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FDLP Resource Guides
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Then and Now Experiences of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders

Overview

Screenshot of "Creative Development and Production - NHPI [Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander] - Motivation - Print"

(Image source: NAID: 295812639)

Learn about past and present heritages and civil rights experiences of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, an individual's response is based upon self-identification of their race and ethnicity, and may identify with more than one. This guide follows the bureau's current definition:

  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander – A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands."

According to the 2020 Census Data, "nearly 200,000 people identified as Native Hawaiian alone, and 680,442 identified as Native Hawaiian alone or in any combination." Below is a screenshot of the data table providing more details:

Table 5. Five Largest Detailed Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHPI) Alone and Alone or In Any Combination Groups: 2020

Recognizing and Observing NHPI Heritage

In addition to Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, see below information on some annual NHPI events.


Date Event
First Monday in March

Guam History and Chamorro Heritage Day

  • Recognizes when Ferdinand Magellan discovered Guam in 1521 and celebrates the cultural heritage of the Chamorro people
March 26th

Prince Kūhiō Day

  • Celebrates the birthday of Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Piʻikoi (1871–1922)
June 11th

King Kamehameha I Day

  • Commemorates the unification of the Hawaiian islands by King Kamehameha I in 1810 and his legacy
Second Sunday in October

Lotu Tamaiti (White Sunday)

  • Celebrates childhood
December 8th

Santa Marian Kamalen Day (Our Lady of Camarin)

  • Observes religious services in Guam associated with the over 300-year-old statue of the Virgin Mary

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