Seeds of Local: Japanese Americans in Multicultural Hawaii

Indeed, the story of the Japanese in Hawaii begins with the seeds of their identity sown by Issei forebears as they stepped off the crowded decks of ships from Japan and put down roots in the fertile soil of Hawaii. Adapting themselves to this place and to the native values and lifestyle of its people, immigrants from China, Japan, Portugal, Korea, Puerto Rico, the Philippines and elsewhere attempted to preserve their most cherished beliefs, shed others, and created still others totally unique to the collective local identity.

This exhibition highlights the Hawaii Japanese Center’s collection of books, photographs and artifacts donated to the center by local families. Generation after generation, Hawaii has continued to nurture its rich cultural diversity while adapting to inevitable changes in culture and lifestyle. As we move forward, however, it may behoove all of us to reflect back on these humble examples of food, clothing, housing, language, religion, recreation, values, behaviors and more—for they are the seeds of local that remind us where we came from and continue to define who we are.