History

The “People of the First Year” Were Hawai‘i’s First Japanese Immigrants Kei Suzuki Re-edited from “Hawai‘i’s AJA Pioneers” Editor’s note: The year 2018 marks 150 years since the Gannenmono, or “First-Year People,” arrived in Hawai‘i in June 1868. This first group of immigrants planted the seeds of today’s Japanese community in Hawai‘i. This milestone anniversary....

How Significant is “The Japanese Vote?” Richard Borreca Special to The Hawai‘i Herald Asking about ethnic voting in Hawai‘i is like posing the question: “Is it raining in Hawai‘i?” Yes, somewhere in Hawai‘i almost every day, rain is falling and, yes, Hawai‘i voters take ethnicity into consideration when they go to the polls. But it....

The Queen’s May 1901 Visit to Hongwanji Temple is Remembered and Celebrated Kristen Nemoto Jay Special to The Hawai‘i Herald This past Nov. 11 marked 100 years since the passing of Hawai‘i’s last reigning monarch, the beloved Queen Lili‘uokalani. The anniversary of her passing and the legacy she left in stories, her music, and in....

Twenty-five Years Later, Former Kaua‘i Mayor JoAnn Yukimura Remembers ‘Iniki’s Fury Richard Borreca Special to The Hawai‘i Herald On the evening of Sept. 10, 1992, the lives of JoAnn Yukimura and the 50,000 people living on Kaua‘i were about to change dramatically. Just after 6 p.m., Yukimura, the fresh-faced, new, liberal mayor of Kaua‘i, was....

Richard Borreca Special to The Hawai‘i Herald In 1968, Rona Adams, a retired Army captain now living in Kailua, O‘ahu, was serving as the head emergency room nurse for the 3rd Field Hospital in Saigon. Memories of that experience rushed back to her this past May during a Honolulu memorial service marking the 50th anniversary....

Forgotten ... and Now Remembered Karleen Chinen Originally published March 6, 1987 A woman lovingly arranges a bunch of fresh-cut flowers and leans them against the stark black and white wall. She brings her right hand up to her lips and tenderly kisses her fingertips as her eyes remain fixed on a name etched on....

Academy Award-Nominated Film is an Insightful Essay on Race Relations in America Alan Suemori Commentary Special to The Hawai‘i Herald In 1979, the great American writer James Baldwin sent a short letter to his literary agent Jay Acton, outlining an ambitious project that would require the author to undertake a long-delayed journey back into his....

The East Hawaii Hiroshima Kenjinkai celebrated its 50th anniversary on May 8 and 9 with members and special guests from Hiroshima Prefecture in attendance, including Gov. Hidehiko Yuzaki, Assembly Chairman Shin Uda, and delegation leader and Assembly member Masao Hayashi. The delegation’s visit included participation in an anniversary dinner; a tree planting ceremony at Lili‘uokalani....

Two UH Researchers Bid Farewell to Historic Center Kevin Y. Kawamoto Special to The Hawai‘i Herald Their names have been synonymous with oral history research in Hawai‘i for decades. But when the fall 2017 semester begins at the University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa later this month, Dr. Warren Nishimoto and Michi Kodama-Nishimoto will have already....

Wahiawä’s Pineapple Camp Nisei Tell Their Stories Gail Honda Special to The Hawai‘i Herald In the pre-World War II years, Wahiawä’s pineapple camps were scattered around the outskirts of the town proper. In these self-contained communities, the plantation workers and their families lived and worked together and bonded through both hardships and good times. For....