Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Plantations workers lost their names to numbers
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 24, 2012
~~<p>When sugar was transforming Hawaii 120 years ago, the plantation leaders had a problem. Their workers were from many different countries, spoke different languages and had unusual names. How could the plantations keep them straight so the right person would be paid accurately?</p>
<p>The solution for them was bango. Bango means “number” in Japa­nese. Each worker would be assigned one. It’s pronounced “bong go.”</p>
~~
When sugar was transforming Hawaii 120 years ago, the plantation leaders had a problem. Their workers were from many different countries, spoke different languages and had unusual names. How could the plantations keep them straight so the right person would be paid accurately?
The solution for them was bango. Bango means “number” in Japanese. Each worker would be assigned one. It’s pronounced “bong go.” Login for more...
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