Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center

09/02/2026

Hawaiian History Month begins with a celebration of Queen Liliʻuokalani's birthday! 🌺

She is most remembered as the last Queen regnant of the Hawaiian Kingdom before the overthrow of its government in 1893. Her true legacy is one of strength and tenacity. Her love for Hawaiʻi and her people led her to fight for their equal rights and land.

She was also a gifted writer, composer, and musician, creating works that are still read and sung in Hawaiʻi today — including the beloved love song "Aloha ʻOe" ("Farewell to Thee"), which she composed as a princess in 1878. Inspired by a trip around Oʻahu to Maunawili, the song was made internationally famous by the Royal Hawaiian Band, who performed it for global audiences at ʻIolani Palace before introducing it to American audiences in San Francisco in 1883.

🖼️: Liliuokalani, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum

09/01/2026

Happy Hawaiian History month!

Did you know that September marks Hawaiian History month?

The observance has roots in years of community advocacy, with local cultural organizations pushing for its recognition well before it became official. It became law in 2025, when the when Governor Josh Green signed Act 167 into law, formally designating September as Hawaiian History Month, anchored around Queen Liliʻuokalani's birthday on September 2nd.

This month, we celebrate the incredible history and culture of Kānaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian people), and honor the legacy of Queen Liliʻuokalani, Hawaiʻi's last reigning monarch, whose resilience continue to inspire generations!

🖼️: 42c Hawaii Flag and Ohia Lehua Flowers coil single
©USPS. All rights reserved.

09/01/2026

Happy Hawaiian History month!

Did you know that September marks Hawaiian History month?

The observance has roots in years of community advocacy, with local cultural organizations pushing for its recognition well before it became official. It became law in 2025, when the when Governor Josh Green signed Act 167 into law, formally designating September as Hawaiian History Month, anchored around Queen Liliʻuokalani's birthday on September 2. She was Hawaiʻi's last reigning monarch.

This month, we celebrate the incredible history and culture of Kānaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian people), and honor the legacy of Queen Liliʻuokalani, Hawaiʻi's last reigning monarch, whose resilience continue to inspire generations!

🖼️: 42c Hawaii Flag and Ohia Lehua Flowers coil single
©USPS. All rights reserved.

08/28/2026

A crown, an evening purse, and a moment in the spotlight. ✨

Pageantry wasn’t only found on grand national stages — it flourished in smaller communities, where local crowns celebrated beauty, pride, and community spirit. At 21, Barbara Nambatac of Livingston, California, was crowned Queen of Little Manila in 1971.

Her crown and evening purse reflect more than the glamour of the era. They tell a story of community, family, and purpose. Encouraged by her father, a farm cook and member of the Legionarios del Trabajo, Barbara entered pageants to help raise funds for the Daguhoy Lodge in Stockton, California.

These objects are now on view in our exhibition, "How Can You Forget Me: Filipino American Stories," where they offer a glimpse into one of the showcased themes, "The Pillars of Little Manila."

📸: Beauty pageant crown and evening purse, 1960s. Barbara Nambatac. Photo by Phillip R. Lee

08/24/2026

It's Make-a-Will Month! There's no better time to put your wishes and your legacy in writing.

For nearly 30 years, the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC) has worked to bring Asian Pacific American histories into fuller view. As you think through your will this month, consider including APAC in your plans. A legacy gift helps preserve the exhibitions, programs, and scholarships that continue to highlight these stories — and can even help bring a future APAC gallery to the National Mall.

The stories we preserve today become the history future generations inherit.

Check out this link to learn how to make APAC part of your long-term plans. ❤️

Support APAC’s mission to celebrate and share the stories, histories, and cultures of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs). Your gift helps build the first dedicated AANHPI gallery, endow key leadershp roles, and sustain programs that educate and inspire.

08/08/2026

Happy International Cat Day! 🐈‍⬛🌏❤️✨

This tender moment of a young girl and her pet cat was captured by Helen Hyde — the first American woman artist to study Japanese woodblock printing in Japan.

Hyde grew up in San Francisco and studied at the San Francisco School of Design and the Art Students League in New York before training in Europe. In Paris, she became immersed in the Japonisme movement, influenced by Mary Cassatt’s Japanese-inspired works. During her time abroad in the early 20th century, she immersed herself in Japanese life, sketching from life and focusing on themes of motherhood and children, which became central to her work.

🖼️: “Honorable Mr. Cat" (1903), by Helen Hyde
Smithsonian American Art Museum

08/01/2026

Happy International Mahjong Day! 🀄️

Mahjong has a rich history in the United States, shaped by experimentation, adaptation, and the communities that embraced it.

Its evolution was influenced by Chinese Americans, Air Force officers' wives, and Jewish American suburban mothers. Each leaving their mark on how the game was played and shared.

As Mahjong spread across the U.S. in the 1920s, there wasn't just one way to play. Rules often depended on who taught you or the instruction booklet that came with your Mahjong set, creating countless local variations before the game became more standardized.

📸: Mah Jong Set, National Museum of American History

07/30/2026

What an honor it was to host tours for the 2026 Filipino American National Historical Society Conference. Seeing attendees light up as they recognize the people and histories featured in our exhibit, "How Can You Forget Me: Filipino American Stories," created such meaningful moments of bonding and celebration. Here's a few snippets from our point of view, moments where community truly keeps history alive ✨

07/26/2026

Happy National Day of the Cowboy!

Did you know that Hawaiian cowboy culture has existed for over two centuries? Long before the popularity of the American “Wild West,” Hawaiian cowboys known as “paniolo” were wrangling cattle on Hawaiʻi Island.

In the early nineteenth century, American trader Richard Cleveland brought the first horse to Hawaiʻi as a gift to King Kamehameha I of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. Soon after, Mexican vaqueros were invited to the islands to teach Hawaiians horseback riding and cattle management, including roping, breeding, curing hides, and maintaining fences, grasslands, and paddocks.

The paniolo developed their own distinctive saddles, gear, and musical traditions like kī hōʻalu, or slack-key guitar. The term paniolo itself is an ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi adaptation of the word español.

Today, paniolo culture remains vibrant across Hawaiʻi and stands as a testament to the diversity, cultural exchange, and hospitality of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi.

📸 : Hawaiian cowboy "papale"-style hat. National Museum of American History

07/20/2026

🥠 Happy National Fortune Cookie Day!

Fun fact: Although this sweet treat is quintessential to Chinese American cuisine, it was likely introduced in early 1900s San Francisco, created by Japanese immigrants. Makoto Hagiwara, who ran the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, is said to have asked confectioner Okamura of Benkyodo to supply them. They were hand-molded one at a time with a sembei iron (pictured above).

So how did they become a Chinese restaurant staple? During WWII, Japanese Americans were forced into internment camps, and Chinese immigrant business owners stepped in to fill the gap — mass-producing fortune cookies and incorporating them into the "Chinese food" experience we know today.

It's a history so contested it even ended up in court in 1983. The judge ruled the cookie was born in San Francisco, but did not determine the community of origin.

📷: baking mold with Mount Fuji, National Museum of American History.