Tom Ken Yamamoto: Sharing 'Aloha' on Peace Boat

Tom Ken Yamamoto, elementary school teacher in Wahiawa, Hawaii and a president of the Hawaii United Okinawa Association (HUOA) joined Peace Boat’s 114th Global Voyage as a guest educator from Manzanillo, Mexico to Honolulu, USA. Tom is an expert in Hawaiian as well as Okinawan culture. 

In his first lecture, ‘Hawaiian Music and Hula’, Tom offered a concise overview of the history and evolution of Hawaiian hula dance and the instruments used in Hawaiian music. He explained that there are two main styles of hula dancing: Kahiko and Auana. Kahiko is the ancient traditional dance, and Auana is the modern dance. In the early 1800s, American Protestant missionaries banned the hula as a heathen dance. For many years, hula was not allowed to be practiced or performed publicly or privately. Hula Auana, or the modern hula was introduced in the 1800s with the introduction of the western culture and modern instruments. The slack key guitar, ukulele, and stand-up string bass are typical instruments used to accompany hula Auana. Auana is slower and more graceful and is performed mainly for entertainment. At the end of the lecture, the audience had the pleasure of enjoying a hula and ukulele performance by Tom.

^{Tom Ken Yamamoto engaged people through both lectures and workshops}

One definition of the word ‘Nikkei’ is ‘a Japanese emigrant’ or ‘a Japanese descendant who lives in a different community outside of Japan’. Tom's second lecture on his own experiences as a Nikkei offered an insight into his family history and the pride he takes in being Okinawan. Tom explained that the first Japanese immigrants arrived in Hawaii in 1885 as laborers in the sugar plantations. He talked about how Japanese emigrants from mainland Japan (Naichi) treated Okinawan people with contempt and considered them primitive on account of their customs of raising pigs, having women wear tattoos on their hands and arms, and growing sweet potatoes instead of rice. That is why the Okinawans became a very unified community. Tom is the President of the Hawaii United Okinawa Association (HUOA), a non-profit organization. One of their main goals is to promote and perpetuate Okinawan culture, support their various performing arts groups who have established ties with Okinawa, and produce concerts and recitals together for the local community. One of HUOA's largest annual events is the Okinawan Festival on Labor Day weekend that draws in tens of thousands of festival-goers. The festival has been awarded the ‘Best Ethnic and Cultural Festival in Hawaii’ for the past two years. Every year,150-200 visitors from Okinawa, whether performers, dignitaries, or guests attend this festival to experience the richness of the "Uchinanchu Spirit of Aloha"! At the end of the lecture Tom played the Sanshin, an Okinawan musical instrument. Some audience members from Okinawa that share a similar family history as Tom emphasized that his lectures and performances showcasing Okinawan cultures and issues meant a lot to them

^{Enjoying the sound of the Okinawan Sanshin}

Before the Peace Boat arrived in Hawaii, Tom gave a brief introduction to the history and diversity of Hawaii, providing an opportunity for participants to deepen their understanding of Hawaiian cultures. Highlighting what makes Hawaii so unique, he explained that practices today are a result of the sharing of ideologies, food, religion, music, dance brought by immigrant ancestors generations ago, who worked side by side with others from foreign lands and the native Hawaiians, to current interactions and exchanges of culture.

As Tom currently teaches hula and ukulele to elementary school students, he conducted hula and ukulele workshops on board as well. After all workshops were done, the passengers became enthusiastic Hawaii fans who also performed with Tom on the ship.