Abstract
Anglo-American historiography traditionally marks the modern era of Hawaii with Captain Cook’s “discovery” in 1778. Since Hawaii’s incorporation into the U.S. in 1959, its history has been framed predominantly through an Anglo-American perspective. However, overlooked chronicles reveal the significant role of the Iberian Peninsula in shaping the islands’ history and culture. It is likely that Hawaii was first sighted in 1542 by sailors from the expedition led by Ruy López de Villalobos, a navigator from Málaga, who named the islands Las Islas de Mesa, de los Monjes y Desgraciada. Some scholars suggest that Hawaii’s traditional colors (red and yellow), featured in its official coat of arms, may have been influenced by the Spanish flag. In 1832, King Kamehameha III recruited Mexican vaqueros—descendants of Spanish cattle ranchers—to teach ranching, giving rise to the paniolo tradition, a term derived from españoles. By the 20th century, thousands of Spanish and Portuguese migrants worked in Hawaii’s sugar plantations, alongside Filipinos and Puerto Ricans, whose cultures had also been shaped by Spanish colonial rule. The ukulele, now emblematic of Hawaiian music, evolved from the Iberian cavaquinho. This paper explores Hawaii’s often-overlooked Iberian past, with a special focus on Spanish migration and its lasting cultural imprint. By revisiting these forgotten narratives, it aims to broaden the understanding of Hawaii’s diverse heritage beyond the dominant Anglo-American perspective.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2025 Special Focus—Oceanic Journeys: Multicultural Approaches in the Humanities
KEYWORDS
Hawaii, Immigration, Iberian Peninsula, Spain, Spaniards
