The Sakada Story | The Filipino-Hawaiian Connection

Have you ever noticed that Hawaii is super Filipino? It’s the state’s largest ethnic group and if you’re especially observant, you might have picked up that Ilocanos in particular make up the most of Hawaii’s Filipino population.
There’s a story behind that, and it’s tied to the present day political dynamics of the state, solidarity with Black and Japanese American movements, and significant improvements in working conditions.
Zoom a little further out and you’ll see the story of two island nations- one a kingdom turned into a state by imperialism, the other a collection of tribes turned into a nation by the forces of colonialism. Two histories running perpendicularly to each other, in the Pacific.
Here’s the story!

[@lillileong5108]

Filipinos and Polynesians share ancient ancestral roots. Therefore we are cousins.

[@tracyalan7201]

Fairly good. One of the bigger reasons that the Philippine's leaned towards Independence is that they had Filipinos like you mentioned making the idea of identity as their own nation. I've heard of a couple of writers like you mentioned that fostered the ideal of identity/unity among the islander groups, which presented the idea of Filipino first, and territory of Philippines second. Whereas, in the islands, with Japanese, Filipino, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Hawaiian and then European and American population. It was the Big 5 business, mostly from Missionary/Mercantile families dominating the Sugar, Pineapple and other businesses in the islands. The other ethnic groups were pushed to Americanize their lifestyle, language, heritage to a lesser degree, education for subsequent generations were to be educated Western/Americanized for advancement/social standing. The advent of the WWII, where the second-generation Japanese (NISEI) had a sizeable population by then, with the internment of the continental Japanese & Japanese Americans, forced the NISEI and government about loyalty, which they formed the 100th Battalion (originally the Hawaii Territorial Guard members) and the 442nd. Due to the recognition of the units being the highly decorated unit, the veterans after losing so many NISEI to death, wounds, they returned and got educated. They had already seen how Black Americans were treated as second class citizens, they had known about the union resistance and violence on their families in Hawaii, and had been in German & Japan, where rebuilding Japan brought in labor unions to deal with the establishing equity and organized labor to deal with corporate business alliance with the military. Returning veterans, unions allied themselves to political parties for local/national political seats and then Statehood for equity. The Philippine's choice of freedom was something that the Filipinos in the war of resistance against the Japanese were due independence, which was one of the arguments that Japan used about non-Asian colonial rule of Asia, which is why they wanted an Asian sphere of influence with Japan at the top.

[@lorenaandres6282]

my father was also a SAKADA immigrant worker he arrived in Hawaii around 1930 according to him, I'm planning to visit Hawaii to do some research about his life back then, we lost all his pictures during the typhoon in the philippines, so hoping i'd be able to find one. ❤

[@cardiac161]

Mahalo nui i keia wikio! Salamat! My great grandfather on the mother's side were part of the sakadas that went to Hawaii back in the 1930s. I am so fascinated with this history and the relationship between Hawai'i and the Philippines.

[@jcej6197]

Great info, thank you, please continue.

[@MaluhiaCastillo]

Mahalo for sharing so much of this vital information. Its not a criticism but i feel its worth mentioning that the vote for statehood was largely weighted in favor of the US as many people were not allowed to vote and the options that were given did not include the option to return to an autonomous country which most of the population was hoping for. It was a rigged voting system that also required anyone who voted to speak English as a primary language therefor disenfranchising hawaiians further.

[@ufa621]

We have a winner. I'm glad some unfortunately not a lot are actually paying attention. If people actually really knew the real story about what the Americans did to the Kingdom of Hawai'i. Aloha sister 🤙🏾

[@tracyalan7201]

The statement might be difficult to validate, as considering the number of immigrants that arrived at the islands had a primary language other than English. If the statement is correct, then it would have excluded a huge number of immigrants and whether they were nationalized by then. That would mean only those voters, who's primary language of English, which would have included all the offspring of 1st generation foreign immigrants to the islands to be able to vote. It would be narrowed down by census records of the number of non-English residents there were around that time but given the population growth of Statehood. Furthermore, with the returning veterans of WWII of all nationalities from Hawaii, returning and voting for Statehood or not, would be an either-or vote. Bringing up an option of an autonomous country would not have prevailed given the economic/legal/social and political institutions at the time. While I don't agree that the overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy was right, it is unknown what a future as a Independent Pacific Island nation would have developed if it hadn't been overthrown. During that period of time, countries were swallowed by European/Asia entities as experienced in China, Korea, Africa and South East Asia.

