Books About Honouliuli

 

Breaking the Silence: Lessons of Democracy and Social Justice from the World War II Honouliuli Internment and POW Camp in Hawai‘i

Edited by Suzanne Falgout and Linda Nishigaya
Published by The University of Hawai‘i at Manoa

Breaking the Silence: Lessons of Democracy and Social Justice from the World War II Honouliuli Internment and POW Camp in Hawai'i – Discover the untold stories of the Honouliuli Internment Camp, the longest-running POW camp in Hawai'i. This book features a collection of articles that shed light on the experiences of civilians and prisoners held there during World War II, and the lasting impact the camp had on Hawai'i's history, democracy, and social justice.

Breaking the Silence is the seminal book for Honouliuli Internment Camp. Essays written by University of Hawai‘i professors that were published in Breaking the Silence are free to download and read using the link below. This publication was produced with support from the National Park Service.

READ HERE: Breaking the Silence Essays

WATCH MORE: Breaking the Silence explores Honouliuli history

 

Honouliuli POW and Internment Camp: Archaeological Investgations at Jigoku-Dani 2006-2017

Written by Mary M. Farrell
Published by the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i

A free online copy of the book is available.

During World War II, the U.S. incarcerated at Honouliuli not only prisoners of war but also diverse U.S. citizens and resident aliens under the authority of martial law. This history was long forgotten until 2002, when the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i (JCCH) rediscovered the site, which had been known as Jigoku-Dani, or Hell Valley, to some of its civilian prisoners. Archaeological investigations undertaken by the JCCH and the University of Hawai‘i West O‘ahu (UHWO) led to the Honouliuli Internment and Prisoner of War Camp Site (State Site No. 50- 80-08-9068) being listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 21, 2012 at the national level of significance. As an internment site, Honouliuli represents the fragility of constitutional rights and the effects of martial law; as a POW camp, Honouliuli exemplifies the management of enemy troops, as the military balanced the need for national security and the need to comply with the Geneva convention. Thanks to the efforts of the JCCH, the National Park Service, UHWO scholars, the public, Hawai‘i legislators, and Monsanto Hawai‘i, which owned the land, the site was designated the Honouliuli National Monument by President Barack Obama on February 24, 2015. To facilitate the Park Service’s management, this report summarizes the archaeological work conducted before the site became a National Monument. It compiles information from several previous reports and the National Register nomination, and incorporates the results of the 2014 UHWO field session, the last before the site became a unit of the National Park Service. This publication was produced with support from the National Park Service.

 

Dark Clouds Over Paradise: An Overview of World War II Japanese American Confinement Sites in Hawai‘i

Written by Mary M. Farrell
Published by The Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai'i

A free online copy of the book is available.

This report, sponsored by the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i, describes what is left at 23 sites associated with the incarceration of civilians in Hawai‘i during World War II. Most of the civilians incarcerated were community leaders; many were U.S. citizens; some were targeted simply because they had helped immigrants with paperwork and forms required by their home country. Seven of the sites had been identified in a previous archaeological overview conducted ten years ago; since that time, researchers associated with the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i, University of Hawai‘i West O‘ahu, Maui Nisei Veterans Memorial Center, Kapi’olani Community College, National Park Service, and others have identified additional locations associated with the internment. Some of the sites look much like they did 75 years ago, and would be instantly recognized by those who were unconstitutionally incarcerated. Some of the sites have been completely razed, and in a couple cases, paved over: these locations were discovered by correlating archival information and historic maps with oral histories and local expertise. The sites are spread over six of Hawai‘i’s seven populated islands, from sea level to 4,000 feet elevation, from downtown Honolulu to isolated valleys. All 23 sites are potent symbols of injustice undertaken in the name of national security. This report includes the author’s recommendations for research, preservation, interpretation, and commemoration so that these places can honor the legacy of those who were unjustly interned, and remind us how we need to be vigilant and wise to live up to the U.S. Constitution and our American ideals. This publication was produced with support from the National Park Service.