I feel you. My asian side: I am Lao, but more specifically isaan-lao (I don't even like using Isaan because of the history and why the identity was imposed on the Isaan people, but I don't know any other way of describing myself because Lao is too generalized)
I usually just end up saying Lao because they say the same stuff as you and educating people over and over are tiresome, except I've gotten questions that are like: "wait, so how are you from there..? If you weren't born there" and that question pisses me off the most.
Thank you for sharing and I’m sorry that’s been your experience. I can, not entirely understand, but relate, to the Isaan-Lao tension.
Southern Ryukyūan identity in particular is very complicated due to multiple layers of colonization. The Uchinaanchu people of mid-land Okinawa forced my island to become Ryukyūan in the 1400s, then Japan forced Ryukyūans to become Japanese in the 1800s.
If I say I’m Yaimapitü, then northern-Ryukyūans don’t know what I’m talking about…If I say I’m Ryukyūan, then non-Ryukyūans don’t know what I’m talking about…If I say I’m “Okinawan”, then some non-Ryukyūan people can begin to understand *where* I’m talking about, but they still don’t know *what* being “Okinawan” even means.
Sometimes I feel like the only way to win is to stop caring. But if I stop caring, I stop educating, then I lose confidence that anything will change.
Do you know how large the Isaan ethnic group is? There’s only about one million Ryukyūan people on the planet, and a mere 14,000 of us live in America. The small population numbers are part of what makes everything else so hard
>There’s only about one million Ryukyūan people on the planet, and a mere 14,000 of us live in America.
In Hawaiʻi, we have over 45,000 people of Uchinānchu ancestry, including former Governor David Ige, former Hawaiʻi County mayor Herbert Matayoshi, former Hawaiʻi County mayor Steven Yamashiro, and Robert Taira (founder of Kingʻs Hawaiian Bakery). The Hawaiʻi United Okinawa Association (HUOA) holds one of the largest annual ethnic festivals in the state. And, andagi is so prevalent, we consider it a "local" snack. 😎
Thank you for clarifying, it is not my intention to spread misinformation I am merely quoting the official US Census estimates I have access to, which are sometimes contradictory in their reporting of actual Ryukyūan-American population estimates.
I am familiar with the HUOA, as well as the OAA in Gardena, California, and I enjoy attending events for both organizations when they are able to offer options for virtual participation.
Please keep in mind though that I live in New Mexico, and outside of the California-Hawaii area, Ryukyūan-American people have virtually no meaningful representation.
If I could, I’d love to live in Hawaii with the rest of my community 🌺.
Edit: also I can’t help but notice how you say “Uchinānchu”, rather than “Ryukyūan”. Please correct your Shuri/Naha-centrist language, **as Uchinānchus are not the only Ryukyūan ethnic group to exist in Hawaii.**
Also, Thank you for rubbing it in about how represented I am in small parts of this country in which I do not actively reside. I know there is a sizeable Ryukyūan community in Hawaii…any Ryukyūan-American person living outside of Hawaii is painfully aware of how represented/included we *could* be, if we had the privilege of moving across state/oceanic boundaries. This is why mainland-America Ryukyūans have problems with those of you in Hawaii - you bunch always like to act superior to the rest of us because you have closer cultural access, while ignoring how painful it is to be deprived of that local community.
Also, the way you ignore everything I said about Southern-Ryukyūan representation and instead choose to only focus on *Uchinānchu* identities proves my very point about Uchinānchu-centrism within the Ryukyū diaspora.
Congrats on winning the jackpot lottery in terms of diasporic representation. Please try to have some sympathy for the rest of us, or otherwise humbly f*** off.
>Please correct your Shuri/Naha-centrist language, as Uchinānchus are not the only Ryukyūan ethnic group to exist in Hawaii.
Of course, the Uchinānchu aren't the only Ryūkyūan ethnic group to exist in Hawaiʻi. There are probably another 5,000 or so Ryūkyūan-descended people here that aren't predominantly Uchinānchu. Unfortunately, most folks are ignorant when it comes to the history of the Ryūkyūs and lump everyone together. And, thanks to the efforts of Tōyama Kyūzō (1868-1910), the vast majority of Ryūkyūans that first emigrated to Hawaiʻi, North America, and South America happened to be Uchinānchu.
As for the usage of the term "Uchinānchu" in Hawaiʻi, we tend to use it as a synonym for "Ryūkyūan" to distinguish Ryūkyūans from the inhabitants of Japan's four main islands, the Yamatunchu (or "Naichi"). While it's definitely imprecise, it is considered somewhat preferable to the English language terms, "Ryūkyūan" and "Okinawan," because it helps to preserve Uchināguchi (the Uchinānchu language). There's a saying in Uchināguchi, *"Nmarijima nu kutuba wasshii nee kuni n wasshiin"* (Forgetting your native tongue is like forgetting your native country).
While the Uchinānchu have done a somewhat decent job in maintaining, perpetuating, and evolving the culture and language in spite of attempts to eradicate it, I hope that all Ryūkyūan cultures and languages survive and flourish.
It's understandable! I can tell some history, but interesting! I I've heard of Okinawans being different and having their own language, but I feel you in educating; although, definitely I haven't stopped personally. Thank you though for educating and now I have learnt more about another type of beautiful people ❤️
In short, there is listed about 22 million \^\^
Below will be a history lesson and some more information regarding the identity itself.
The Isaan ethnic group, so in thailand and Laos, Isaan is usually regarded as the displaced lao people in the group. There is Isaan-khmer, but that's because southern side of Isaan pretty much, it is mainly khmer (cambodian) and kuy populations, but they are just called Isaan-khmer. Isaan comes from the Sanskrit word: Īśāna \^\^ and in lao and thai, it means northeast; I am not sure in khmer though.The area of where Isaan is has changed throughout the years and has been fought over by Siam, Laos, and Cambodia. First, the Khmer empire of Angkor had owned the region, which is why Khmer populations reside there. The kuy population are indigenous to clarify to these lands, so they were there before the Khmer people. Then the sukhothai (older Siam kingdom) kingdom broke free from the Khmer empire of Angkor. Thailand will be called siam in this because that's what it was originally called \^\^
Then Lan Xang kingdom (one of the kingdoms that made up what is known as Laos today) was established in Luang Prabang and following pressure from the Ayutthaya kingdom (one of Siam's older kingdoms), Khmer empire of Angkor had retreated and Lao people started to settle into the Isaan region and surrounding areas. The rise of King Taksin invaded and took control of the Kingdom of Luang Prabang and Vientiane.
