1. Reaching Out with Chimugukuru: Positioning Okinawan Identity at the Fourth Worldwide Uchinānchu Festival and Beyond
- Author
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Miyahira Katsuyuki and Peter R. Petrucci
- Subjects
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS ,Geography ,Feeling ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Perspective (graphical) ,Attendance ,Media studies ,Identity (social science) ,Advertising ,Fieldnotes ,Theme (narrative) ,Diaspora ,media_common - Abstract
This chapter addresses a more subtle approach that festival organizers adopted with regard to the issue of fostering a collective Uchinā identity at 2006 Worldwide Uchinānchu festival (WUF): the introduction and use of Uchināguchi term chimugukuru , loosely translated as 'spirit' or 'heart' and held to be a defining characteristic of Uchinā identity. It examines more closely the use of Uchināguchi at 2006 diaspora festival and, especially, the cultural term chimugukuru . It then draws on evidence from WUF promotional materials, local news coverage, fieldnotes taken during the festival and interviews with overseas Uchinānchu in attendance. The chapter unpacks the term from Okinawan perspective. It examines its initial use in speeches and festival theme song. The chapter argues that organizers in Okinawa attempted to use chimugukuru and discourse surrounding it to retraditionalize the festival. Finally, it discusses the overseas participants' feelings towards chimugukuru and its overall role in their Uchinā identity. Keywords: chimugukuru ; Okinawan identity; Uchinā identity; Uchināguchi term; Worldwide Uchinānchu Festival (WUF)
- Published
- 2011
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