Singgalot: The Ties That Bind
Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition Brings Filipino American History to Life
Odegaard Undergraduate Library, University of Washington, May 16 to October 25 (extended)
Opening Ceremony May 19th at 5.30, Odegaard Undergraduate Library, 2nd Floor, with a performance by Filipinas Performing Arts of Washington State. Reception to follow, 6.00 to 7.30 pm in the Smith Room of the Suzzallo Library
Singaalot: The Ties that Bind, comprising nearly 100 images, including rare photographs, illustrations and historical documents from the National Archives, the Library of Congress and private collections, vividly portrays the social history and the development of the Filipino community in the United States. “Singgalot” initially explores the experience of Filipinos as colonial subjects and nationals, and further examines their struggles to acquire full citizenship as immigrants in the United States throughout the previous century.
The exhibition traces Filipino presence in North America from the first transoceanic trade missions between Manila and Acapulco in the mid-16th century to the 19th century. During this time, some Filipinos settled in the bayous of Louisiana. Subsequent images in the exhibition depict the first significant wave of Filipino immigrants who came as American “nationals” after the United States acquired the Philippines following the Spanish-American War in 1898.
Successive waves of immigrants, beginning with “sakadas,” or migrant laborers, were brought to fill the labor needs of Hawaii’s plantations, California’s farms and Alaska’s salmon canneries. The exhibition also highlights Filipino public service in the U.S. military, achievements in literature, arts and sports, and in the health care industry.
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This traveling exhibition developed by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program and organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) Smithsonian tour is made possible by Farmers Insurance.
Local sponsorship provided by the University of Washington Libraries, the Kenneth S. Allen Library Endowment, and the Southeast Asian Studies Center of the Henry S. Jackson School of International Studies. Special thanks to partner institutions, the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) and the Wing Luke Asian Museum.
