Inaugural Hāmākua festival brings together former sugar workers; highlights new agricultural path

After graduating from Honokaʻa High in 1981, Darren Gamayo followed in the footsteps of many in his community and went to work for the Hāmākua Sugar Company, holding various positions that included knapsack sprayer, planter, supervisor, mill cleaning plant assistant and union shop steward.

He was loyal until the very end, working the final harvest in 1994 before being laid off.

“When they started to shut down, they used to eliminate jobs and positions. It was a chain reaction bumping,” Gamayo said. “But the funny thing was nobody held grudges because they already knew. They understand how the system works.”

On Saturday, Gamayo and many others who worked in the sugar industry were among the attendees at the Hāmākua County Fair, which was part of the inaugural Hāmākua Sugar Days Festival to celebrate and explore the rich history and legacy of the sugar era on the Big Island.

After the fires went out with the last of the sugar cane 30 years ago, Gamayo stayed in the area, moving on to a 25-year career in the Hawaiʻi National Guard. Now, he is a park ranger at the Waipiʻo Valley Lookout. 

While some former sugar workers followed a similar path as Gamayo, many had problems finding work in Hāmākua due to the abrupt end of the plantation that was the area’s primary employer for 100 years.

Families who had lived in plantation-owned housing also had to handle the changing cultural and social dynamics outside of their tight-knit communities.

To help, the Hāmākua Agricultural Cooperative was formed in 1994 as a way to create opportunities and a cooperative community for those displaced sugar workers and their families.

The group is still in existence, now offering farmers and ranchers the opportunity to sub-lease farm land from one of its 100 lots, which range between 3 to 20 acres from Paʻauilo to Honokaʻa.

During Saturday’s fair, Hāmākua Agricultural Cooperative participated in the Hāmākua Energy Agriculture and Sustainability Expo, which featured organizations, nonprofits and small businesses offering their expertise in traditional and modern farming techniques and sustainable practices.

“Some of these lots are not easy to access and the farmer or rancher will be responsible for fencing and irrigation, but we offer some of the lowest lease rates in the state,” manager Whitney Velez said. “You have to prove youʻre a bonafide farmer, or that you just got out of school or an agriculture program.”

Velez connected with GoFarm Hawaiʻi, a statewide training program for new farmers. It is dedicated to increasing the number of sustainable, local agricultural producers on every island.

“This has been an awesome time to network and meet people who have similar goals when it comes to local agriculture,” Velez said. “Itʻs really exciting to see (farming) as a pathway to a viable career for this next generation.”

After 1994, some former sugar lands were repurposed for diversified agriculture and there was a growing emphasis on sustainable organic farming practices in response to the environmental concerns associated with the industryʻs use of chemicals and pesticides.

For cattle ranchers, protecting the natural resources where cattle have been raised for centuries is extremely important and the major goal for the Hawaiʻi Cattlemenʻs Council.

“I’ve been giving my same speech about how to keep soil and grass healthy for cattle to everyone who comes by,” said the council’s Dylen Joaquin. “Sediment run-off can infiltrate the aquifers and our oceans, which impairs the fish population and our coral reefs. Cattle grass needs to be grazed evenly and given time for rest.”

Joaquin brought examples of cattle grazing grass to the Hāmākua Energy Agriculture and Sustainability Expo for people to see the difference in soil run-off and learn best practices when raising cattle for beef production.

“We want to help farmers and ranchers by providing them the knowledge that will make their grass better for their cattle, better for the environment and ultimately more profitable for them,” Joaquin said. “Education also ensures that the long history of raising cattle will be preserved for the next generation.”

While sugar is no longer the star of the show in Hāmākua, there is still a lasting impact from the era that goes beyond language, traditions, music and food.

Before the Sugar Days Festival, former Hāmākua Sugar employee Skip White found his memorabilia from over three decades ago and has it displayed at the fair. It includes a video of the final harvest, books of photographs, Pogs, T-shirts and hats.

“When I think about how the sugar industry created the melting pot of people who came from multiple ethnic groups from around the world, I canʻt help but feel that sugar made Hawaiʻi what it is today,” White said. “I was only there for the last 8 years, but looking through my old stuff was nostalgic for me. There are a lot of good memories.”

The Hāmākua Sugar Days Festival will continue through this week with four cultural nights and a few other events planned through Oct. 20. For more information, visit the Honokaʻa Heritage Centerʻs website here.