A census in 2000 showed that over 9,000 of Hawaii's 1.2 million residents have Norwegian roots. A small group of Norwegians did well as planters in Hawaii, among them Captain Christian L' Orange from Halden. [1 ] As agent for the immigration office in Hawaii , he traveled in 1880 to Drammen even picking out appropriate working people . Advertise in Drammen Tidende tempted with free travel and free board on board , but the sign a contract for three years of compulsory labor on the islands . In the three years should immigrants get free room and board and a monthly salary of nine dollars for men over twenty years , and four dollars for women. It was somewhat smaller than others in Hawaii earned , so in reality paid immigrants the journey itself. But at the end of the 1870s there was a downturn for shipping and timber trade, with high unemployment and poverty as the consequence. People looked desperately about for a way to a better life .
27 October 1880 left the first ship with emigrants Drammen harbor . On board the bark " Beta " was the 327 adults and 69 children. Most came from Drammen area and central Norway , but there were also people from Sweden and Denmark. Most were between 20 and 30 year. As supplies brought with them the bread , biscuits , flour and water, live pigs and chickens . Family and friends took leave of hymns and tears in Bragernes chapel . It was also the last time they saw the travelers , for none of them ever came back .
On Christmas Eve 1880 rounded " Beta " Cape Horn. The day was celebrated hopefully with packages and good food, but thus took it too eventually with luck . More water bowl sprang a leak , the food was stale , and there was too little of it. During af journey four months died nine children and a man broke down and had to be kept confined in a cage on deck. At that time the Panama Canal not built yet , and the trip to Hawaii was thus four times as long as New York and resulted in two additional crossings of the equator .
18 February 1881 anchored " Beta " up in a cove on Maui island. Two months later arrived sister ship " Musca " with a further 200 emigrants . The welcome was harsh . Each received a paper attached to the chest . Then they were perishing Scandinavians transported to work sites in bullock carts . To avoid rebellion ensured immigration office to disperse them . Married couples and unmarried men ended at mills and sugar plantations. Unmarried women were domestic workers in Honolulu. Employers could , according to the contract duties buy and sell them . In reality they were thus slaves.
Granted, they got free room and board , but the lodging was clean barracks, and diet so spartan that they had to buy extra food for their own money. Come five minutes late , they were drawn half dollars of the small salary they received. When the disease was referred to physicians who were paid by plantation owners to declare them healthy , even if they were sick , and also pregnant women had to work hard until confinement . The work they are not fast enough , hit the foreman them with a stick . It ended with the strike and subsequent trial, as immigrants lost . 57 men to prison. [7 ]
None of the 600 returned to Europe. Some perished in poverty , others had gradually a tolerable existence, some by moving to the U.S. mainland. In Drammen was said that the expatriate drammensere went under the name " akameier " in Hawaii because they sighed heavily over its existence in the South Sea Islands , and said , " Akkameg ! " As an expression of it. However akamei means " bright , intelligent " in Hawaiian . "
Source: Wikipedia, but I have heard this story told before in Drammen. In Norwegian Akkameg means something like poor me...
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