Naimas! The Rise of Filipino Foodways in Hawai‘i

Abstract

Abstract: In this article, I situate my research by employing standpoint theory to chart the evolution of Filipino Foodways through the daily lives of Filipina/o/x women in Hawai‘i to illuminate, make explicit, and make visible Filipina/o/x women’s knowledge and epistemologies. I argue that we can learn what needs to be remembered, retold, relearned, and retaught in order to reconnect within the fields of education, ethnic studies, history, and food studies by studying what has been systematically pushed aside and forgotten. My goal is to amplify and uplift the narratives of Filipina/o/x women who have engaged in alternative archives and economies. In addition, I also show how Filipina/o/x foodways in Hawai‘i persist through the transmission of ancestral knowledge despite attempts at erasure via colonial foodways in the Philippines and in the diaspora. We can understand our values, identities, and tastes today by studying Filipina/o/x food stories and history, as well as begin healing from intergenerational trauma while combating colonial mentality and resisting discriminatory practices.