A Study on Ethnicity of Young Okinawans in Hawai’i

1. A Study on Ethnicity of Young Okinawans in Hawai’i By Nari Yamamoto Research Institute for Subtropics Kinmen Island, Taiwan November 2004 Photo by Jon Itomura

2. Outline IHawai’i and Okinawa II Okinawans in Hawai’i III Who Are Young Okinawans? IV YOH members VYoung Okinawans VIConclusion

3. Location of Hawai’i & Okinawa Hawai’i Okinawa

4. Sandy beach in O’ahu, Hawaii

5. Oppama beach in Okinawa

6. Similarities between Hawai’i and Okinawa Population Location History Economy

8. Ranking of Races in Hawai’i • White・・・22％ • Japanese ・・・20％ • Hawaiian ・・・17％

9. Okinawans in Hawai’i • Japanese ･･･262,113 people • Okinawan・・・5,998 people

10. Cultural Events in Hawai’i King Kamehameha Festival Aloha Festival Independence Day New Year Festival Bon Festival Okinawan Festival

11. Bon Festival in Kobo-ji temple

12. Okinawan Events in Hawai’i • Okinawan Festival • Uchinanchu Conference

13. Okinawan Festival

14. Lion dance by YOH

15. Uchinanchu Conference 2003, Oct.

16. Who Are the Young Okinwans? • Descendants of Okinawan Immigrants • Generations: 2nd to 5th • Age: 20’s to 40’s

17. VIEWPOINT Ethnicity/ethnic identity at Hare occasions and daily life may not be the same.

18. Ethnicity/ethnic identity of Young Okinawans in Hawai’i Research Targets YOH（Young Okinawans of Hawai’i） members Young Okinawans with Okinawan cultural activity Other Young Okinawans

19. Research Method 1.Questionnaires 2.Individual Interviews 3. Observation and Participation

20. Data Analysis Birth Place /Generation Family Ethnicity/Ethnic Identity Life Experience Cultural Activity Future

21. What is YOH? • “Young OKinawans of Hawai’i” • Okinawan Bon Dance Team Established in 1981 • Members: Okinawans • Activities: Bon dance

22. “･･･The keys to the Preservation And Perpetuation Of our Uchinanchu culture In Hawai’i And into the Millennium.” Leaflet of Young Okinawans of Hawaii

23. Bon dance practice

24. Bon festival at Jiko-en temple

25. YOH members ・Questionnaires （27 people） ・Individual interviews （6 people） ・Participation and Observation

26. Young Okinawan with Okinawan Cultural Activity ・Individual interviews a．Young Okinawans （5 people） b．Parents of Young Okinawans （2 people）

27. Okinawan Karate class

28. Traditional Okinawan music Okinawan music band

29. Other Young Okinawan ・Individual interviews a．Young Okinawans （６ people） b．Grand parents of Young Okinawans （２ people）　

30. ① Complex formation ②Relation between Formation level and Life stage ③Plural formation in multi-ethnic society

31. ①Complex Formation

32. Bon Dance for Young Okinawans with Cultural Activities ①Matsuri which they used to go with parents or grandparents ②Matsuri which they took their children to ③Event which they merely had chance to join

33. ②Relation between Formation level and Life Stage

34. Other Young Okinawans ①More influence from Japanese relatives ②Too busy to recognize ethnic culture or identity while they live their everyday life to achieve their goal ③Not enough information on Okinawa from parents or grand parents ④Has no chance to aware of their ethnicity

35. ③Plural and Complex Ethnicity in Multi-ethnic Society Local identity + Okinawa or Japanese

36. social position shared with other ethnic groups Local ①Born and raised in Hawai’i ②Grow up in multi-cultural/ethnic society ③Society in continental U.S. and Hawai’i is different

37. How to Identify Ethnicity ※Third generation Okinawan man who has lived in Okinawa before Continental U.S. AsianAmerican Japanese/Okinawan Hawai’i American/Nikkei Okinawa

38. Perpetuation of Ethnicity ・Perpetuation of Ethnicity has already started

39. Rise of New Culture

40. Concerns for Perpetuation of Ethnicity ・Growth Number of Marriage between Different Ethnicities ・Shin-Issei, “New First Generation”

41. For in depth analysis… • More samples • Comparison with other ethnic groups in Hawai’i

42. Ｍａｈａｌｏ to・・・ • YOH members • HUOA members • Young Okinawans and their families

43. Big Mahalo and Ippei Nihei Debiru!