Hawaiian History Month

September marks Hawaiian History Month, a month-long event, started in 2020, to honor the legacy of Queen Liliʻuokalani and celebrate the cultural heritage of Native Hawaiians. September also marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, which gives us an opportunity to highlight our rich, cross-cultural connections.

Francisco de Paula Marín was a Spanish immigrant who arrived in Hawaiʻi in the late 1700s and, later, became an advisor to King Kamehameha I. Marín is credited with cultivating much of the non-native crops that are now identified with the islands, including coffee, mango, guava, and pineapple.

Cattle arrived in Hawaiʻi in the late 1700s as well, when British Captain George Vancouver gifted six cows and a bull to King Kamehameha I. By 1812, wild cattle roamed mountain slopes and ranching began in earnest. Kamehameha III invited a number of Mexican vaqueros to teach his people how to rope, slaughter, and breed cattle. They also taught riding and roping techniques; and thus the paniolo, Hawaiian cowboy, was born.

Paniolos crafted their own style of saddle and gear, and influenced Hawaiian music; but they reached world class recognition in 1908, when three Hawaiians took honors in Frontier Days, the world rodeo steer-roping championship.

Cattle and sugarcane crops boomed around the turn of the 20th century, and with it the need for more plantation workers. Hawaii saw an influx in migration, with workers coming from Puerto Rico and Portugal. Portuguese migrants introduced the ʻukulele to Hawaiʻi, which has had an outsized impact on Hawaiian music, language, and dance.

Today, about 11% of Hawaiʻi's population identifies as Hispanic and it is one of the fastest-growing demographics in the state, increasing more than 80% since 2000, according to Census data. Hispanics and Latinos are drawn to Hawaii for a variety of reasons. Many fill vacancies left in the hospitality sector, as more Hawaiʻi residents move to the continent. Some are drawn by military employment. About 38% of the populace work in management, business, science, and art-related occupations.