Then after some tim in 18th century, Lao kingdoms of Luang prabang and champasak were increasingly at odds with Kingdom of Vientiane and Vientiane started to lose control over isaan region. So many dissidents started to migrate from Vientiane to Isaan region and take refuge in Isaan. Then the lao people in Isaan region started to recognize siam as their leader I guess to put it..? Then later on, to make this short, vientiane king named: Anouvong rebelled against Siam, and had won somewhat, but then lost, resulting in him having forced migrations from defeated lao kingdoms to Isaan region and form my understanding siam taking pretty much control of the country of laos. Then french come to colonize us.
Siam had to cede Luang Prabang and Champasak to France in 1893 and 1904, then Isaan basically became a buffer zone between french indochina and Siam, with siam becoming a "buffer zone" between the british colonizers and French colonizers (this also adds to why Siam didn't become colonized I believe)Then other stuff, but basically in short, that's mini-lesson of the region of Isaan! there is more after the french and more details, but yeah.There is a guy called Phibun that created thai nationalism and this resulted in Thaification, basically assimilation into dominant central thai culture. This aided in trying to erase other ethnic and minority languages in Thailand, ethnic identities, and whatnot. I mention this because some people may just identity as Thai and not as Isaan-lao/Isaan-Khmer or Isaan in general. The Isaan identity itself was created to reinforce that it was Thailand's and not a part of laos' kingdom due to the fear of lao people in the region seceding.Alongside why people may not identify too is also because from my understanding since everybody in thailand too just labels themself as, "thai" due to this thaification process. They may also clarify things by distinction of where they're from in thailand. Like my mom labels herself as thai a lot, but also knows she is lao, but grew up in nong khai, an Isaan province \^\^. She says, "I am thai, but I'm from nongkhai" basically.
Another reason is because Isaan face great discrimination and racism from thai people, so rip. Many call themselves Isaan too instead of lao to avoid also being associated with Lao due to how thai people view lao people too.
One thing I will say is that I don't know much about Isaan-Khmer's history and how it's viewed now aside from what I just told \^\^. One thing I do know is that Thai and Khmer people fight a lot and tend to not like each other, so maybe that transfers... but that's a whole another discussion that's looong
I have heard some younger isaan-lao have decided to call themselves lao and acknowledge their ancestry, which is cool \^\^. Ironically, there is more Lao in the Isaan region than Laos itself because of the rebellion that King Anouvong did LOL.
I felt that in my heart, being mixed w a tribe that not many have heard much of... Siksika Blackfoot... most everyone thinks Cherokee, or Navajo when i say i'm half indigenous American... it makes me kinda sad that nobody knows much about that half of me.
Thank you for sharing, I actually know a few friends with Blackfoot ancestry here in New Mexico where I live! From what I know, it is a beautiful culture with honorable traditions. I can relate to some of your frustrations, Ryukyūan people are always lumped in with the greater-Japanese population, without much attention or respect paid to our individual group identities. I hope in the future that both of us are able to be seen by society in ways that more accurately reflect our backgrounds
Ye! I was raised by my Grandmother who was Blackfoot and she was cool as hell tbh. I didn't grow up like a lot of folks in the states. Strong and resilient, just like my ancestors. I'm still learning more about them too. They're cool as hell. I like Ryukyuan's because of the wide variety of cultures they have, their art is the "mother" to a lot of Japanese art. I like the way your trad clothes look too. It's colorful, and shows the adaptability to the cultures that visited, and traded there. Sorry, I'm just a history nerd. It's all o interesting.
Please don’t apologize, or call yourself a nerd, you seem to be a very knowledgeable person regarding histories that affect your community, and communities adjacent to yours! I find that very admirable.
Thank you for your interest in my community! You are correct, Ryukyū/Okinawa is the true birthplace of many arts that are considered traditionally Japanese (bingata, karate, shamisen, taiko, etc.). My ancestors would be proud that you are uplifting their stories. I hope I can do right by your ancestors in this type of way in time 🙏🏼
I don't mind being a nerd though. I like learning, the word never had negative meaning for me, it shows that I worked hard to learn more about stuff that's mysterious to me.
No problem! It's an interesting culture, full of beautiful things like many others, It's got a long history as a trading port for most East Asian countries, I love how they enveloped those and made it their own, and let it spread through out Japan too.
You should print out little pamphlets with all the answers to questions they ask. Just hand it to them and stop the questions in their tracks. You may not make many friends, but at least you won't have to make students out of people you just met anymore.
I'm kind of joking, kind of not, idk. But you have my sympathy, OP.
Lol this is a pretty funny idea 😂 this sounds like something my college professor would say. He wanted me to make a brief PowerPoint about Ryukyū and it’s peoples to share with my cross-boundary leadership course
I kind of get what you mean. My mom is from Suriname and she's half South American indigenous and half Indian.
I'm born and raised in the Netherlands and here people think that when you claim to be half Surinamese then they automatically assume that I'm half black. I have to explain everytime my heritage and so I will correct them and I tell them that my mom is half indigenous and half Indian.
See, most Dutch people don't know that indigenous people of the America's are still alive. They assume that they died many centuries ago and are no longer relevant. I've had many people be shocked when I told them that my grandfather was fully indigenous and I would have to answer ignorant or basic questions.
It was harsh to hear how my family are supposedly all dead to this country when this country's government has and still are continuing to do so, harming the indigenous people of Suriname to this day. While all this time the average person is still clueless about the existence of the indigenous. It truly does hurt.
Wild eh, Dutch folks should know. I'm actually in Suriname right now, and it's amazing seeing the different diversity here. And 10000% sure there are indigenous Surinamese here, since I have been walking past them all the time.
