Pacific Islanders

In the United States, the term Pacific Islanders is used to refer to people of a certain heritage; most of these people are from Polynesia, but they also come from Micronesia and Melanesia. People from Samoa and Guam and native Hawaiians are some of those included in this categorization. This group does not include people in the Asian classification, which includes Filipinos, nor does it include the Maoris who live in New Zealand, despite the fact that they are of Polynesian decent.

The U.S. census for 2000 shows that 874,000, or 0.03 percent of the world population of people classified as Pacific Islanders, resided in the United States at that time. Although Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas are U.S. territories or protectorates, the populations of these countries were not included in the above number. This number has risen drastically from 1990 census, in which only 365,000 Pacific Islanders were counted. Almost three quarters of the U.S. population of Pacific Islanders lives in the western United States, and more than half of them reside in either California or Hawaii.

Hawaii especially is important, as it was the destination of many westward migrations of people from Melanesia and Polynesia. The earliest of these voyages are believed to have taken place around 450 CE. The efforts of missionaries, especially the Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, helped acclimate the Polynesians to the Anglo-American world and vice versa. This also led to U.S. involvement in these areas as the United States attempted to spread its influence around the world. World War II was an important event leading to an increase in emigration of the Pacific Islander population. The crucial role that the Hawaiian Islands played in the defeat of Japan led to Hawaii becoming the 50th state admitted to the Union in 1959. The admission of Hawaii to the United States meant that the United States suddenly had a large Pacific Islander influx all in one day. Guam, the Marianas, and the islands of Polynesia also were crucial in the Pacific theater during World War II. The close relations between these territories and the United States made the emigration to America a much easier and more regular occurrence.

Today, Pacific Islanders are coming to the United States in greater and greater numbers. They have found jobs in all occupational fields, and they will continue to advance themselves as they become more and more familiar with the American way of life. Compared with other ethnic groups, the Pacific Islanders are just now coming to the United States in force and making their presence known. The difference between the 1990 census and the 2000 census shows that the Pacific Islander population is growing at a rate that is disproportionate to that of other groups, and they are gradually spreading to more areas of the country, though they mostly locate in the western states.