East-West Center Celebrates 120 Years of Sakadas in Hawaii with Dance and Fashion Event

HONOLULU - The East-West Center is hosting a special event to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the arrival of the first sakadas, or Filipino plantation laborers, in Hawaii. The House of Gongs presents “DARAT: A Dance Runway in Five Movements,” which has been created for Filipino American History Month.

The term DARAT, meaning flowing sand or land in Ilocano, transforms the fashion runway into a ceremonial space that connects ancestral memory with contemporary movement. This five-part elemental narrative includes four fashion collections from Lydia Querian, an interdisciplinary artist and Sakada descendant, showcasing her brand Elle Karayan. The event also features live kulintang and Indigenous rock music, performed by a predominantly Filipino diasporic cast composed of over 30 dancers, models, and culture bearers.

Querian is responsible for the event's conception, direction, and choreography, with music direction from Kevin Calamayan. The runway design incorporates plantation textures and traditional kapasiti altars, merging contemporary dance, live music, and sustainable fashion into what the organizers describe as “a walking prayer of collective reclamation.”

Replicas of ship forms bearing the names of the original sakadas will be displayed to honor their contributions. The event will take place on October 18, starting at 3 p.m., with doors opening at 2:30 p.m. at the Keoni Auditorium, Imin International Conference Center, Jefferson Hall on the UH Manoa campus. Special guests include cultural commentator Jon Luigi, Jae Tioseco, and Sama culture bearer Al-Raffy Harun. Tickets are available for purchase through their official site.