Keeping the heritage alive at Hawaii's Plantation Village - Part 3 of 3 (+ videos)

June 30, 9:53 PMHonolulu Affordable Travel ExaminerSandi Yara

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Photos by Sandi Yara

Hawaii’s Plantation Village showcases the life and heritage of many Chinese, Portuguese, Japanese, Puerto Rican, Filipino, Okinawan and Koreans living in Hawaii today.  The immigration of these different ethnic groups was the genesis of Hawaii’s multi-ethnic population.  If you have not had a chance to read the earlier entries, here is Part 1 and Part 2.

The Village showcases a collection of buildings that immigrant workers would have used. Each house represents a different ethnic group and the houses are arranged by periods – early, mid and modern, roughly assigned to the ethnic group in order of their arrival in Hawaii.

As a docent (see photo) takes you through the Village, you’ll learn of the customs, plants and traditions that each group brought with them.  You will see how each immigrant group lived, struggled and sacrificed.  You’ll also learn the unique lifestyle differences between each culture and you’ll see how they adapted and shared with each other.

An extensive library of historical photographs on plantation history from 1830s to 1950s, documentary materials and artifacts are also available on site at the Okada Education Center.

The quaint gift shop offers homemade handicrafts, local cookbooks, ethnic music and more.

Hawaii’s Plantation Village’s volunteer docents lead tours at the start of each hour, Monday through Saturday at 10:00 am. The last guided tour is at 2:00 pm.  General operating hours of the Museum are Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.  Saturday hours are from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm.

ADMISSION:  Rates valid until December 31, 2009

• Adult (general) - $13.00
• Senior (62+ with ID) - $10.00
• Kamaaina/Military (with ID) - $7.00
• Youth (4-11 years of age) -  $5.00
• Children (3 years and under) - Free

Throughout the year, HPV puts on “Relive the Plantation Days” events which highlight the culture of one or more of the plantation heritage groups.  Those days are gone but HPV’s mission is to ensure that the lifestyles, struggles, sacrifices, innovations and contributions of Hawaii’s sugar plantation forbearers are preserved, known and acknowledged and visible as the cornerstone of Hawaii’s contemporary multiethnic society.  Here are a few images from their February event which celebrated the new year traditions of the Japanese (mochi-pounding) and Chinese (lion dance) groups.

Hawaii’s Plantation Village opened in 1992 and is a non-profit educational organization.

For more information about the Village and the significant period in Hawaii’s history that it represents, click here. 

Enjoy the 3-part video tour of HPV below.

The video tour is really no replacement for taking the actual docent-led tour so please find time to include a visit to Hawaii's Plantation Village soon.

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