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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0469.001 1998-2000 TESTIMONY OF STEVEN C. TODD R~-"~- - ~ ~ REGARDING THE JAPANESE IMMIGRANT~i~~~1J~ Ail 10 15 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1999 LL o0 COUi'JT`( GF~ Hi'~nrr,dl I AM STEVE TODD, PRESIDENT OF THE EAST HAWAII HISTORICAL SOCIETY. HOWEVER, SINCE THE SOCIETY HAS NOT DISCUSSED THIS ISSUE, THIS SHOULD BE REGARDED AS MY PERSONAL TESTIMONY. WHILE I DO NOT SUGGEST WHAT THE COUNCIL SHOULD DO IN REGARDS TO LEASE ARRANGEMENTS, I WOULD LIKE TO OFFER A FEW COMMENTS ABOUT THE IMMIGRANT MUSEUM AND THE COLLECTION IT REPRESENTS. SOME OF YOU KNOW I HAVE BEEN INTENSELY RESEARCHING THE HISTORY OF THE HILO AREA FOR A PERIOD OF SEVERAL YEARS. THIS HAS MADE ME AWARE OF WHAT KIND OF HISTORICAL MATERIALS ARE AVAILABLE. WHILE WE PROUDLY REGARD HILO AS AN HISTORICAL COMMUNITY, WE RECOGNIZE AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NICHE BASED UPON INTEREST IN OUR HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL ASSETS, AND WE PAY LIP SERVICE TO PASSING ON KNOWLEDGE OF THAT HERITAGE TO OUR CHILDREN, HILO'SHISTQRY-INCLUDING THE HISTORY OF THE EARLY PART OF THIS CENTURY-IS NOT WELL DOCUMENTED. THE FEW COMPREHENSIVE HISTORIES THAT EXIST HAVE BEEN WRITTEN PRIMARILY BY OUTSIDERS, SATISFYING EIS REQUIREMENTS FOR CAPITAL IIvIPROVEMENT PROJECTS OR RESTATING THE INFORMATION THEIR PREDECESSORS HAD GATHERED. UNFORTUNATELY, MUCH OF THE MATERIAL NEEDED TO DOCUMENT AND UNDERSTAND OUR LOCAL Comm. No.! 6~9. oo'i''' File No. D' r M Ref. To: Preset ~ C.. Ref. Date OCf 2 6 1999 HISTORY IS NO LONGER HERE-SOME OF IT HAS BEEN DISCARDED BY THOSE WHO DID NOT APPRECIATE ITS VALUE; SOME HAS BEEN SOLD OR DONATED, OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRED, PIECE-BY-PIECE, BY OFF-ISLAND INTERESTS. IT IS TO MR. OKUBO'S CREDIT THAT HE HAS HELD THIS PARTICULAR COLLECTION TOGETHER, DESPITE GREAT INCONVENIENCE AND PERSONAL EXPENSE, AND KEPT IT HERE. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE HAS BEEN, AND IS, CONSIDERABLE INTEREST IN ACQUIl2ING ALL OR PART OF HIS COLLECTION BY INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS IN HONOLULU, ON THE MAINLAND AND IN JAPAN. TO THEM, THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS COLLECTION IS EVIDENT. BUT IT DOES NOT REFLECT THE HERITAGE OF THOSE COMMUNITIES; IT REFLECTS THE HISTORY OF OURS. IF IT IS ALLOWED TO LEAVE OUR COMMUNITY, IT WILL BE GONE FOREVER. WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE THE EXCELLENT LYMAN HOUSE MUSEUM HERE TO DOCUMENT THE MISSIONARY ERA AND MANY OTHER BITS AND PIECES OF THE ISLAND' S EARLY DAYS. THE NEW PACIFIC TSUNAMI MUSEUM IS DOING AN EXCELLENT JOB OF RECORDING ONE IMPORTANT ASPECT OF OUR HISTORY. IN MY OPINION, HOWEVER, THERE ARE ONLY TWO COLLECTIONS THAT COMPREHENSIVELY DOCUMENT HILO'S 20~ CENTURY HISTORY-MICROFILM OF WHAT IS NOW THE HAWAII TRIBUNE-HERALD; AND MR. OKUBO'S COLLECTION, INCLUDING WHAT IS CONTAINED UPSTAIRS AT THE IMMIGRANT MUSEUM AND THE VINTAGE, PRIMARILY JAPANESE-LANGUAGE, LOCAL NEWSPAPERS AND THOUSANDS OF PHOTOGRAPHS (MOST PRINTED ON METAL) LOCATED DOWNSTAIRS. MANY OF THESE ITEMS ARE ONE OF A KIND AND, COLLECTIVELY, THEY ARE UNIQUE AND IRREPLACEABLE. PARTICULARLY SINCE THE TRIBUNE-HERALD AND ITS PREDECESSORS DID NOT ALWAYS REFLECT THE PERSPECTIVE OF THIS ISLAND'S DIVERSE POPULATION, THE SOCIAL HISTORY REPRESENTED BY THE COLLECTION IS INVALUABLE. I THINK MUCH CAN BE DONE TO ENHANCE AND IMPROVE THE ACCESSIBILITY OF THIS COLLECTION. I BELIEVE IT CAN BE A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR RECEIVING GRANTS AND DONATIONS. I WOULD HOPE, ESPECIALLY AT THE DAWN OF A NEW CENTURY AND MILLENNM, THAT SOME ORGANIZATIONS IN TOWN WILL CONSIDER UNDERTAKING SUPPORT FOR THIS COLLECTION, JUST AS SOME ARE ORGANIZING A MAJOR FUNDRAISING EFFORT TO BRING A MAINLAND JAPANESE EXHIBIT HERE TEMPORARILY. WHILE THESE THINGS COULD AND, IN MY OPINION, SHOULD BE DONE, ALL SUBJECT OF COURSE TO MR. OKUBO'S APPROVAL, INTERIM ASSISTANCE IS CLEARLY NEEDED. FOR THAT REASON, I HOPE THE COUNCIL WILL SERIOUSLY CONSIDER THE RECENT CHANGE IN CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE IMMIGRANT MUSEUM AND DO WHAT IT CAN TO MAINTAIN THESE IMPORTANT ASSETS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY. MAHALO.