Japanese porcelain cups from a Hawaiian ranch cabin: alcohol, tea, and the socialization of immigrants

Summary

In 2007, five small porcelain. Cups were recovered from a rubbish deposit behind a cabin on a livestock ranch on the slopes of Mauna Kea volcano. At first glance, they simply confirm the presence of Japanese workers known to be on the ranch beginning in the 1890s. When considered in the context of racial and national prejudices that shaped labor relations during the 19th and early 20th century, however, they help tell a more complex story linking Hawaiian tradition, euro-american capitalists, and Asian transnational laborers. This paper uses these five porcelain cups as an entry point for an exploration of fundamental differences between indigenous and foreign versions of capitalism practiced on one Hawaiian ranch and the roles these ideas played in the socialization of transnational immigrants into Hawai`i’s ranching community.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Revelatory Power of an Artifact in Context   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-14,18