Photo By Lance Cpl. Stefanie Pupkiewicz | An eisa dancer with a paranku (drum) performs during the start of the 15th annual...... read more read more
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"Look at the gaijin" the Japanese whispered up and down Kokusai Street in Naha.
Their comments came as three Okinawan-American children from the Yuidaiko eisa group were seen preparing for their turn to perform at the 15th annual 10,000 Eisa Festival.
The 10,000 Eisa Festival is the largest eisa festival on Okinawa and attracts eisa groups from all over the island.
Groups perform before a crowd of thousands that arrive for the annual festivities, which is held on the first Sunday of August.
The three gaikokujin, or foreigners who are sometimes referred to in slang as gaijin, who attracted so much attention, are of both Okinawan and American descent and have aunts and cousins among the other performers in the eisa group.
The Yuidaiko eisa group is very much a family affair, according to Tomiko Sink, the mother of the three performers: Marie, 10, Anna, 13, and Michael, 14.
One of the team's points of pride is that the mothers on the team are performing alongside their children.
Tomiko's mother, who like her daughter is Okinawan and married to a Marine, invited her grandchildren to participate with the eisa group when they returned on island in 2007. She felt it would help them appreciate their Okinawan heritage.
"It's a perfect way for the kids to see Okinawa [by traveling with the group] and experience their culture," Tomiko said.
The three children have been attending practices by Awase on Fridays for nearly three months now.
They look forward to the practices and take them seriously, said 1st Sgt. Michael Sink, the company first sergeant of Communications Company, Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Marine Division and father of the three eisa dancers.
The performance is her favorite part, said Anna, who will be attending eighth grade Ryukyu Middle School on Kadena.
Anna attended Japanese school for the last two years.
"You get to dance in front of everybody and make them happy."
The younger Michael performs with the odaiko drum, which is nearly as large as a barrel in both width and height.
The odaiko is held in place by a large sash so that it sits alongside his torso.
His sisters perform with the smaller hand-held tambourine-like paranku drums.
Anna, who speaks a little bit of Japanese, has made friends on the team, she said.
These new friendships and the inherent cultural significance of eisa have allowed her to understand and appreciate the culture of her mother and grandmother better.
The children also performed as part of the eisa group five years ago when Sink was previously stationed on Okinawa, he said.
The experience has been beneficial for his family and for the locals who turn out to see the performances.
They get excited to see Okinawan-American children taking an interest in their cultural traditions and heritage, Sink added.
| Date Taken: | 08.07.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 08.07.2009 01:37 |
| Story ID: | 37235 |
| Location: |
| Web Views: | 152 |
| Downloads: | 117 |
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