Spanish immigration to Hawaii facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Spanish Immigrants to Hawaii

The flag of Spain
Spanish immigrants crowd the deck of the SS Heliopolis in 1907 on their way to Hawaii.
Languages
Spanish, English
Religion
Roman Catholic
Related ethnic groups
Spanish Americans

Spanish immigration to Hawaii is about people from Spain who moved to Hawaii. This started in 1907. The Hawaiian government and sugar plantation owners needed more workers. They decided to bring people from Spain.

Spanish workers and their families kept coming until 1913. More than 9,000 Spanish immigrants arrived. Most of them came to work on the big sugarcane farms, called plantations, in Hawaii.

Spanish children from the SS Heliopolis after arriving in Hawaii.

First Spanish Arrivals in Hawaii

One of the first Spanish people to live in Hawaii was Francisco de Paula Marín. He was an adventurer who knew many languages. He worked for King Kamehameha I as an interpreter and advisor.

Later, Marín might have helped Kamehameha's son, Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III). He gave advice on Hawaii's new cattle industry. Marín had spent time in Spanish California. Kauikeaouli visited California in 1832. He saw how the Spanish vaqueros (cowboys) handled cattle.

Kauikeaouli was very impressed by their riding and cattle skills. He invited some vaqueros to Hawaii. They taught these skills to his own people. The Hawaiians they trained became known as "Paniolo." These "Hawaiian cowboys" still keep this tradition alive today.

Before 1900, very few Spanish people came to Hawaii. They were often counted as "Other Foreigners" in official records. Some may have arrived on whaling ships, but their numbers were small.

Spanish Workers Arrive (1907-1913)

Multiethnic Spanish Hawaiians

Spanish-Hawaiian boy, "Iago"

Spanish-Hawaiian girl, "The Chieftess"

In the late 1800s, the sugar industry grew quickly in the Hawaiian Islands. This created a huge need for workers on the sugarcane farms. At first, the Hawaiian government brought in workers from China. But people started to dislike this.

So, Portuguese workers were brought in instead. However, it cost a lot to bring Portuguese families to Hawaii. Also, many Portuguese workers left the plantations once their contracts ended. Because of this, the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association (HSPA) looked for other workers.

They thought Spain would be a good place to find new workers. Spanish people were also seen as more culturally similar than some other groups.

Spanish workers began arriving in Hawaii in 1907. The British ship SS Heliopolis arrived in Honolulu. It carried 2,246 immigrants from the Málaga area of Spain.

There were rumors about bad living conditions and food on the ship. This caused problems. So, the next group of Spanish immigrants was delayed until 1911. The SS Orteric arrived with 960 Spanish and 565 Portuguese immigrants. The Spanish boarded in Gibraltar, and the Portuguese in Oporto and Lisbon.

The two groups argued and fought during the long trip. They had to be separated. Even the women pulled each other's hair! Portuguese immigration to Hawaii mostly stopped after the Orteric arrived. But Spanish workers and their families kept coming until 1913. In total, 9,262 Spanish immigrants came to Hawaii.

Many Spanish immigrants did not stay in Hawaii. They moved to the mainland United States, often to California. They were looking for better opportunities. By 1930, only 1,219 people of Spanish background (0.3% of the population) were still in Hawaii.

Even though many Spanish people moved on, new Spanish-speaking immigrants arrived. These came from the Philippines and Puerto Rico. By 1930, they made up a larger part of the population.

Ships to Hawaii

Between 1907 and 1913, six large ships brought over 9,000 Spanish immigrants to Hawaii. These were all big, steel-hulled steamships. Earlier Portuguese immigrants often came on smaller wooden sailing ships.

See also

In Spanish: Inmigración española en Hawái para niños