Interview
Kam Wah Chung Museum Tour
[00:00:00] Carolyn: I am Carolyn Meisenheimer. I’m the curator of the Kam Wah Chung Museum. Actually I have worked here 25 years as of this year I tell people the story that goes with the building. And then answer questions and just generally give them what. Let them look around and see what’s in the building. This is my 25th year of working with it.
Transcript
Ruthanne Lum McCunn re: Polly Bemis
Interview by Sara Kolbet
1 Disc, 44:42, 16 Tracks
TRACK 1 – 1:53
GETTING READY
Professor Wayne Maeda
Rainjita Geesler
Agricultural contributions scholar
R: Talk about the early Issei farmers and when they first started to come to this country.
The issei farmers were essentially enticed to come to Hawaii, Hawaii plays a major role on a sugar plantation. SO they recruited Japanese from Japan. About 148 or so in 1868. It was still illegal for Japanese to immigrate, but they allowed a small group to come, and it really wasn’t until 1886 that immigration was legal. So immigration begins in 1880’s90’s. Sugar plantation owners are recruiting Japanese from southern part of Japan, so once the word gets out that they can make money in Hawaii that precipitates other Japanese to continue to come to ha and california were the wages were higher.
