called tourmaline. Her grandfather was also known as K. West. Kinney to avoid confusion with his half-brother William Ansel Kinney who became a prominent lawyer
She was born on the island of Kauaʻi. From 1967 to 1993 she was on the faculty of the University of Hawaii, where she helped establish its Hawaiian studies program
She then became Professor Emeritus of Hawaiian Language and Literature and continued to publish.
Johnson was named one of the Living Treasures of Hawai"i in 1983 by the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawai"i. She was selected as an advisory committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights. She generally opposes the Akaka Bill.
She submitted testimony as an expert witness on March 1, 2005 at the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.
