Hawaiian Cultural Treasure: James Ho

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Recommended: Sugar Plantation history in Hawai`i

Across the world, in every nation, are people who are considered to be cultural treasures. They cherish the land, the people, and tradition; but are humble and modest people. In Hawai‘i there are a handful of people that can even be considered of this prestige. James is one of these people. Due to his involvement with Hawaiian culture and history, and through his museum and his books, James is to be considered one of these cultural treasures. From the date of his birth, James has lived on the island of O‘ahu. He’s seen Hawai‘i through the times of the sugar plantations to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. By explaining his life from his birth to the present, it can be proven even though he is one of the many people of his generation he is a cultural treasure.
James’ background is one of the many things that set him apart from other cultural treasures. He has had such a huge part in the history of Hawai‘i, particularly the parts considered negligible by most people. James was one of the thousands of people that worked in the Waialua Sugar plantations. According to an online article, “The mill was producing eight percent of sugar in Hawaii…However, the plantation was unable to increase the tons of sugar per acre yields The Waialua Sugar Mill finally closed in October, 1996 due to profit concerns and was the last sugar plantation on the island of Oahu to close.” (Waialua) James had spent years loyally working at the plantation until a few years before it shut down.
Even in the short time he had worked there, it had left a huge mark on his life. James stated, “well, I was good at mathematics, when I was 13 years old the school recognized that when I was in the seventh grade. So the plantation offered me a job in the engineering department...

... middle of paper ...

...oking at the past. For someone who has spent their whole life looking forward toward the future, he never forgets look back and realize the importance of the past and sees how it can change the future.

Works Cited

Cook, Chris. "News." News. N.p., 4 Apr. 2013. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.
.
"Cultural Treasure: James Gim Yei Ho." Telephone interview. 30 Jan. 2014.
Gee, Pat. "Chinatown Museum Is Moving." Honolulu Star-Bulletin Hawaii News. Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7 Oct. 2001. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.
.
Mohr, James C. Plague and Fire: The Burning of Honolulu's Chinatown. New York:
Oxford UP, 2005. Print.
"Waialua Sugar Mill." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Nov. 2013. Web. 28 Jan.
2014. .

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