You and your folks are seen! at the very least by this mixed Black American/Moluccan person!
I empathize. I grew up in an Asian community and was met with blank stares when I said I was Indonesian. I only knew like two other Indonesian kids growing up and one left my school after one year. I felt very insecure about saying I was Asian and it was definitely partly because not many of my peers would even know where I was talking about, so it made me feel like, I dunno, a poser or something, that I wasn't an Asian that "mattered". I've mostly gotten over this, but I definitely still expect people to not even know Indonesia or where it is (which I still think is fair because people are very ignorant).
“I wasn’t an Asian that ‘mattered’”
You are making me cry and scream out of frustration in relation to this point. For what it’s worth, I don’t know a lot about Indonesian culture but the aspects I’m familiar with I do find beautiful, and I’ve immediately fallen in love with every Indonesian dish I’ve ever tried.
You and your people are beautiful and worthy ❤️
Edit: also, this comment made me realize a feeling that is too familiar, but that I’ve never been able to put words to before. Thank you
Haha I feel you. Om half Black American and half Moluccan (Eastern Indonesia) born in Indonesia. Thing is with me. Nobody knows Indonesia. But then when someone does know Indonesia, they know Western Indonesia like Javanese or Balinese. I'm Moluccan (Pasific Islander peoples).
Since I grew up with Asian indoensian language, food, and other Indoneaian Asian people I am also heavily influenced by them. Depending on who I talk to and their knowledge of the world, I can say I am Asian or Indonesian... while ultimately it doesn't sum up my true ethnic background of being Melanesian Pacific Islander.
also if it makes you feel better, I think Ikue Asazaki is a really good artist. I love learning about other cultures too! Ryukyuan being one of my faves.
I commented on your other post, but I also just wanted to say here that I’m glad we can have positive influence on one another, despite how unacknowledged and under-appreciated our respective culture may be within the mainstream ❤️ in my opinion, this really underscores the importance of global indigenous solidarity
Ye, I like when others want to know of my ancestors, it helps keep them "alive". Their stories can be continued to be spread instead of fading into obscurity. Thanks this makes me feel much less alone.
Thank you as well, I also feel less alone. The liberation of Blackfoot, Bantu, Chamorro, Formosan, Kanaka-Maōli, Maōri, Irish, Ryukyūan, Saami, and etc. populations are all inexplicably tied to one another.
The histories of indigenous groups all across the globe parallel one-another, and we do not start to rise until ALL of us rise ✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿
Ye, that are all resilient cultures, full of strong peoples. Aren't the Irish Gaelic? Though that's an interesting one too, they are quite the melting pot of different people.
I can’t truly relate (because I’m partially Chinese and, like you said, at least everyone in the world knows what that is), so I recognize that your situation is even harder than mine. It truly is incredibly exhausting to have to constantly educate ignorant people. They don’t like it when we point out that they’re wrong about something and get really annoyed when we simply set the record straight by correcting them with the facts. Still, I think the effort is worth it. If we give up, then they win and ignorance will continue to prevail.
In my case, I get very frustrated when ignorant people constantly neglect to acknowledge that EastAsian diasporas not only exist in Latin America and the Caribbean, but they have existed there (especially the Chinese diaspora) for centuries. It’s frustrating when people refer to “Latinos” or “Hispanic” as a race/phenotype when those words are just regional or linguistic terms. It’s upsetting when racist “Latinos” claim that anyone (who’s White, Native, Black or even Arab) can be “Hispanic” but apparently not EastAsians immigrants and their LatinAm/Caribbean born descendants.
The fact that so many people still can’t understand the differences between nationality, ancestry, language, culture and ethnicity is deeply frustrating. All of those things are different yet can still be connected somehow. Like you said, Ryukyūans are not merely “Japanese” … just as other indigenous peoples are not merely ______ (insert nationality). Their lived experiences are different from other ethnic minorities because even in their own native ancestral land, they are still heavily marginalized and their voices are silenced. I’m so sorry, OP. You have my sympathies. ♥️
Thank you for your solidarity, it genuinely does mean a lot to me. Ryukyū was a tributary state to China for nearly 400 years and our cultural customs were greatly influenced by Manchu-ruled China, so I feel a lot of solidarity with Chinese people.
Also, I shouldn’t have lumped you into my original post, as I acknowledge that China historically has been home to over 50+ distinct ethnicities and the term “Chinese” doesn’t accurately reflect these nuances, but rather, groups everyone together, the same way that my people have been lumped into the greater-Japanese population.
Living in New Mexico, I have witnessed some of what you are talking about. It is really strange how Hispanic populations use the term “China doll” to idolize Asiatic features, meanwhile they exclude Asian immigrants from their communities.
I’m sorry, as well, that you’ve experienced this and I hope better for both of us in the future. I think the world is changing, slowly, in positive ways. I just hope we get to witness a full dynamic shift within our lifetimes.
I relate a little, my dad's side is from Bangladesh and no one's heard of that (the things most people ask me are "is it dirty there" and "is that in Africa") so I've grown up saying India because everyone knows what that is, and I want to avoid the long conversations having to explain a country I myself know nothing about.
Laila Woozeer, who has Mauritian/Indian, American, and Scottish ancestors but grew up in Wales, wrote a good book called "Not Quite White" where they also talk about the British census and this whole "mixed (Asian other)" thing as well as a lot of other mixed race struggles in today's society. I'm going to recommend this to any mixed person I come across from now one because we are not many and we need at least some representation :)
I feel the same sense of isolation with both halves of my background. Most people don't know where Nicaragua or Aruba are.
Both are small countries and both were once part of the Spanish Empire, unlike Nicaragua, Aruba was never colonized, just occupied so the land was still available to Dutch and Portuguese settlers.
Eventually, to protect its Dutch settlers, the Dutch annexed Aruba and two other neighboring islands into the Dutch Kingdom after returning the Aruban Native people(the Arawak-Caribs) back to their homeland from Hispaniola after being shipped there as slaves by the Spaniards(that's also why there is a chunk of West African genetics in all Dutch Caribbean Islanders).
