Early Maui Roots

Gazing out the airplane window as you fly in to Maui, one of the first things that you notice, besides the beautiful mountains and ocean, is the acres and acres of green sugar cane fields. Another thing that you might notice is the large billowing smokestacks emerging from what looks like a large factory. This is the Puunene Sugar Mill, the last remaining mill on Maui, and one of the last in the state. It is a reminder of bygone days when sugar was once king in Hawaii. Sugar cane was introduced to the islands by the early Hawaiians for subsistence. It was then capitalized upon by the descendants of the missionaries to become the most powerful economic force here, one which was destined to define the course of all aspects of Hawaii's history, ... and ours.

One of the biggest needs for this industry in its early stages was the need for labor. Workers were needed to tend the fields to plant and harvest, and in the sugar mills for the processing of sugar cane into molasses and raw sugar for shipment to the mainland. These laborers were recruited first from among the local Hawaiians, then they sought workers from China, Japan, Okinawa, Korea, and the Philippines. Supervisory personnel were imported from Portugal and other European countries. There was a recent article that described a small group of Africans who were also recruited for labor. Some of these workers returned to their native countries after their contract was over. Others stayed to make up the rich ethnic cultural mix of modern day Hawaii. Of the Okinawan immigrants who came to Maui in 1906-1908 to work in the sugar plantation fields was someone named Seichi Yonashiro, and later his arranged bride, Kame.