James Ho
Published: 2011-01-01
Total Pages:
Get eBook
The history of coffee differ from that discussed by historians of Western and Easterncultures ... vastly different in nearly everything historical. It is my finding thatcoffee was introduced from Southeast Asia long ago, perhaps from Java.This book is about coffee in these Hawaiian Islands and how it became one of themajor agricultural stimuli of Hawaii's economic growth beginning about 1818. Thisis a history about the legacies of early pioneer Chinese men who arrived in Hawaiiduring the era of Kamehameha I, stayed, married Hawaiian girls and ventured intonearly all agricultural activities, including coffee farming. It portrays a fascinatinghistoric story about these early Chinese men in Hawaii who, in spite of experiencingand enduring the white men's harsh, cruel and discriminatory treatment overcame allof these adversities and emerged successful in all their endeavors ... social, economicand, yes, even political.Therefore, this book is dedicated to these early pioneers, the Chinese Kona Coffeefarmers and their families who were responsible for the introduction of the famousKona Coffee, known all over the world today. They were the visionaries of the GeeHing Fraternal Society, forerunner of the Gee Hing Chinese Company CharitableTrust that is currently administered by the Bank of Hawaii - Trust Administration.In conclusion, since in-depth research must first be conducted and documented inwriting, the professional cast of the Hawaiian Chinese Multicultural Museum and Archivehas decided to publish a book to honor the legacies of these first coffee farmersof Kona. This historic publication reflects documentation based on research materialsuncovered mostly from the State of Hawaii Archives and from personal contacts withindividuals whose families were involved in the Kona Coffee industry.