Tsunamis in Maui County: Oral Histories

  • Collection DOI:
    Principal Investigator:
    Jeanne Johnston
  • These interviews are part of the Center for Oral History's project, Tsunamis in Maui County: Oral Histories. Interviews from this project are available in the Center's ScholarSpace open-access repository.

    This collection of interviews represent first-person accounts of any tsunami occurring in Maui County. Although the most severe tsunami occurred on April 1, 1946, some residents recalled tsunamis occurring as far back as 1923. In addition to the first-person accounts, the interviewees provide descriptions of the areas that they grew up in. They also provide advice to the readers on what to do in the event of future tsunamis.

    The Center for Oral History (COH), in the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, collects, documents, preserves and highlights the recollections of Native Hawaiians and the multi-ethnic people of Hawaiʻi. It produces oral histories and interpretive historical materials about lifeways, key historic events, social movements and Hawaiʻi’s role in the globalizing world, for the widest possible use.

Interviewee Collection Sort descending Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
Roseline Brito Tsunamis in Maui County: Oral Histories

A woman recalls her parents and growing up in Hana, Maui. She tells of moving to Molokai and meeting her husband. On the beach with family members when the 1957 tidal wave arrived, she describes the receding ocean, their getaway in a truck, and a near accident.

Jeanne Johnston Kaunakakai, HI University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Center for Oral History
Thomas Wright Tsunamis in Maui County: Oral Histories

A former Marine Corps officer describes the Spreckelsville beach neighborhood where he lived in 1946. He explains his duties inspecting the Naval Air Stations at Puunene and Kahului. He shares anecdotes and observations on the 1946 tsunami, including the ensuing damages.

Jeanne Johnston Kihei, HI University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Center for Oral History
Thomas Matayoshi Tsunamis in Maui County: Oral Histories

A Molokai resident talks about fish ponds and fishing on the east side. A teenager in 1957, he watched the incoming tidal wave flow beneath him from his perch on a mangrove tree.

Jeanne Johnston Ho'olehua, HI University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Center for Oral History
Rudy Bissen Tsunamis in Maui County: Oral Histories

A man raised in Kahului's Kanaha Camp touches on his parents, schooling, and work. He retains a trace memory of tsunami flooding in Kahului.

Jeanne Johnston Wailuku, HI University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Center for Oral History
Helen von Tempsky Tsunamis in Maui County: Oral Histories

Originally from Oregon, a woman tells of her family's relocation to Hawaii and subsequent moves to Hilo and Lahaina. She shares childhood memories of December 7, 1941. Also remembered is the effect of the 1946 tsunami on her Lahaina home and aunt's Spreckelsville home.

Jeanne Johnston Moloka'i, HI University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Center for Oral History
Paul Matayoshi Tsunamis in Maui County: Oral Histories

A ninety-five-year-old man recalls the tidal waves he lived through on Oahu and Molokai. He also remembers the cleanup in Hilo after the 1946 tsunami.

Jeanne Johnston Puko'o, HI University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Center for Oral History
Sam Kalilikane, Sr. Tsunamis in Maui County: Oral Histories

A man who grew up in MolokaI talks about his family background, fishing, his schooling, family life, and moving to Honolulu. He describes his experience of the 1946 tidal wave that hit the east end of Molokai.

Jeanne Johnston Honolulu, HI University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Center for Oral History
John K. Teves Tsunamis in Maui County: Oral Histories

In a discursive interview, a man depicts his family's self-sufficient lifestyle in Kapaa, Kauai. Also covered are his experiences in Honolulu, including witnessing an accident during air maneuvers. He recounts the events of the 1957 tsunami on Kauai, including anecdotes about his brother-in-law's survival and his gathering of fish washed ashore by the waves.

Jeanne Johnston Pukalani, HI University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Center for Oral History
Anna Goodhue Tsunamis in Maui County: Oral Histories

One of twelve children, a woman discusses her family's background. She explains how the children divided their time between Oahu and Molokai, traveling on the inter-island steamships. She recalls the effect of the 1946 tsunami on family and neighbors. Also described are the traditional luaus (feasts). Goodhue was also interviewed for the Ualapue project.

Jeanne Johnston Puko'o, HI University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Center for Oral History
Taiji Inamasu Tsunamis in Maui County: Oral Histories

Haiku-born man remembers growing up in a plantation camp. A Lahaina Technical School boarder, he worked for HC&S sugar plantation after graduation. He and a coworker were working on Spreckelsville beach when the 1946 tsunami hit Maui. In their escape, he particularly recalls the roar of the incoming water.

Jeanne Johnston Kahului, HI University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Center for Oral History