Center for Oral History at UH Mānoa

Center for Oral History at UH Mānoa COH was first established in 1976 by the Hawaiʻi State Legislature at UH Mānoa.

COH collects, documents, preserves and highlights the recollections of Native Hawaiians and the multi-ethnic people of Hawaiʻi.

This year, the Center for Oral History at UH Mānoa celebrates its 50th anniversary, half a century of collecting, preser...
09/19/2026

This year, the Center for Oral History at UH Mānoa celebrates its 50th anniversary, half a century of collecting, preserving, and organizing oral memories. A knowledge that no AI can access.
For 50 years, the Center has helped ensure that voices, experiences, and ways of knowing that might otherwise disappear become part of Hawaiʻi’s historical record.

The words of Waipiʻo taro farmer Robert Kahele are one example. Recorded nearly five decades ago, his memories allow us today to encounter not only the history of Waipiʻo, but his understanding of land, work, independence, and freedom.

In an age when information can be generated in seconds, preserving what cannot be generated feels more important than ever.

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Help us continue this work, recording the voices of today, preserving the memories of our communities, and making them accessible to generations yet to come. Link in bio to give.

The 1924 Filipino labor strike became one of the most tragic events in Hawaiʻi’s labor history. On September 9, 1924, th...
09/10/2026

The 1924 Filipino labor strike became one of the most tragic events in Hawaiʻi’s labor history. On September 9, 1924, the small town of Hanapēpē on Kauaʻi became the site of a violent confrontation that claimed the lives of 16 Filipino strikers and four police officers.

Between 1906 and 1924, Filipinos became the last major immigrant group recruited to work on Hawaiʻi’s sugar plantations. As newcomers to the plantation workforce, they were often given the lowest-paying jobs, poorest housing, and wages as low as $1 a day. These conditions fueled labor organizing and the 1924 Filipino strike across Hawaiʻi.

Because written historical records often reflected the perspectives of those in positions of power and some records were lost or destroyed, oral history became essential to preserving the experiences of Filipino workers and their families.

In 1979, the Ethnic Studies Oral History Project at UH Mānoa published a two-volume collection featuring the firsthand accounts of 34 narrators, including Visayan workers, surviving strikers, their wives, plantation and government officials, and other community members. Their testimonies offer personal perspectives on the strike, the Hanapēpē incident, and its lasting impact.

Dedicated to the Filipino workers and their families whose struggle and hard work helped shape a better Hawaiʻi, the collection ensures that these voices remain part of our collective history.



When written records leave out, distort, or silence the experiences of working-class people, oral history becomes essential. The Ethnic Studies Oral History Project at UH Mānoa helped preserve firsthand accounts of the 1924 Filipino labor strike by recording the memories of surviving strikers, their families, and community members.

Among those voices was Pedro Ponce, a Filipino laborer and participant in the strike. Decades later, he reflected on what the strikers were asking for: $2 for a day’s work.

From 1910 to 1950, roughly 5,000 people called what was once known as “the toughest district in Honolulu” home, a tight-...
09/02/2026

From 1910 to 1950, roughly 5,000 people called what was once known as “the toughest district in Honolulu” home, a tight-knit, working-class neighborhood built around sports leagues, corner stores, and neighbors who knew every name on the block.

One of the 26 voices in our Remembering Kakaʻako collection is Joseph M. Kekauoha Jr., interviewed by Gael Gouveia on October 16, 1978. Today, his memories live on in 1,252 pages of transcripts and photographs, preserved so future generations can read, learn from, and remember them.



This is the work your support makes possible: finding the people who remember, sitting down with them, listening to their stories, and making sure those stories outlive them.

Help us keep preserving voices like Joseph’s. Link in bio to give.

