His mother left him in his crib at 9 months old. His father liked to gamble and liked women so he wasn't around all the time. He was raised by his grandmother. She raised 5 boys and now she was raising her son's son. For years she got into little arguments with other women in the neighborhood about her grandson. They always asked, "Is he full?" She knew they knew but still answered, "Yes he is." "But his eyes," they would always say. She stuck to what she said until one day she did come clean. Because he was a good kid it no longer mattered to them if he was that too. He displayed the same mannerisms as any other kid his age would display. He loved sports. Baseball and boxing were his favorites. Although he looked like everyone in his neighborhood or so he thought, there was something different. His hair was lighter than the kids in the neighborhood. And definitely his eyes. His eyes were a dead giveaway.
The story above could be applied to any Hapa but it's not. It was about my father. He was born in 1940. His neighborhood was Italian and xenophobic enough to drive away his Irish mother. Irish and Italians did not get along back in the 40s. There are a few reasons I bring this up about my father. Firstly, any time I hear "Mixed people are the future," I have a desire to eject my protein shake via expulsion. I can never express and stress enough the world has been mixed for centuries. In addition, if one is to speak of mixed race people, Euro-mixes will be included. Just because seaweed grows in the ocean, it doesn't mean it is not a vegetable. Ask Koreans and Japanese if it isn't a vegetable. Secondly, just as our Asian counterparts have frowned upon interracial mixing, Europeans who settled in this country shared the same sentiments back then. Many of the old neighborhoods were sections of different countries and some pockets still remain today. Lastly, when we Mixed Asians go through the standard protocol of "What are you," then we receive a rundown about how they know a person or have a relative that is mixed but not part Asian, Black or Hispanic. I like giving a person the benefit of the doubt. They may actually have an idea what we have gone through. By the way, his eyes are green.
Your Culture Is My Culture by Frank Y Pak Agostinelli
Many of us strive to be original and one of kind but really we aren’t. If we look closely into the mirror we will see plenty of elements that have become who we are today. We start with a foundation. Over time, life experiences build onto this foundation to become one totality. Just like a sponge we soak up everyday stimuli. It becomes who we are whether we know it or not. Whether we believe it or not. Whether we like it or not. The pleasant delivery of a simple hello or a blank, menacing stare will be absorbed by us. The same holds true for cultures all around the world. The nomadic and maritime travels have had a great influence on cross cultural assimilation for thousands of years. Many ethnic groups like to stake their claim that everything about their culture is originally their culture. This takes place even in our own country! But just as the individual, there is a foundation to be cultivated.
We're Going To The Hukilau
Hawai'i is a hotbed of different cultures. The ukulele sound is unmistakable and synonymous with Hawaiian music. One would assume it is culturally indigenous to Hawai'i but it's not. In 1879, the Braga or Braquiñha came to the islands from Portugal or more specifically, Madeira. Augusto Diaz, Manuel Nunes, and José do Espirito Santo were all credited with its infusion into Hawaiian culture. The Hawaiian people embraced the instrument (especially King Kalakaua) and made it their own. How would Don Ho with his friend Sammy look like in the Brady's Go To Hawaii episode without a ukulele? How different would Hawaiian culture be if no Portuguese immigrants settled there? But the Portuguese did settle there, brought the braga and it became a part of Hawai'i.
And You Don't Stop And You Don't Quit
Hip Hop culture was widely known as a Black experience. Its beginnings point back to the mid to late 70s when it was underground. Just two turntables and a microphone. One could even say the late James Brown was the first rapper. The majority of people looked at it (for racial reasons) as nothing more than a fad. Attend an NBA game and you won't hear the mulletized Billy Ray Cyrus "Achy Breaky Heart" playing in between time-outs. Watch a commercial and eight times out of 10 you will distinctively hear hip-hop rhythms. Since Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five exploded onto the scene back in 1980 with the song The Message, it has been embraced worldwide and has grown to be entrenched in society. Hip Hop is Black American culture. Hip Hop is now American culture.
Land Of The Free, The Home Of The Brave
America is looked upon as the leader of the free world. Its democratic government is a gold standard for all to follow. The United States of America is the biggest advocate of democracy but the founding fathers were not the brainchild of this form of government. Democracy's (demos-kratia) genesis points back to city-state Athens around the 4th and 5th B.C.E. Solon, Cleisthenes, and Pericles set the foundation to be built upon for centuries. Many countries have adopted democracy as their way of government. Democracy is synonymous with the American way but should be noted it was first the Athenian way.
What Would Jesus/Buddha Do?
Christianity has been a part of America since it came here in the form of Puritans. The key words are "came here." Christianity did not get its start in America as Buddhism did not get its start in China. How many people know two of the world's major religions were born on the continent of Asia, the Middle East and India respectfully? These religions spread across many lands and broke off into different sects with the core of the philosophy still intact. Christianity is one of the cornerstones of America. Buddhism is one of the cornerstones of China.
I'll Have Hapa Dis And I'll Have Half Of That
The Hawaiian word Hapa has experienced a semantic drift. At one time meaning (according to the New Pocket Hawaiian Dictionary, authored by Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel H. Elbert, page 21), a portion, fragment, part; to be a portion, less (Eng., half.) and of mixed blood; person of mixed blood, it now means part Asian. This is not to be confused with hapa haole, meaning part-white person; of part-white blood; part white and part Hawaiian, as an individual or phenomenon or hapaha meaning one fourth, one quarter, twenty-five cents; quarterly. Lit., fourth part or hapakolu, third; one third or hapalima, fifth; one fifth or hapalua, half; half dollar; in two portions or hapa'umi tenth part; five cents and hapawalu, one eighth; eighth part. It has been embraced by Mixed Asians as the (eventual) universal gloss for all of part Asian ancestry and it is respectfully acknowledged by most of its Hawaiian origin.
As American As Apple Pie
Well more like English as apple pye. Apple pie is not an American creation. Apple pie's beginnings can be traced to the 14th century. A cook book, The Forme of Cury, by Samuel Pegge was compiled in 1390 by the master cooks of King Richard II, presented afterwards to Queen Elizabeth, by Edward Lord Stafford. According to historians, this is one of the first recordings of the modern apple pie. Upon arrival in 1620, colonists were disappointed to see crab apples were the only apples North America had.♣ They would have to wait for shipments from England. As more varieties of apples from around the world were being planted on pre-United States soil, this set up apple pies eventual pedestal status of American.
These examples are indicative how close culturally the world truly is, then and now. I could bring up stuff about the English language and how there is a definitive Norse influence. Any time your husband raises your anger and things get real ugly, thank a Viking. I could bring up how most of America believes pasta is of Italian origin but it was brought back to Italy by Marco Polo from China. With all the assorted brands of toilet paper America houses, we didn't invent it. The Chinese did. And surprise! It doesn't look like barbequing was not of American origin. As much as we would like to believe that everything about us, our ways, our lives, our cultures, etc., is originally ours, it's more along the lines of assimilate to originate. Except for the foundation that we cultivate.
