Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 4, Number 3, 1 March 1987 — Tracing Hawaiianized Chinese Surnames is lnteresting Project [ARTICLE]

Tracing Hawaiianized Chinese Surnames is lnteresting Project

By Kum Pui Lai Editor's Note: The writer, a member of the Hawaii Chinese History Center editorial committee, presented the following paper at the "Gathering of the Clans" Kona Genealogical Society Conference last December at Keauhou Beach HoteI in Kona. It is being presented here because of its wide interest among the Hawaiian Chinese community. No study of Chinese-Hawaiian surnames is complete without reference to the numbers in the Chinese and Hawaiian population. Likewise, no genealogical research of the part-Hawaiians will be complete without information on the use of these Hawaiianized Chinese surnames. In eaeh succeeding generation it will become more difficult to trace one's Chinese roots so this is a very important topic of research for genealogical societies such as yours and ours. Since the years 1788 and 1789, the years many Chinese and others contend that the first Chinese arrived in Hawaii, the Hawaiians have been receiving the Chinese with warm aloha. About 150 years later, in 1930, the U.S. Census tallied 12,592 Asiatic Hawaiians. These were mostly Chinese Hawaiians. That was the last census count of Asiatic Hawaiians as a separate racial group. At that time there were 27,179 people with only Chinese blood. After that census, the so called Asiatic Hawaiians were counted with the part-Hawaiians. However, in 1980, according to data analyzed by the State Department of Planning and Eeonomie Development from the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Hawaiians with Chinese ancestry numbered 19,680. During that census tabulation, the ancestry of persons classified as Hawaiian numbered 122,660, according to information based on the race of the mother and on selfidentification. Perhaps this is more accurate than the 1970 census when race was based on self-identification or race of father. Other compilations showed even a greater number of Hawaiians. The Hawaii Health Surveillance Program estimated in 1980 that there were 9,366 Hawaiians and 166,087 part-Hawaiians. (In a news release on Dec. 17, 1986, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs mentioned an even higher count of 208,476 Hawaiians and part-Hawaiians.) So you see that there is a large group of Hawaiians and part-Hawaiians, many of whom are also partChinese. Nor must we ignore the 65,708 mainland residents reporting Hawaiian ancestry; 32,145 are living in California. If we roughly estimate that 16 percent are Chinese-Hawaiians, then that number will be 10,513. I feel that any conference of yours should include your people from the nearest sister state. This is another interesting fact: One radio station in southern California estimated there are presently more than 170,000 exHawaii people in that area alone. Furthermore, in future conferences we must not ignore the 4,500 Hawaiians with Filipino ancestry and the 4,240 Hawaiians with Japanese ancestry. The Chinese-Hawaiian surname is formed by adding the letter or syllable "a" or "ah" to the Chinese given name, rarely a person's surname. For example, if a

person's name used in the Chinese style with his surname first is Lau Say Kan, his Hawaiian friends or census takers probably called him "Ah Kan." Later this may become "Akana." Actually, he is a Lau. You may know of David Akana, his surname is actually Yim. Akana may also be a Chun. Thus, a Hawaiianized Chinese surname may eome from a number of Chinese given names, usually only the last character or part of his given name. However, sometimes, the whole given name is used such as Aloiau. His surname was Wong; his given name Lo Yau; his Hawaiianized surname became Aloiau. In his geneaology chart of 505 names, 46 carried the Aloiau surname but a few carried the Wong surname. Of interest is the fact that only four carry other Hawaiianized surnames; although the mix of races or ethnic backgrounds is really mixed. Here is a partial list of Hawaiianized Chinese surnames with the equivalent Chinese surnames. AKANA— Yim, Chun, Lau AHANA-Chun AKAU-Loo, Yuen AKEONI-Chock, Chin AFONG — Chun, Au AI — Chung, Ng AKO— Ching, Chew AKONA— Goo Please remember that not all persons with Hawaiianized Chinese surnames are part Hawaiian-Chinese; some have onlv Chinese blood.

I mentioned earlier that you usually add "a" to the Chinese given name. We know ofother variations: Conehee and Conching have the surname Au. Ena may be a Zane and Keoniko a Lau. You may wonder how many such surnames are known? Probably about 100. In 1985 the Hawaii Chinese History Center reported 87 from the Oahu telephone directory. To add to this information on the current use of the Hawaiianized Chinese surnames I counted listings in the 1986 telephone books as follows: Hawaii, 200; Maui, 147; Molokai, 21; Lanai, 1; Kauai, 50; and Oahu 900. This makes a total of 1,319 listings. Let us roughly estimate that at least two persons in the same listing have these surnames; then there will be approximately 2,638 such persons. I am also interested in the socio-economic consequences in the use of Hawaiianized Chinese surnames. Is there less discrimination towards people with such surnames? Is it to one's advantage politically and business wise to use " Ahana" or "Akana" instead of Chang, Yamamura or Kamakau? I am also interested in their cultural adjustments and racial preference. An early study in 1934 by Richard Chow arrived at the conclusion that the Chinese-Hawaiian leaned towards the Hawaiian group. My own study showed that only five to 10 percent of the 2,834 Chinese-Hawaiians in the age group from 5 to 20 years attended the Chinese language school in the 1930s. Before all this information is lost, it is my sincere hope that the Kona Genealogical Society and the Hawaii Chinese History Center will jointly or singly publish a list of Hawaiianized Chinese surnames with possible Chinese various surnames so that future genealogical researchers will easier trace the Chinese roots for the partHawaiians.