Virginia Boucher

Cindy Rouzer

Soc1DE1

Las Positas College

26 May, 2006

Economics 

(Goldsberry, 113)

 When the Polynesians arrived on Hawaii, they brought with them the plants and animals to assist in survival as subsistence farmers.  The crops of taro and sweet potatoes were staples in their diet as were pork, chicken and of course fish.  The early Hawaiian people had a great reverence for the land and for the plants it produced. “ Plants are thought of as transformation bodies of gods…” (Beckwith, 93).

In contrast to these early days, there was a period of time when the whaling industry was a primary economic focus.  Following the decline of the whalers, commercial agriculture was big business in Hawaii.  There were acres and acres of sugar cane controlled by the commercial (and political) interests known as the “Big Five”.  The origins of the “Big Five” can be traced to the descendants of the missionaries.  As whaling slowed down, these business people focused on “supplying the machinery and general supplies needed by the sugar plantations.  This led to involvement in other industries such as shipping and refining the sugar.  The Big Five were all linked together by intertwining boards of directors.  This made them a virtual monopoly that could not be challenged” (Barnes, 38).  

The need to provide labor for these large plantations and for the pineapple crops, prompted the Big Five to begin looking outside the Islands for field workers.  The first group brought in were Chinese coolies hired on five year contracts.  In the late 1880’s the next wave of laborers were brought in from Japan.  In the early 1900’s the last wave of workers were brought over from the Philippines.  The unfair treatment and classification of these immigrant workers eventually led to unionization and the eventual downfall of the plantations due to the owners’ inability to maintain worker satisfaction with wages and remain competitive in the industry.

With the demise of the commercial agriculture, Hawaii today is greatly dependent on the Hospitality industry.  Tourism in “paradise” is alive and well.  Virtually every island except Niihau and Kaho’olawe (the military target range), are major tourism sites.  They draw visitors from the mainland USA and from Japan.  Many also travel to Hawaii from Australia and New Zealand.  Resorts are plentiful and range from plush and elegant to more laid-back and family oriented.  Each island has its own charm and style, from urban party-town to rural peace.

In visiting the islands economic focus with an eye toward the sociological perspectives we can see several theories in play.  Conflict theory is evident in the Big Five grab for land and control of the labor force.  Functionally, who could argue with the Polynesian approach of bringing the necessities with them to survive and thrive in their new home.  From the Interactionist perspective, the symbolic ownership of land marked wealth for Westerners.  It was not a symbol that meant much to the Hawaiians, and so they lost much of their native land to foreigners.