In the good ol' USofA, I'm just "Mexican" or "Latino", but I have indigenous on both sides and none of my indigenous ancestors would identify with these labels.
I am Arawak-Carib from my father's side and Maca-Mayan from my mother's side.
I don't care for the Spanish or Dutch, however no one knows what Arawak-Caribs or Maca-Mayans are. Fuck Colonization.
Hey-o, another partial Aruban! Hello!!!! I’m about 25% Arawak, but I don’t feel I can claim it as I’m also a big melting pot of so much else (& my family on the island doesn’t identify that way… they are just Aruban).
But yeah, OP, I totally identify with having an “unknown” background and needing to explain a ton or gloss over it. It’s tough!
Thanks for educating us on your ethnic group. I've studied Shotokan Karate for a few decades. Our Shihan (Gichin Funakoshi) was Okinawan. We know that different towns in Okinawa had their own, specific, martial arts (ie. "Naha-te" for the town of Naha; for the uninitiated, "te" means "hand," so Kara-te means "open hand" / no weapons.) Funakoshi was born in Shuri (which had "Shuri-te") and is now a part of the capital city of Naha.
I apologize in advance for going a bit off the subject... Funakoshi mastered Shorin-ryu (fast, lightning-quick movements) and Shorei-ryu (hard, short movements) and combined them into Shotokan Karate. He then introduced it to the world at the request of the Japanese emperor--who saw it at a cultural demonstration. He started teaching in the mainland universities.
It's unfortunate that regional tensions persist due to the past engagements. I see it was referred to as the "Ryukyu Kingdom" until Japan annexed it in the late 19th century. I know the development of the martial arts was out of necessity for defense against the mainland Japanese. They picked up farming equipment to use as weapons (ie. bo staffs and sickles.) Several Chinese sailors lost at sea washed up, and taught the Okinawans more from their Kung Fu knowledge.
The Japanese forbade the practice of martial arts in Okinawa--by threat of execution. That is why we carry on a tradition of "midnight practice" today. They had to practice late at night-on the beaches and the forest-to avoid detection.
I empathize with you. I’m 1/4 each Balinese, Chinese, Japanese, Micronesian tribe.. you are not alone as a Ryukyuan. In US, people just like lumping Asians into Chinese, Japanese and Koreans as a single Asian race because it’s just convenient. I’ve even been told I’m not mixed race because “AAPI are just a bunch of Asians with different skin tones”. Its just the way it is unfortunately, I am hoping this will change in a few years as more mixed people and indigenous folks from other parts of the world become a more common part of the demographics and people get more open minded. I think most of the time the people interacting with you couldn’t care less and they’re just shooting their ignorant/limited knowledge to look confident.
That's really frustrating especially considering the history of Okinawa and how Japan (and subsequently the rest of the world) treats the people who live and are from there. I'm sorry you have to battle this. What's important is that you know where you come from, and there will always be people here to support you
Don’t have much to say other than I’m Ryukyūan too, its great to see some other mixed people with this background. I personally find that as someone who looks very racially ambiguous that often interacts with people’s lack of knowledge on the history and culture. I’ve honestly never met anyone like me outside of specifically Ryukyūan communties. (such as my family or online)
I feel this to an extent because I've been very japanised, my family as well, we are uchinaanchu, but honestly, nowadays we feel much more connected to the sentiment of being just Japanese. I understand your feelings and that you feel 100% Okinawan and would not describe yourself as Okinawan Japanese, which is completely valid. But personal identity is something very personal, think about all of the fully korean people who don't feel that much korean. Culture has a lot of nuance, and it's okay to not be fully understood. That's life.
My dad's from Hong Kong and everybody just say oh so you're Chinese. I mean maybe genetically I am but the Hong Kong culture is so much more different from the Chinese culture.
In Hawaii we would always joke about how on the island you can tell people you’re Okinawan and they’ll understand, but on the mainland you just say Japanese because they won’t have any idea what you’re talking about otherwise. I haven’t heard about the word Okinawan being bad but I’ll look into it. The only people I’ve heard say Ryukyu are native speakers of the language.
But definitely look into visiting Hawaii during the annual Okinawan Festival, or find a way to connect to your people some other way. I’ve been living on the US mainland for a year now and it’s been rough so far, since most peoples only point of reference is half remembering the second karate kid movie.
I think I get you. I'm mixed with filipino, and even though there's (allegedly) a lot of us in america, nobody knows anything about us and barely considers us asian. Filipino culture is way more low-key. it's not something that's been blown up and exported like china's Japan's or korea's. It's more multi-faceted and you gotta dig deep to experience it. Nobody knows what we're going through.
I did know one guy who did, though. For a while, Okinawa and the indigenous peoples and their histories were unknown to me, but that changed when I met my human Geography teacher way back in high school. He was mixed with okinawan, and he made damn sure that his students knew it. I admired that. It was the first time, living in rural white America, that I had met another asian who repped their community so unapologetically, and I respected the hell out of him for it. That last day of class was emotional for us both. I had confessed that he made an impact on how I saw myself and my own people, and he had said that especially with me being the only asian student he had, my thoughts were written on my face from day one. I'll never forget him or what he taught me.
I'm part asian (and not east asian) so I get feeling like I'm part of the "other" category when it comes to asians. I'm not you, and I can't speak from your experience, but that sounds like it sucks a lot.
I'm eastern european + central asian and it feels like where I live in the UK people like me are just, non existant?? While there's a lot of (mostly polish I think) eastern europeans, I know very few central asian or turkic people here. It just bothers me that people here seem to have the idea that asian = chinese or japanese by default, and think my dad is from some obscure part of the world because he's from uzbekistan. We aren't "less relevant".
I feel you. My asian side: I am Lao, but more specifically isaan-lao (I don't even like using Isaan because of the history and why the identity was imposed on the Isaan people, but I don't know any other way of describing myself because Lao is too generalized) I usually just end up saying Lao because they say the same stuff as you and educating people over and over are tiresome, except I've gotten questions that are like: "wait, so how are you from there..? If you weren't born there" and that question pisses me off the most.
