Cane Knife

Posted in Collection, Japanese American by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program on April 22, 2009

Cane knives were used by Japanese American laborers to harvest sugar cane (kachiken) in Hawai‘i. By 1890, 72 plantations in Hawai‘i produced about 260,000,000 pounds of raw sugar.

Many plantation workers worked under harsh conditions from dawn to dusk, earning $4.00/month until 1885. By 1920, the average wage for common laborers increased to $20.00/month.

Gift of Barbara Kawakami. Photo by Smithsonian National Museum of American History Archives.