P膩k膿 驶Ohana: Tracking Chinese Ancestry in Hawai驶i through Primary Sources,

December 4, 2:00pm - 2:00pm
Mānoa Campus, Campus Center Executive Dining Room

When filmmaker Robin Lung began research in 2022 for a new documentary about Hawaiian language newspapers (n奴pepa), she set out to explore how the writings printed from 1834 to 1948 continue to influence today鈥檚 artists, scholars, and activists. She didn鈥檛 expect the journey to lead her home鈥攖o her own family鈥檚 story in the Hawaiian Kingdom. In this talk, Lung reveals the remarkable life of her distant uncle Lee Ahlo, who immigrated from China in 1865, married a full Hawaiian woman Lahela Kehuokalani, became a successful merchant and planter, and emerged as a powerful voice for Hawai驶i鈥檚 early Chinese community. Drawing from rare n奴pepa articles and other primary sources, Lung reconstructs a vivid portrait of a man navigating identity, belonging, and resistance amid rising anti-Chinese sentiment and discriminatory laws. Her story opens new windows into the intertwined histories of Chinese and Hawaiian peoples and the shifting alliances that shaped the islands鈥 multicultural landscape. The lecture also offers a 鈥渉ands-on鈥 component鈥攇uiding viewers to explore archival sources for themselves and to reflect on the legacies of families like the Ahlo鈥揔ehuokalani 驶ohana in today鈥檚 Hawai驶i. Following her presentation, Dr. Jonathan Kay Kamakawiwo驶ole Osorio, Dean of the Hawai驶inui膩kea School of Hawaiian Knowledge and Robin鈥檚 former advisor, will reflect on the Hawaiian historical and cultural contexts of the n奴pepa archive and the evolving relationships between Native Hawaiians and immigrant communities. Professor Min Zhou, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Asian American Studies and Director of the UCLA Asia Pacific Center, will offer a comparative perspective on Chinese diaspora experiences, family narratives, and community identity formation across the Pacific. Together, their dialogue will explore a broader conversation about belonging, historical memory, and the power of storytelling to reconnect communities today.


Event Sponsor
Center for Chinese Studies, Mānoa Campus

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