Pacific Islanders
Who are Pacific Islanders?
Among the many Asian Pacific American members, the Pacific Islander community is perhaps the least familiar to the average Washingtonian. The term "Pacific Islander" (PI) is used to identify the indigenous people of the Melanesian (New Guinea, Fiji, and Solomon Islands), Micronesian (Guam, Northern Marianas, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau), and Polynesian (New Zealand, Tonga, Marquesa, Tahiti, Hawaii, and Samoa) islands in the South Pacific.
Immigration Patterns
Historically, little is known about the migration patterns of PIs in the U.S. since their migration trends were not recorded before the 1980 Census. However, we do know from locally recorded history that during the 1700’s, native-Hawaiians entered Washington as sailors and laborers recruited for the booming fur trade. Many would eventually intermarry with the Indians, settle in Washington, and leave their mark in the community. Kanaka Bay on San Juan Island, for example, is named for the Hawaiian sheepherders who settled there.
PI Concern: Academic Performance in the New Education System
Little is known about the academic performance of PI students since PI statistics are undifferentiated within the larger APA category. However, there are ample observations to suggest that PI students are academically at-risk. Von Paul Patu, coordinator for the South Pacific Islanders Educational Support Services, states that PI children are struggling to do well in K-12 schools, especially under the state’s new education reform system. The results of the most recent Washington Assessment on Student Learning (WASL) tests in the 4th, 7th and 10th grades from schools that have high PI student populations seem to confirm these struggles. Mr. Patu says, "South Pacific Islanders [students] must be equipped to face the new testing or else they will fail. The State must provide good funding to bring up [the students’] capacity to deal with the testing in order for it to be equal. Otherwise, there will be real chaos in the education system."
Exclusionary Laws
In 1849 and 1850, respectively, the U.S. denied Hawaiians the right to become American citizens and the right to claim land. As a result, many returned to Hawaii while others moved to California where they were still valued as seamen. Also, due to strict exclusionary laws, PI emigration remained minimal prior to 1941. At the end of WWII, the U.S. increased its territorial areas to include Guam, American Samoa, and the North Mariana Islands and adopted Hawaii as the 50th state. As a result, PI emigration to the U.S. mainland increased.
Current Population and Challenges
Today, economic and educational opportunities continue to draw PIs to the continental U.S. According to the 1990 Census, Washington had 211,292 APA residents. Of this population, PIs made up 6.6% (5,047 Hawaiian; 3,589 Samoan; 3,816 Guama-nian; and 1,481 other PIs). The majority of PIs reside within the urbanized areas of King, Pierce, Snohomish and Spokane counties.
Among the greatest challenges for the PI community is disaggregating their unique characteristics from the greater APA collective. Also because PI communities in Washington are ethnically and culturally diverse and are relatively small in number, they often lack access to state and local governments. As a consequence, PI needs are usually not adequately met. For example, there is not enough detailed information about the academic performance of PI students. In order to begin to understand the unique issues in the PI community, PI data collection around academic performance as well as social and health services, for example, must be distinguished from the greater APA category.
Sources: http://www.pafb.af.mil/DEOMI/aahm.htm; Gail Dubrow, et al, "The Historic Context for the Protection of Asian/Pacific American Resources in Washington State," 1993.