06/22/2026

Last week we had the pleasure and honor of working with the Bishop Museum, the Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities, Ka Ipu Makani, and the Molokaʻi Public Library to get to build pilina with and train amazing Te Rangi Hīroa Curators and Caretakers Fellows and community members on Molokaʻi. Some of the fellows even got to put their training into practice over the course of three interviews conducted at the Molokaʻi History Project. These memories, stories, and genealogies of peoples, places, and practices are so important to document. We are so humbled and grateful to be invited to these spaces to share what we can. Mahalo nui for a busy yet restorative week.

Today! 4:30-6:30pm, George 212 and Zoom. Join us for a screening of “Local People,”a dramatic stage production in 1981-1...
02/26/2026

Today! 4:30-6:30pm, George 212 and Zoom.

Join us for a screening of “Local People,”a dramatic stage production in 1981-1982 based on the oral history interviews conducted by COH and produced by former COH Director Chad Taniguchi. Playwright and director Tremaine Tamayose went through 252 oral history interviews to create a script that went on to be performed by kūpuna and Farrington High School students.

The show traveled the paeʻāina, with twelve performances held on Oʻahu, three on Hawaiʻi Island, three on Kauaʻi, and two on Maui for a total of 20 performances reaching nearly 10,000 audience members. The production was later video-taped by Hawaiʻi Public Television and aired in 1983, with copies made available to schools and community groups.

We are excited to share this piece of history from our archive and engage in meaningful dialogue about the value of oral history and what it means to activate these interviews in meaningful and respectful ways.

RSVP at the link in our bio.

Local People Screening & Talk Story with former COH Director Chad TaniguchiFebruary 26, 4:30-6:30pmGeorge Hall 212, UH M...
02/24/2026

Local People Screening & Talk Story with former COH Director Chad Taniguchi

February 26, 4:30-6:30pm
George Hall 212, UH Mānoa & Zoom

Join us to watch Local People, a dramatic stage production in 1981-1982 based on the oral history interviews conducted by COH and produced by former COH Director Chad Taniguchi.

In the program for Local People, Chad wrote: “For the actors, directors, and support staff this has been a productive learning experience-about Hawaii’s rich history and about some of the challenges of theatre. The students and seniors have developed more self-confidence, an understanding and appreciation of each other, and a spirit of camaraderie.
We hope LOCAL PEOPLE will contribute to your knowledge and understanding of Hawaii’s people and their history. We also encourage more discussion and reflective interaction between grandchildren, parents, and grandparents. There is much to be learned from each other.”

Playwright and director Tremaine Tamayose went through 252 oral history interviews to create a script that went on to be performed by kūpuna and Farrington High School students. The show traveled the paeʻāina, with twelve performances held on Oʻahu, three on Hawaiʻi Island, three on Kauaʻi, and two on Maui for a total of 20 performances reaching nearly 10,000 audience members. The production was later video-taped by Hawaiʻi Public Television and aired in 1983, with copies made available to schools and community groups.

We are excited to share this piece of history from our archive and engage in meaningful dialogue about the value of oral history and what it means to activate these interviews in meaningful and respectful ways.

RSVP at the link in our bio.

Local People Screening & Talk Story with former COH Director Chad TaniguchiFebruary 26, 4:30-6:30pmGeorge Hall 212, UH M...
02/20/2026

Local People Screening & Talk Story with former COH Director Chad Taniguchi

February 26, 4:30-6:30pm
George Hall 212, UH Mānoa OR Zoom

Join us to watch Local People, a dramatic stage production in 1981-1982 based on the oral history interviews conducted by COH and produced by former COH Director Chad Taniguchi. Playwright and director Tremaine Tamayose went through 252 oral history interviews to create a script that went on to be performed by kūpuna and Farrington High School students. The show traveled the paeʻāina, with twelve performances held on Oʻahu, three on Hawaiʻi Island, three on Kauaʻi, and two on Maui for a total of 20 performances reaching nearly 10,000 audience members. The production was later video-taped by Hawaiʻi Public Television and aired in 1983, with copies made available to schools and community groups.

