Spring 2025

NHSS Hawaiian Youths Abroad 2025

Doctoral candidate Kale Kanaeholo traveled to Japan in March with Native Hawaiian Student Services as part of the unit’s Hawaiian Youths Abroad Program.

The program, originally established by Mōʻī David Kalākaua in the late nineteenth century, brings together Native Hawaiian students at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and follows in the footsteps of the program’s original, nineteenth century participants. In Japan, these two students were James Harbottle Hakuʻole (1872-1937) and Isaac Palea Hakuʻole Harbottle (1871-1948).

Kale’s research, however, focused on a relatively unknown figure in Japanese immigration to Hawaiʻi: Robert Walker Irwin (1844-1925). Irwin served as the Hawaiian Kingdom’s Minister to Japan and was heavily involved in the 1886 Immigration Treaty between the Hawaiian Kingdom and Japan.

Kale would like to thank Professor Noah Dolim, department chair Professor Kieko Matteson, graduate chair Professor Suzanna Reiss, professor emeritus Morris K. Lai, and many others for their support with his research and project.

Read more about his research into Robert Walker Irwin on his blog post here.