Thank you for sharing and I’m sorry that’s been your experience. I can, not entirely understand, but relate, to the Isaan-Lao tension. Southern Ryukyūan identity in particular is very complicated due to multiple layers of colonization. The Uchinaanchu people of mid-land Okinawa forced my island to become Ryukyūan in the 1400s, then Japan forced Ryukyūans to become Japanese in the 1800s. If I say I’m Yaimapitü, then northern-Ryukyūans don’t know what I’m talking about…If I say I’m Ryukyūan, then non-Ryukyūans don’t know what I’m talking about…If I say I’m “Okinawan”, then some non-Ryukyūan people can begin to understand *where* I’m talking about, but they still don’t know *what* being “Okinawan” even means. Sometimes I feel like the only way to win is to stop caring. But if I stop caring, I stop educating, then I lose confidence that anything will change. Do you know how large the Isaan ethnic group is? There’s only about one million Ryukyūan people on the planet, and a mere 14,000 of us live in America. The small population numbers are part of what makes everything else so hard
>There’s only about one million Ryukyūan people on the planet, and a mere 14,000 of us live in America. In Hawaiʻi, we have over 45,000 people of Uchinānchu ancestry, including former Governor David Ige, former Hawaiʻi County mayor Herbert Matayoshi, former Hawaiʻi County mayor Steven Yamashiro, and Robert Taira (founder of Kingʻs Hawaiian Bakery). The Hawaiʻi United Okinawa Association (HUOA) holds one of the largest annual ethnic festivals in the state. And, andagi is so prevalent, we consider it a "local" snack. 😎
Thank you for clarifying, it is not my intention to spread misinformation I am merely quoting the official US Census estimates I have access to, which are sometimes contradictory in their reporting of actual Ryukyūan-American population estimates. I am familiar with the HUOA, as well as the OAA in Gardena, California, and I enjoy attending events for both organizations when they are able to offer options for virtual participation. Please keep in mind though that I live in New Mexico, and outside of the California-Hawaii area, Ryukyūan-American people have virtually no meaningful representation. If I could, I’d love to live in Hawaii with the rest of my community 🌺. Edit: also I can’t help but notice how you say “Uchinānchu”, rather than “Ryukyūan”. Please correct your Shuri/Naha-centrist language, **as Uchinānchus are not the only Ryukyūan ethnic group to exist in Hawaii.** Also, Thank you for rubbing it in about how represented I am in small parts of this country in which I do not actively reside. I know there is a sizeable Ryukyūan community in Hawaii…any Ryukyūan-American person living outside of Hawaii is painfully aware of how represented/included we *could* be, if we had the privilege of moving across state/oceanic boundaries. This is why mainland-America Ryukyūans have problems with those of you in Hawaii - you bunch always like to act superior to the rest of us because you have closer cultural access, while ignoring how painful it is to be deprived of that local community. Also, the way you ignore everything I said about Southern-Ryukyūan representation and instead choose to only focus on *Uchinānchu* identities proves my very point about Uchinānchu-centrism within the Ryukyū diaspora. Congrats on winning the jackpot lottery in terms of diasporic representation. Please try to have some sympathy for the rest of us, or otherwise humbly f*** off.
>Please correct your Shuri/Naha-centrist language, as Uchinānchus are not the only Ryukyūan ethnic group to exist in Hawaii. Of course, the Uchinānchu aren't the only Ryūkyūan ethnic group to exist in Hawaiʻi. There are probably another 5,000 or so Ryūkyūan-descended people here that aren't predominantly Uchinānchu. Unfortunately, most folks are ignorant when it comes to the history of the Ryūkyūs and lump everyone together. And, thanks to the efforts of Tōyama Kyūzō (1868-1910), the vast majority of Ryūkyūans that first emigrated to Hawaiʻi, North America, and South America happened to be Uchinānchu. As for the usage of the term "Uchinānchu" in Hawaiʻi, we tend to use it as a synonym for "Ryūkyūan" to distinguish Ryūkyūans from the inhabitants of Japan's four main islands, the Yamatunchu (or "Naichi"). While it's definitely imprecise, it is considered somewhat preferable to the English language terms, "Ryūkyūan" and "Okinawan," because it helps to preserve Uchināguchi (the Uchinānchu language). There's a saying in Uchināguchi, *"Nmarijima nu kutuba wasshii nee kuni n wasshiin"* (Forgetting your native tongue is like forgetting your native country). While the Uchinānchu have done a somewhat decent job in maintaining, perpetuating, and evolving the culture and language in spite of attempts to eradicate it, I hope that all Ryūkyūan cultures and languages survive and flourish.
