Center for Oral History » Oral Histories

Ethnic Groups

Explore the oral histories below or browse the entire Ethnic Groups archive at ScholarSpace.

Framework of Hawaiian thatched house. (Photo courtesy Martina Fuentevilla.)
Framework of Hawaiian thatched house. (Photo courtesy Martina Fuentevilla.)

Life Histories of Native Hawaiians

Nine individuals of Hawaiian ancestry, including a musician, nurse, entertainer, seaman, road worker, recreation organizer, cowboy, and schoolteachers, talk about their childhood experiences, cultural practices, and political involvements. November 1978, 488 pages, 1 volume, photographs.

Interviewee Ernest Golden (left) and Milton Jordan in Downtown Honolulu, 1943. During the war, Downtown Honolulu was a social hub for civilians and military alike. (Photo courtesy Ernest Golden.)
Interviewee Ernest Golden (left) and Milton Jordan in Downtown Honolulu, 1943. During the war, Downtown Honolulu was a social hub for civilians and military alike. (Photo courtesy Ernest Golden.)

Oral Histories of African Americans

Three women and seven men discuss family life, education, employment, segregation, racial violence, community life, political activities, and experiences in Hawai‘i. December 1990, 406 pages, 1 volume, photographs.

Book jacket of Uchinanchu: A History of Okinawans in Hawai‘i. The background depicts Okinawa, with the traditional starvation food sotetsu (sago palm) symbolizing the poverty from which many immigrants hoped to escape. The foreground depicts Hawai‘i, with the sugar cane symbolizing both the successes and disappointments Okinawan immigrants found. The ocean and sky pattern is adapted from a traditional Okinawan textile design. (Art by Wesley Kanetake.)
Book jacket of Uchinanchu: A History of Okinawans in Hawai‘i. The background depicts Okinawa, with the traditional starvation food sotetsu (sago palm) symbolizing the poverty from which many immigrants hoped to escape. The foreground depicts Hawai‘i, with the sugar cane symbolizing both the successes and disappointments Okinawan immigrants found. The ocean and sky pattern is adapted from a traditional Okinawan textile design. (Art by Wesley Kanetake.)

Uchinanchu: A History of Okinawans in Hawai‘i

The development of the Okinawan community in Hawai‘i is chronicled in articles and essays. Highlighted are life history narratives based on oral history interviews with first-generation Okinawans. Published by COH in cooperation with the United Okinawan Association of Hawai‘i. Distributed by the University of Hawai‘i Press. December 1981, 632 pages, photographs.