The legacy of the Sakadas in Hawaii
From 1906 to 1946, approximately 125,000 Filipinos were recruited by the Hawaii Sugar Planters Association to work in the sugarcane and pineapple fields of the Hawaiian Islands. Less than 25 statewide remain, with four still living one Big Island. All in their 90s, soon they will be all gone but should be remembered and never forgotten.
They were called Sakadas, a word of Spanish origin, meaning lower-paid workers recruited out of the area. In Hawaii, the word is synonymous with these pioneers who came to seek their fate, or “gasat” in Ilocano, for a better life for themselves and their families.