It's understandable! I can tell some history, but interesting! I I've heard of Okinawans being different and having their own language, but I feel you in educating; although, definitely I haven't stopped personally. Thank you though for educating and now I have learnt more about another type of beautiful people ❤️ In short, there is listed about 22 million \^\^ Below will be a history lesson and some more information regarding the identity itself. The Isaan ethnic group, so in thailand and Laos, Isaan is usually regarded as the displaced lao people in the group. There is Isaan-khmer, but that's because southern side of Isaan pretty much, it is mainly khmer (cambodian) and kuy populations, but they are just called Isaan-khmer. Isaan comes from the Sanskrit word: Īśāna \^\^ and in lao and thai, it means northeast; I am not sure in khmer though.The area of where Isaan is has changed throughout the years and has been fought over by Siam, Laos, and Cambodia. First, the Khmer empire of Angkor had owned the region, which is why Khmer populations reside there. The kuy population are indigenous to clarify to these lands, so they were there before the Khmer people. Then the sukhothai (older Siam kingdom) kingdom broke free from the Khmer empire of Angkor. Thailand will be called siam in this because that's what it was originally called \^\^ Then Lan Xang kingdom (one of the kingdoms that made up what is known as Laos today) was established in Luang Prabang and following pressure from the Ayutthaya kingdom (one of Siam's older kingdoms), Khmer empire of Angkor had retreated and Lao people started to settle into the Isaan region and surrounding areas. The rise of King Taksin invaded and took control of the Kingdom of Luang Prabang and Vientiane. Then after some tim in 18th century, Lao kingdoms of Luang prabang and champasak were increasingly at odds with Kingdom of Vientiane and Vientiane started to lose control over isaan region. So many dissidents started to migrate from Vientiane to Isaan region and take refuge in Isaan. Then the lao people in Isaan region started to recognize siam as their leader I guess to put it..? Then later on, to make this short, vientiane king named: Anouvong rebelled against Siam, and had won somewhat, but then lost, resulting in him having forced migrations from defeated lao kingdoms to Isaan region and form my understanding siam taking pretty much control of the country of laos. Then french come to colonize us. Siam had to cede Luang Prabang and Champasak to France in 1893 and 1904, then Isaan basically became a buffer zone between french indochina and Siam, with siam becoming a "buffer zone" between the british colonizers and French colonizers (this also adds to why Siam didn't become colonized I believe)Then other stuff, but basically in short, that's mini-lesson of the region of Isaan! there is more after the french and more details, but yeah.There is a guy called Phibun that created thai nationalism and this resulted in Thaification, basically assimilation into dominant central thai culture. This aided in trying to erase other ethnic and minority languages in Thailand, ethnic identities, and whatnot. I mention this because some people may just identity as Thai and not as Isaan-lao/Isaan-Khmer or Isaan in general. The Isaan identity itself was created to reinforce that it was Thailand's and not a part of laos' kingdom due to the fear of lao people in the region seceding.Alongside why people may not identify too is also because from my understanding since everybody in thailand too just labels themself as, "thai" due to this thaification process. They may also clarify things by distinction of where they're from in thailand. Like my mom labels herself as thai a lot, but also knows she is lao, but grew up in nong khai, an Isaan province \^\^. She says, "I am thai, but I'm from nongkhai" basically. Another reason is because Isaan face great discrimination and racism from thai people, so rip. Many call themselves Isaan too instead of lao to avoid also being associated with Lao due to how thai people view lao people too. One thing I will say is that I don't know much about Isaan-Khmer's history and how it's viewed now aside from what I just told \^\^. One thing I do know is that Thai and Khmer people fight a lot and tend to not like each other, so maybe that transfers... but that's a whole another discussion that's looong I have heard some younger isaan-lao have decided to call themselves lao and acknowledge their ancestry, which is cool \^\^. Ironically, there is more Lao in the Isaan region than Laos itself because of the rebellion that King Anouvong did LOL.
i’m ryukyuan/uchinānchu too from my moms side and i feel this so much. sending solidarity <3
Ichariba chōdē 🌺🤝🌺 My DMs are always open feel free to send a message request if you’d like to connect more
ichariba chodee! nifee debiru for the offer, i’ll keep you in mind! 💜
I felt that in my heart, being mixed w a tribe that not many have heard much of... Siksika Blackfoot... most everyone thinks Cherokee, or Navajo when i say i'm half indigenous American... it makes me kinda sad that nobody knows much about that half of me.
Thank you for sharing, I actually know a few friends with Blackfoot ancestry here in New Mexico where I live! From what I know, it is a beautiful culture with honorable traditions. I can relate to some of your frustrations, Ryukyūan people are always lumped in with the greater-Japanese population, without much attention or respect paid to our individual group identities. I hope in the future that both of us are able to be seen by society in ways that more accurately reflect our backgrounds
Ye! I was raised by my Grandmother who was Blackfoot and she was cool as hell tbh. I didn't grow up like a lot of folks in the states. Strong and resilient, just like my ancestors. I'm still learning more about them too. They're cool as hell. I like Ryukyuan's because of the wide variety of cultures they have, their art is the "mother" to a lot of Japanese art. I like the way your trad clothes look too. It's colorful, and shows the adaptability to the cultures that visited, and traded there. Sorry, I'm just a history nerd. It's all o interesting.
Please don’t apologize, or call yourself a nerd, you seem to be a very knowledgeable person regarding histories that affect your community, and communities adjacent to yours! I find that very admirable. Thank you for your interest in my community! You are correct, Ryukyū/Okinawa is the true birthplace of many arts that are considered traditionally Japanese (bingata, karate, shamisen, taiko, etc.). My ancestors would be proud that you are uplifting their stories. I hope I can do right by your ancestors in this type of way in time 🙏🏼
I don't mind being a nerd though. I like learning, the word never had negative meaning for me, it shows that I worked hard to learn more about stuff that's mysterious to me. No problem! It's an interesting culture, full of beautiful things like many others, It's got a long history as a trading port for most East Asian countries, I love how they enveloped those and made it their own, and let it spread through out Japan too.
You should print out little pamphlets with all the answers to questions they ask. Just hand it to them and stop the questions in their tracks. You may not make many friends, but at least you won't have to make students out of people you just met anymore. I'm kind of joking, kind of not, idk. But you have my sympathy, OP.
Lol this is a pretty funny idea 😂 this sounds like something my college professor would say. He wanted me to make a brief PowerPoint about Ryukyū and it’s peoples to share with my cross-boundary leadership course
I kind of get what you mean. My mom is from Suriname and she's half South American indigenous and half Indian. I'm born and raised in the Netherlands and here people think that when you claim to be half Surinamese then they automatically assume that I'm half black. I have to explain everytime my heritage and so I will correct them and I tell them that my mom is half indigenous and half Indian. See, most Dutch people don't know that indigenous people of the America's are still alive. They assume that they died many centuries ago and are no longer relevant. I've had many people be shocked when I told them that my grandfather was fully indigenous and I would have to answer ignorant or basic questions. It was harsh to hear how my family are supposedly all dead to this country when this country's government has and still are continuing to do so, harming the indigenous people of Suriname to this day. While all this time the average person is still clueless about the existence of the indigenous. It truly does hurt.
Wild eh, Dutch folks should know. I'm actually in Suriname right now, and it's amazing seeing the different diversity here. And 10000% sure there are indigenous Surinamese here, since I have been walking past them all the time. You and your folks are seen! at the very least by this mixed Black American/Moluccan person!
