"Food--Hawaii-Canning. Native girls packing pineapple into cans"
By Edgeworth, taken for the Katakura & Company, November 20, 1928
National Archives, Records of the Women's Bureau
By Edgeworth, taken for the Katakura & Company, November 20, 1928
National Archives, Records of the Women's Bureau
Included in the exhibit "The Way We Worked"
I've been enjoying the photos and participant photos at Sepia Saturday since I discovered the site last month. Since I don't have many "sepia photos" (not necessarily literally defined), I haven't been sure how I would participate. But this week's photo at Sepia Saturday of the tuna cannery worker struck a bit of a chord with me.
I remember one day as a teen, talking with my friends about getting jobs for the upcoming summer. It must have been the first year we were old enough to work. We had visions of making tons of money but weren't quite sure how we were going to do that. The idea came up of going to the island of Kauai to pick pineapples for the summer. Someone had heard it required taking a boat from Oahu to Kauai where you were given a place to live and all of your meals. Supposedly, most of the teens who went were scary juvenile delinquents. It was said that the work, from dawn to dusk, was unbelievably tiring while it was hot and miserable. BUT...you could make tons of money.
We all swore that's what we were going to do that summer. Never happened but boy did it feel good thinking we were tough enough to handle it.
That is a really interesting photograph! I was disappointed to hear that you never did get to experience the pineapple-cannery. Fascinating to see behind-the-scenes in such a place.
ReplyDeleteKat
We're such brave imaginers and so often, such wimpy follow-through-ers. I love this story!
ReplyDeleteawww,I was so looking forward to your interaction with the tough juvenile delinquents and how you reacted when it turned out they charged you for room and board after all. I love the story too. and good photo. Until this sepia saturday I never realized people hand packed the cans. Back then.
ReplyDeleteLovely story of a youthful dream.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting story and photo to share. Even through this sepia tone, I can feel the bright sun that surely was shining on them! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine how how and tiring that work would have been back then? Unsanitary, too, probaby, for that matter. Are you happy you didn't take the job or do you wish you had?
ReplyDeleteIntriguiong story and photo...
ReplyDeleteEven before the complete photo had drawn on the screen I knew they were packing pineapple. I remember going to the Dole plant in Honolulu as a child to see the whole process. And oh to step back in time and once again taste one of those glorious pineapples right from the field. Thanks for the memory.
ReplyDeletewell it's not to late to pck pineapple if you want to! I think better to have dreamt it and imagined it fun! Neat photo and a good take off on the tuna canning!
ReplyDeletean interesting photo and a fun story.
ReplyDeleteThose girls look so young! Barely in their teens. At least they were wearing gloves. The one on the far left looks like she'd rather be doing something else. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteKristin and Nancy - I can just imagine the stories I would have had if I actually did spend the summer picking pineapples! But, I think Pat is right. I would rather have the dream that I could have done it instead of the possibility that I couldn't handle it. Not in all things in life. But, definitely about an entire summer picking pineapples.
ReplyDeleteProbably just as well you didn't go. It was indeed the summer job of many Hawaii teenagers. One of my mother's friends worked in the pineapple cannery on O'ahu and is nearly deaf because of it.
ReplyDeleteA near perfect Sepia Saturday post : by unboxing your images you unbox and share thoughts and memories and we are all richer for it. Unbox many more please in weeks to come.
ReplyDeleteit must have been grueling work indeed!! glad to hear you did something else that summer.
ReplyDelete:)~
HUGZ