🌟

Here’s a few reviews students from Waimea, Kauaʻi wrote to Chad Taniguchi in April 1985:

“I thought “Local People” was great because I learned a lot about my own heritage. And I didnʻt know that some people whipped someone for not working fast enough. itʻs a good thing that I donʻt get whipped for not working fast.
Sincerely, Walton.”

🌟

“I enjoyed your show on “Local People.” Now I kind of got the idea how they lived way back before. How hard it was for the Filipinos to get a job to earn money. Everybody was afraid of them. Iʻm glad those days are gone because Iʻm a Filipino. Your show was great!
Love, Cheryl”

🌟

“I really liked your show, “Local People.” Since the people acting in the show talked mostly Pidgin, it was easier for me to understand.
I learned a lot. I didnʻt know that my Japanese culture went that way back. I never knew about picture brides. I bet you learned a lot too—unless you already knew about all of the cultures before.
Anyway, Iʻve got to go now. Hope you enjoyed reading my letter.
Sincerely yours, Kara”

🌟

We are excited to share this piece of history from our archive and engage in meaningful dialogue about the value of oral history and what it means to activate these interviews in meaningful and respectful ways.

RSVP at the link in our bio.

Aloha!We are pleased to announce that a new scholarspace collection is launched. "Lahainaluna Native Hawaiian Boarding S...
04/11/2025

Aloha!

We are pleased to announce that a new scholarspace collection is launched.

"Lahainaluna Native Hawaiian Boarding Students Oral History Project"

Date: 📆 April 17, 2025
Time: 5:00 pm- 6:30 pm
Location: Zoom

Register with the QR code or through our bio linktree!

Between 2022-2024, the Center for Oral History (COH) conducted a mo‘o‘ōlelo (oral history) project focused on the memories of Native Hawaiian Lahainaluna boarding students from approximately 1950-1999. Led by Dr. Ty Kāwika Tengan and Graduate Research Assistant Wailana Medeiros with support from COH Associate Director Micah Mizukami and former Director and Professor Emerita Davianna Pōmaikaʻi McGregor, more than twenty interviews were conducted across the Paeʻāina (Hawaiian Islands) and nineteen were made available to publish. This project was generously funded by the HK West Maui Fund and would not have been possible without the support of the Lahainaluna Boarders Association and the Lahainaluna Library and Archives.

Congratulations to our Center for Oral History ‘ohana graduates! Your dedication to preserving history has made a lastin...
02/06/2025

Congratulations to our Center for Oral History ‘ohana graduates! Your dedication to preserving history has made a lasting impact, and we are so grateful for all you've done. Wishing you joy, resilience, and success on your next journey!

📢 Job Opportunity: The Center for Oral History is hiring for (2) positions.▪️1 Graduate Research Assistant (Center for ...
09/17/2024

📢 Job Opportunity: The Center for Oral History is hiring for (2) positions.
▪️1 Graduate Research Assistant (Center for Oral History, UH Mānoa)
▪️1 Undergraduate Research Assistant (Center for Oral History, UH Mānoa)

▫️GA Position
The Center for Oral History is hiring a Graduate Research Assistant to contribute to a special project documenting the experiences of Korean POWs in Hawai‘i during WWII.

📝 Desirable:
- Korean language proficiency
- Oral history experience

◽️Undergraduate Research Assistant
We're looking for a full-time UH Mānoa student with experience in conducting and transcribing interviews regarding Lahaina Jodo Mission.

📝 Desirable:
- Familiarity with Hawaiʻi Creole English (Pidgin)

Please see the links in our bio for detailed information, or scan QR codes.

Address

2560 Campus Road, George Hall 212
Honolulu, HI
96822

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 3pm
Tuesday 9am - 3pm
Wednesday 9am - 3pm
Thursday 9am - 3pm
Friday 9am - 3pm

Telephone

+18089566259

Website

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