[@ufa621]

@@tracyalan7201 @tracyalan7201 And your point is whataboutism? Let the cards play out as they come. The good with it or the bad. What gives any nation the right to dictate any others. That whole if it wasn't for america Hawai'i would be speaking Chinese, Russian, or what have you is silly. th-cam.com/video/cIMa5Kg5nC8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=51HigsTsp1LMwu7m

[@ufa621]

@@tracyalan7201 th-cam.com/video/cIMa5Kg5nC8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=51HigsTsp1LMwu7m

[@ufa621]

@@tracyalan7201 th-cam.com/video/Lj9EHsR0LNg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Ml1pM-aptLC_xTLf

[@Errr717]

You got the history right on. You might’ve want to dig deeper a little bit more and have a vlog for each detailed account. I have some excellent references if you’re interested.

[@dianaragub-schwartz4416]

I randomly stumbled upon this after looking for a musubi recipe. This got me teary-eyed. 😢 Damn! We were fuckin' slaves.

[@frankiefernandez9225]

❤️❤️❤️🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭💙💙💙Hawaii

[@junnalynfuertes7377]

Background music so loud

[@TitoGaryB]

Awesome story

[@LivN25]

My grandfather from the Phillipines was hired by one of the sugar cane companies in the 1950s. We’ve found the ship manifesto he came over on and then later his wife, my grandma came over on a separate ship. I’ve always wondered how those companies exploited workers like my grandfather. One way I believe they were exploited was through the marijuana business but I’ve never found proof.

[@user-zr7hk6vu1h]

I have lost history here, great video.
My grandfather said he was born there, 1918

[@user-zr7hk6vu1h]

My mother was Filipino, Grandfather argued with her that he and his father was deported because of pearl harbor bombing. Not sure on how true that is

[@zacharyguerpo3018]

You forgot about the Philippine American war

[@CraigSakada]

Grew up on Oahu. My by know Ilocano and English. Crazy right!

[@harrymiram6621]

FYI, Philippe...When W is at beginning of the word, pronounce as "W"..e.g...Waikiki, Waialua, Waianae, Wahiawa. When in mid-word, "W" pronounced as "Vee"...e.g...Halawa, Alewa, Ewa, awiwi(Ah-vee-vee)=Quickly/Swiftly/Hurry

[@JayliFlynn]

So much of our cultures have been taken away may god see its ppl and help them

[@Tagean]

MAHARLIKA KINGDOM 🇵🇭 Hawaii was part of Maharlika and and all of micronesia

[@sending_pills]

many sakadas were essentially treated as slaves, even tattoo’d with numbers for identification

[@karlos_infamous]

I think many Filipinos migrate to Hawaii because of the better opportunities and benefits that the US is providing since Hawaii is the 50th state of the USA 🇺🇸

[@dawnearly]

Yeah that's true , it starts from an unskilled Filipino sugarcane farmers who migrated and started making a family for a better life and now their grandchildren become professional in Hawaii

[@karlos_infamous]

@@dawnearly just curious, in terms of politics, do Filipinos in Hawaii support the Hawaiian independence movement? Some native Hawaiians (kanaka maoli) want independence from USA since the annexation was illegal.

[@RenzaissanceTV]

Sucks most of them just get sent to poor neighborhoods

[@marvmahuka9531]

I would appreciate if the focus wasn't on the integration of any single race while hawaiians are displaced and disregarded , it bewilders me that the USA that is responsible for the decline of native hawaiians keep sending ANY people here while our people are being kicked out of our beaches and parks. The american dream is the Hawaiian nightmare

[@JustSayItBruh]

A LOT OF RACISM TOWARD THE FILIPINOS OF HAWAII. THERES IS NO CONNECTION, FILIPINOS WERE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF BY THE CONTRACTORS WHO BROUGHT THEM HERE FOR HARD LABOR.

[@JayliFlynn]

My dad said tht royal sugar cane took much of our ppls land for almost nothing
Making plantations across the islands