I am homegrown product. One side of my family history can be traced to the Filipino immigrants who came to work on the plantations in Hawaii in hopes of earning money to send home to family in the Philippines as well as the hope of a better future.
Patsy Iwasaki's "Hamakua Hero" is a graphic novel that relays the true story of an immigrant from Japan who came to work a plantation on the Big Island. Both the encouraging and tragic events of his short life in Hawaii set the foundation not only for the future generations, but also for a community. In the movie "Picture Bride" by Kayo Hatta, we see plantation life from the perspective of a young Japanese woman who comes to Hawaii in an arranged marriage to work on a plantation with the end goal of earning enough money to return to Japan in the near future. In the documentary, "Mabuhay With Aloha", we see the same plantation life perspective of the first Filipinos to Hawaii. The hardships all these people endured are the foundations our generation has built upon and grown from.
Looking back further in time on film, we have "Hawaii" based on the James Michener novel, and "Princess Kaiulani" by Marc Forby. These movies show the colonization of missionaries in Hawaii and the dissolution of the Hawaiian monarchy respectively.
Moving forward in time to present day, we have "The Descendants" by local author Kaui Hemmings Hart that relates the story of the heirs descended from the marriage between a missionary and a woman of Hawaiian royalty. One subplot has the heirs faced with the decision of selling the land that has been passed down through generations for development. The story also holds themes of anger, infidelity, and power as we have seen in other movies this semester.
Our present has been shaped by our past here in Hawaii. We have the knowledge of our past to help us define our future.
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