The Sakada Story | The Filipino-Hawaiian Connection

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

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.

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. ❤

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.

My grandpa came to Oahu to work in the fields and my grandmother is pure Kanaka Maoli from the island of Hawaii. My father and every ancestor before him on his mother's side were born in the Kingdom of Hawaii :)

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.

my great Uncle is one of the Ilocano worker group that work in Hawaiian plantation and also fight in WW2 (possibly forced to fight by the Americans)

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.

Awesome story

Great info, thank you, please continue.

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

well done

❤️❤️❤️🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭💙💙💙Hawaii

Agyamannak para sa explanation of the Sakadas..... Aloha!

Background music so loud

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

You forgot about the Philippine American war

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

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

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