Filipinos the last wave. The End of Our Tour Of The Waipahu Plantation

Part 6

As we moved to the end of our tour we came to the Filipino houses. One house was a dorm showing how all the single Filipinos  lived. By and large they came to America in hopes of making their fortunes so that they could go back home rich men.

That bubble was burst when they arrived on the plantations, the last wave of immigrants, brought in for labor. Their long hours, treacherous work conditions and the very, very low pay made it impossible to save money. Their hopes of returning to the Philippines faded as the years wore on.

When they arrived they did not bring wives with them and in many places the ratio of Men to women was 20 to 1. Not having wives you can appreciate the following photos that show the bachelor conditions.

The above photo shows the threshold into the bachelor quarters. The small piece in the middle  is removable for a purpose. When sweeping the house  they could remove the piece and sweep the dirt out the door on to the grounds. Now tell me that isn’t clever?

Unfortunately not much was told to us about these rooms and we went through them so quickly that I barely got these photos.

Being that there were no women in the lives of these men fantasy must have played a large part in their world as seen by the decorations on their walls.

I am thinking that these posters that are seen here would have been very hard to come by during those days so I am not sure what they represent.

However, I do believe they may have taken photos out of the movie star magazines and posted them on their wall.

The weekend became a big event for these men as they would spend their earnings on going out and paying to dance with women. This would be the only time they would have any contact with them. If they were to meet any prospective bride it would have had to have been from the immigrant or Hawaiian population as they were forbidden to marry white women.

The Filipino men liked to play music and have parties. The lunas referred to them at times as children with their carefree ways. But I wonder if the shoe was on the other foot would they cut loose too as they saw their hopes and dreams slipping away? Would these bosses need to forget about where they are and the  dim light of their future?

Today, we have many Filipinos in the government and even have had a Filipino governor. All of the immigrants from the many different countries contributed to the islands in their food, ethics and culture. They survived the trial by fire making them a very strong people and it is their generations that today make Hawaii the diverse melting pot that it is.

Once again if you would like to visit the Waipahu Plantation Village you can go to this website for any information that you might need.  http://www.hawaiiplantationvillage.org/

My next tour will be that of the different shave ice stands that dot the island. It isn’t just Matsumoto’s.

It’s time to Roundup Monsanto

Kapiolani Park Waikiki Hawaii

I received this email today and thought it important enough to post it to my blog. As many of you may know I have not been happy about Monsanto moving their Frankenseed to Hawaii no less moving 3 blocks from my house as the crow flies. Their crafting genetically modified foods, I feel and have read, is causing many problems for farmers, animals and I am sure our health. If you would like to see a short video on just what Monsanto does please go to this site. http://www.hulu.com/watch/169440/cooking-up-a-story-seeds-of-life-david-vs-goliath

 

Dear Lovers of Kapiolani Park and All Our City Parks:

The other day I was walking through Kapiolani Park and I noticed the grass underneath many of the picnic tables and trees is yellow, much too evenly to be natural. I immediately called the Park Manager to confirm my fear: They have, indeed, sprayed Round Up , a herbicide,where kids play, where animals roam without warning anyone.
Round up is dangerous (please read below), and has been banned in more forward thinking cities and countries, and in most of Europe, for example. Round up is also bad for the trees and leaks into the water table and the ocean.

I urge everyone to call the Kapiolani Regional Park Manager voice your complaint. 971- 2510.

Me? I filed formal complaints with the Governor and the Mayor and our local Neighborhood Board put it on their agenda and I had an hour-long meeting with the Park Manager who claims that the herbicide cuts down on labor. Well, yes it does. But what is wrong with getting off that mower and using a weed whacker more often? I have walked the park informing parents, yoga groups, and picnic-ers. There are things worth preserving, things working this hard for. You can assume it was sprayed in all the other public parks as well instead of just lowering the grass growth naturally.

Thank you for calling!

WASHINGTON — The chemical at the heart of the planet’s most widely used herbicide — Roundup weed-killer, used in farms and gardens across the U.S. — is coming under more intense scrutiny following the release of a new report calling for a heightened regulatory response around its use.
Critics have argued for decades that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup and other herbicides, poses a serious threat to public health. Industry regulators, however, appear to have consistently overlooked their concerns. A comprehensive review of existing data released this month by Earth Open Source, an organization that wants to advance sustainable food production, shows that industry regulators have known for years that glyphosate causes birth defects and is linked with many leukemia’s.

Mary Lou Sanelli
Author/Speaker
http://www.marylousanelli.com
Newest Title: Among Friends