Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 6, 1 Iune 1990 — Waikiki oral history spans 1900-1985 [ARTICLE]

Waikiki oral history spans 1900-1985

The Center for Oral History at the University of Hawai'i, Manoa has completed a four-volume set of interview transcripts entitled "Waikiki, 19001985: Oral Histories." The study captures and shares with readers "Waikiki the way it used to be," and focuses on the changes experienced and observed by 50 of the area's longtime residents, workers, and business operators. Spanning the years 1900 to 1985, the interviews examine the community's transformation from one of taro fields and duck ponds, home-operated laundries and bungalow-type hotels to one of nightclubs, euno shops, and skyscraping hotels. The 1920s reclamationproject;the construction for the Ala Wai Canal; childhood play on the beach, at the zoo, and in the area called " Ainahau;" the antics of the "Stonewall Gang;" the work days of hoteI bellboys and Japanese laundresses; beachboy activities; World War II and soldiers in Waikiki; the visits of tourists; and sites and businesses that no longer exist in Waikiki are discussed in these interviews. "Waikiki, 1900-1985: Oral Histories" is available to researchers, students and interested individuals. Call the Center for Oral History at 948-6259 for a listing of Iibraries housing the volumes.