'Toy napigket nga daga
Pitpitenmi nga umuna
Danggayanmi't kankanta
Takkiagmi a napigsa
Kettang ken bannogmi
dikam igingina 

     Mannamili
     Ilokano Folk Song

ABSTRACT

          This paper looks into the life stories of sakadas—the sugarcane contract workers—who came to the Hawaiian Islands on December 20, 1906. The sakadas left their families and their country to work in Hawaiian sugar plantations. Peasant farmers, they have been imported to become plantation laborers.

The sakadas initially thought that they were in the land of glory, but were disappointed to find that life in the islands was not as easy as they had in mind. They were determined to return to the Philippines after saving enough money in order to have a better life there. Those who returned to the country were called “Hawaiianos.”

The Hawaiian Sugar Planter’s Association was a voluntary organization of sugar plantation owners in the Hawaiian Islands. The HSPA’s objective was to promote mutual benefits between members and plantation owners, and the development of the sugar industry in Hawai`i. It conducted scientific studies and gathered accurate records about the sugar industry.

The “lunas” or plantation bosses were usually Hawaiian, German, Portuguese, or Norweigan, which caused racial conflict as other ethnic groups could not achieve such a high position, and acquisition of agricultural knowledge and skills.

          To sustain constant demand for labor, the HSPA conducted a systematic, organized recruitment of Filipino laborers. Labor recruiters went to the Philippines and set up recruitment centers in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, and Cebu. In 1906 the first fifteen Filipino laborers came to Hawai`i to work and experience life in a foreign land, curious about the wild rumors of alleged animals roaming the islands and devouring the people. Recruitment campaigns persisted and the “success” stories of the first repatriated Filipino sugar workers or sakadas, called “Hawaiianos” in the Philippines, eventually encouraged Filipino migration. This study then assesses the kind of improvement of the quality of life of the Hawaiianos and their descendants.

Nakem Centennial Conference Secretariat
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