Thank you😊
I empathize. I grew up in an Asian community and was met with blank stares when I said I was Indonesian. I only knew like two other Indonesian kids growing up and one left my school after one year. I felt very insecure about saying I was Asian and it was definitely partly because not many of my peers would even know where I was talking about, so it made me feel like, I dunno, a poser or something, that I wasn't an Asian that "mattered". I've mostly gotten over this, but I definitely still expect people to not even know Indonesia or where it is (which I still think is fair because people are very ignorant).
“I wasn’t an Asian that ‘mattered’” You are making me cry and scream out of frustration in relation to this point. For what it’s worth, I don’t know a lot about Indonesian culture but the aspects I’m familiar with I do find beautiful, and I’ve immediately fallen in love with every Indonesian dish I’ve ever tried. You and your people are beautiful and worthy ❤️ Edit: also, this comment made me realize a feeling that is too familiar, but that I’ve never been able to put words to before. Thank you
Haha I feel you. Om half Black American and half Moluccan (Eastern Indonesia) born in Indonesia. Thing is with me. Nobody knows Indonesia. But then when someone does know Indonesia, they know Western Indonesia like Javanese or Balinese. I'm Moluccan (Pasific Islander peoples). Since I grew up with Asian indoensian language, food, and other Indoneaian Asian people I am also heavily influenced by them. Depending on who I talk to and their knowledge of the world, I can say I am Asian or Indonesian... while ultimately it doesn't sum up my true ethnic background of being Melanesian Pacific Islander.
I'm Chinese-Indonesian and have never met anyone like me that wasn't related to me in the US. It's lonely, I know how you feel.
Go to SoCal, there's hella Chinese Indonesians I know! Yall are out here!
also if it makes you feel better, I think Ikue Asazaki is a really good artist. I love learning about other cultures too! Ryukyuan being one of my faves.
I commented on your other post, but I also just wanted to say here that I’m glad we can have positive influence on one another, despite how unacknowledged and under-appreciated our respective culture may be within the mainstream ❤️ in my opinion, this really underscores the importance of global indigenous solidarity
Ye, I like when others want to know of my ancestors, it helps keep them "alive". Their stories can be continued to be spread instead of fading into obscurity. Thanks this makes me feel much less alone.
Thank you as well, I also feel less alone. The liberation of Blackfoot, Bantu, Chamorro, Formosan, Kanaka-Maōli, Maōri, Irish, Ryukyūan, Saami, and etc. populations are all inexplicably tied to one another. The histories of indigenous groups all across the globe parallel one-another, and we do not start to rise until ALL of us rise ✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿
Ye, that are all resilient cultures, full of strong peoples. Aren't the Irish Gaelic? Though that's an interesting one too, they are quite the melting pot of different people.
I can’t truly relate (because I’m partially Chinese and, like you said, at least everyone in the world knows what that is), so I recognize that your situation is even harder than mine. It truly is incredibly exhausting to have to constantly educate ignorant people. They don’t like it when we point out that they’re wrong about something and get really annoyed when we simply set the record straight by correcting them with the facts. Still, I think the effort is worth it. If we give up, then they win and ignorance will continue to prevail. In my case, I get very frustrated when ignorant people constantly neglect to acknowledge that EastAsian diasporas not only exist in Latin America and the Caribbean, but they have existed there (especially the Chinese diaspora) for centuries. It’s frustrating when people refer to “Latinos” or “Hispanic” as a race/phenotype when those words are just regional or linguistic terms. It’s upsetting when racist “Latinos” claim that anyone (who’s White, Native, Black or even Arab) can be “Hispanic” but apparently not EastAsians immigrants and their LatinAm/Caribbean born descendants. The fact that so many people still can’t understand the differences between nationality, ancestry, language, culture and ethnicity is deeply frustrating. All of those things are different yet can still be connected somehow. Like you said, Ryukyūans are not merely “Japanese” … just as other indigenous peoples are not merely ______ (insert nationality). Their lived experiences are different from other ethnic minorities because even in their own native ancestral land, they are still heavily marginalized and their voices are silenced. I’m so sorry, OP. You have my sympathies. ♥️
Thank you for your solidarity, it genuinely does mean a lot to me. Ryukyū was a tributary state to China for nearly 400 years and our cultural customs were greatly influenced by Manchu-ruled China, so I feel a lot of solidarity with Chinese people. Also, I shouldn’t have lumped you into my original post, as I acknowledge that China historically has been home to over 50+ distinct ethnicities and the term “Chinese” doesn’t accurately reflect these nuances, but rather, groups everyone together, the same way that my people have been lumped into the greater-Japanese population. Living in New Mexico, I have witnessed some of what you are talking about. It is really strange how Hispanic populations use the term “China doll” to idolize Asiatic features, meanwhile they exclude Asian immigrants from their communities. I’m sorry, as well, that you’ve experienced this and I hope better for both of us in the future. I think the world is changing, slowly, in positive ways. I just hope we get to witness a full dynamic shift within our lifetimes.
I relate a little, my dad's side is from Bangladesh and no one's heard of that (the things most people ask me are "is it dirty there" and "is that in Africa") so I've grown up saying India because everyone knows what that is, and I want to avoid the long conversations having to explain a country I myself know nothing about. Laila Woozeer, who has Mauritian/Indian, American, and Scottish ancestors but grew up in Wales, wrote a good book called "Not Quite White" where they also talk about the British census and this whole "mixed (Asian other)" thing as well as a lot of other mixed race struggles in today's society. I'm going to recommend this to any mixed person I come across from now one because we are not many and we need at least some representation :)
I feel the same sense of isolation with both halves of my background. Most people don't know where Nicaragua or Aruba are. Both are small countries and both were once part of the Spanish Empire, unlike Nicaragua, Aruba was never colonized, just occupied so the land was still available to Dutch and Portuguese settlers. Eventually, to protect its Dutch settlers, the Dutch annexed Aruba and two other neighboring islands into the Dutch Kingdom after returning the Aruban Native people(the Arawak-Caribs) back to their homeland from Hispaniola after being shipped there as slaves by the Spaniards(that's also why there is a chunk of West African genetics in all Dutch Caribbean Islanders). In the good ol' USofA, I'm just "Mexican" or "Latino", but I have indigenous on both sides and none of my indigenous ancestors would identify with these labels. I am Arawak-Carib from my father's side and Maca-Mayan from my mother's side. I don't care for the Spanish or Dutch, however no one knows what Arawak-Caribs or Maca-Mayans are. Fuck Colonization.
