Library > Geography & Travel > North & Central America > United States > Hawaii

Sugar Roots

2000
The sugar industry was once the major economic source of Hawaii. Immigrants from the various Asian Pacific countries were brought to the islands on labor contracts to work the sugar fields. We are a land of multi-ethnic groups who have created a culture with the sugar plantations as the driving force. Our ancestors to the new lands to bring us hope and opportunity. We believe the sugar companies would continue to be a part of our economic future. Unfortunately that was not to be. This website is a commemoration to our ancestors, to let them know that their "sugar legacy" will continue to be a learning tool for us, the fifth generation and for future generations. That no matter where we come from, we take pride in our own heritage while embracing our fellow immigrants cultural differences. The sugar plantation created a "Plantation Family" providing jobs, homes, churches, and medical care. It also created something more, it created a sense of community, belonging and identity to displaced immigrants. With the creation of this site, we hope to continue the traditions that provided many of us with the knowledge of who we are, where we come from and how we got to where we are now. Knowledge that if lost, will be lost for all eternity. "It is said that when an ancestor passes on, a library closes." Anonymous