The Effect of Internment on Children and Families: Honouliuli and Manzanar

Abstract

The effect of internment in Hawai'i on children and families is considerably different from the mainland where families were interned together and camps provided schools, activities, and resources for internees. At Honouliuli, only a few children were interned with their parents, and there is limited information on their experiences in camp. The more compelling stories come from the few adults I interviewed who, as children, lived outside of camp under martial law in Hawai'i and visited their fathers and mothers in camp. This qualitative study contrasts interview data and literature on experiences of Nisei, who were teens in Manzanar, with adults of Japanese and German heritage, who were children with one or both parents interned at Honouliuli. Findings indicate that the participant groups share displacement in a time of political turmoil, weakening of the nuclear family unit, and changing women’s roles as a result of internment. The foundation of family cohesion was crumbling under martial law in Hawai'i and incarceration on the mainland.