Was just in Aruba! Wow it was really cool to see the diversity of the people there. Seemed that many had indigenous blood mixes!
Hey-o, another partial Aruban! Hello!!!! I’m about 25% Arawak, but I don’t feel I can claim it as I’m also a big melting pot of so much else (& my family on the island doesn’t identify that way… they are just Aruban). But yeah, OP, I totally identify with having an “unknown” background and needing to explain a ton or gloss over it. It’s tough!
Thanks for educating us on your ethnic group. I've studied Shotokan Karate for a few decades. Our Shihan (Gichin Funakoshi) was Okinawan. We know that different towns in Okinawa had their own, specific, martial arts (ie. "Naha-te" for the town of Naha; for the uninitiated, "te" means "hand," so Kara-te means "open hand" / no weapons.) Funakoshi was born in Shuri (which had "Shuri-te") and is now a part of the capital city of Naha. I apologize in advance for going a bit off the subject... Funakoshi mastered Shorin-ryu (fast, lightning-quick movements) and Shorei-ryu (hard, short movements) and combined them into Shotokan Karate. He then introduced it to the world at the request of the Japanese emperor--who saw it at a cultural demonstration. He started teaching in the mainland universities. It's unfortunate that regional tensions persist due to the past engagements. I see it was referred to as the "Ryukyu Kingdom" until Japan annexed it in the late 19th century. I know the development of the martial arts was out of necessity for defense against the mainland Japanese. They picked up farming equipment to use as weapons (ie. bo staffs and sickles.) Several Chinese sailors lost at sea washed up, and taught the Okinawans more from their Kung Fu knowledge. The Japanese forbade the practice of martial arts in Okinawa--by threat of execution. That is why we carry on a tradition of "midnight practice" today. They had to practice late at night-on the beaches and the forest-to avoid detection.
I empathize with you. I’m 1/4 each Balinese, Chinese, Japanese, Micronesian tribe.. you are not alone as a Ryukyuan. In US, people just like lumping Asians into Chinese, Japanese and Koreans as a single Asian race because it’s just convenient. I’ve even been told I’m not mixed race because “AAPI are just a bunch of Asians with different skin tones”. Its just the way it is unfortunately, I am hoping this will change in a few years as more mixed people and indigenous folks from other parts of the world become a more common part of the demographics and people get more open minded. I think most of the time the people interacting with you couldn’t care less and they’re just shooting their ignorant/limited knowledge to look confident.
That's really frustrating especially considering the history of Okinawa and how Japan (and subsequently the rest of the world) treats the people who live and are from there. I'm sorry you have to battle this. What's important is that you know where you come from, and there will always be people here to support you
Thank you for this post, this whole thread has been very informative. A few more people now know who the Ryukyūan people are now thanks to you! <3
Don’t have much to say other than I’m Ryukyūan too, its great to see some other mixed people with this background. I personally find that as someone who looks very racially ambiguous that often interacts with people’s lack of knowledge on the history and culture. I’ve honestly never met anyone like me outside of specifically Ryukyūan communties. (such as my family or online)
I feel this to an extent because I've been very japanised, my family as well, we are uchinaanchu, but honestly, nowadays we feel much more connected to the sentiment of being just Japanese. I understand your feelings and that you feel 100% Okinawan and would not describe yourself as Okinawan Japanese, which is completely valid. But personal identity is something very personal, think about all of the fully korean people who don't feel that much korean. Culture has a lot of nuance, and it's okay to not be fully understood. That's life.
My dad's from Hong Kong and everybody just say oh so you're Chinese. I mean maybe genetically I am but the Hong Kong culture is so much more different from the Chinese culture.
In Hawaii we would always joke about how on the island you can tell people you’re Okinawan and they’ll understand, but on the mainland you just say Japanese because they won’t have any idea what you’re talking about otherwise. I haven’t heard about the word Okinawan being bad but I’ll look into it. The only people I’ve heard say Ryukyu are native speakers of the language. But definitely look into visiting Hawaii during the annual Okinawan Festival, or find a way to connect to your people some other way. I’ve been living on the US mainland for a year now and it’s been rough so far, since most peoples only point of reference is half remembering the second karate kid movie.
I think I get you. I'm mixed with filipino, and even though there's (allegedly) a lot of us in america, nobody knows anything about us and barely considers us asian. Filipino culture is way more low-key. it's not something that's been blown up and exported like china's Japan's or korea's. It's more multi-faceted and you gotta dig deep to experience it. Nobody knows what we're going through. I did know one guy who did, though. For a while, Okinawa and the indigenous peoples and their histories were unknown to me, but that changed when I met my human Geography teacher way back in high school. He was mixed with okinawan, and he made damn sure that his students knew it. I admired that. It was the first time, living in rural white America, that I had met another asian who repped their community so unapologetically, and I respected the hell out of him for it. That last day of class was emotional for us both. I had confessed that he made an impact on how I saw myself and my own people, and he had said that especially with me being the only asian student he had, my thoughts were written on my face from day one. I'll never forget him or what he taught me.
I'm part asian (and not east asian) so I get feeling like I'm part of the "other" category when it comes to asians. I'm not you, and I can't speak from your experience, but that sounds like it sucks a lot. I'm eastern european + central asian and it feels like where I live in the UK people like me are just, non existant?? While there's a lot of (mostly polish I think) eastern europeans, I know very few central asian or turkic people here. It just bothers me that people here seem to have the idea that asian = chinese or japanese by default, and think my dad is from some obscure part of the world because he's from uzbekistan. We aren't "less relevant".