Maui's Filipino community previews 120th sakada anniversary with new Philip Sabado painting

Maui community leaders scheduled a Filipino American History Month event at the Maui Beach Hotel on 25 October to preview the 20 December celebration of 120 years since the first Filipino plantation workers arrived in Hawaii, with artist Philip Sabado unveiling a commissioned painting.

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December 20 marks the 120th anniversary of the arrival of the first Filipino plantation workers, the sakadas, in Hawaii, and several events are planned across the state, Hawaii News Now reported. On Maui, community leaders scheduled a Filipino American History Month event for Sunday 25 October at the Maui Beach Hotel to preview the December celebration.

Maui artist Philip Sabado is set to unveil a new painting commissioned by restaurateurs and business leaders Tante and Tilie Urban, which will be used as part of the statewide celebration. Sabado and the Urbans are descendants of sakadas and work to preserve that history for future generations. Bahay Kubo Heritage Foundation and Binhi at Ani Filipino Community Center will host the December event, called "Sakada Sacrifices…Our Future".

In 2015, then-Governor David Ige signed a law establishing December 20 as Sakada Day in Hawaii. The University of Hawaii at Manoa Center for Philippine Studies notes the sakadas arrived beginning in 1906 and laid the foundation for the state's Filipino community. On Oahu, the annual Sakada History Day is planned for Saturday 12 December 2026 at Hawaii's Plantation Village in Waipahu.

The anniversary has already inspired other tributes this month. The House of Gongs presented "DARAT: A Dance Runway in Five Movements" on 18 October at the University of Hawaii at Manoa to celebrate the 120th anniversary, with tables displaying replica ship forms bearing the names of the original sakadas, Hawaii News Now reported.