What is your ethnicity?

[craigwatanabe]

Re: What is your ethnicity?

Japanese 100% But I can't speak the language and never been to Japan.

Born and raised in Hawaii but not Hawaiian (for those who just don't get it yet)

So basically I'm a man with no terra firma when it comes to ethnic lands, just local. I don't like to call myself Japanese American because I don't consider myself like my Japanese National counterparts nor am I a Native American.

I'm so confused. I'm just local

[modpirate]

Re: Ethnicity that you identify with...

It's funny but when I lived in Hawaii I identified mostly with the Haole side, but now that I'm on the mainland I identify more with the Japanese side. I guess it's my nature to go agaisnt the grain, lol.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: What is your ethnicity?

On HT, no one knows you're a dog (to paraphrase a famous cartoon.)

Craig: ethnicity be damned - you're certainly a fascinating individual here, and congratulations on reaching 3400 posts.

[LocoBoy]

Re: What is your ethnicity?

Mixed plate hea: American Indian/Irish from dad and Hawaiian/Portugese from mom .

[Lei K]

Re: Ethnicity that you identify with...

I'm mostly Podagee since my father is a pretty much a pure blood. I do have some Spanish in there that came over to O'ahu from Madrid (born in Zaragoza, Spain, though). Mom's side Hawaiian/Chinese (Cantonese) mixed into me. What do I feel and or identify with? All of the above. Though I've been learning a lot about my kanaka maoli side lately because tutu (mid 80's now) came from the generation where it was "bad to be kanaka," not allowed to have any pride in it. So the last 10-20 years or so my 'ohana has been doing a lot of "rediscovering" what it means to be who we are. Not that we lost all traditions (tutu had a imu on a shared property and raised pigs), but there's definitely so much more to learn again.

And my keiki, haha, they are what I am plus what I call "Northern European Mutt" as my husband is... *clears throat*... Irish (with family still in Ireland), Scottish, Swedish, Welsh, some English. And now we got people in his 'ohana claiming there is German in there as well. I do genealogy though and so far I haven't found it in there so he doesn't claim it. But that's how we are, we don't claim what we don't know for sure. We got enough to claim as is.

[Lei K]

Re: What is your ethnicity?

Didn't I just answer this on another thread? Oh well the looong answer is over there. But simply enough I'm Portuguese (with some Spanish too that I usually just lump in with the Portuguese as to not make mainland peoples head explode by being so many things) and Hawaiian, Chinese (Cantonese). But mainland peoples head still cannot wrap their minds around what a Hawaiian is exactly. Either they think that means I'm Samoan or more Asian. I try explain but gets me all huhu after a while and I just go on with life. Not sure what is so confusing about understanding that native Hawaiians/Kanaka Maoli are Polynesians but are not Samoan. Go figure.

Not saying all mainland folks are like this but I'm sorry to say a good 98% of the ones I talk ethnicity with are. What on earth do people learn in geography and history classes?!!!

[Leo Lakio]

Re: What is your ethnicity?

I'm Portuguese (with some Spanish too that I usually just lump in with the Portuguese as to not make mainland peoples head explode by being so many things)

My 1/2 Japanese + 1/2 Okinawan (ancestry) Alpha Female goes through something similar.

What on earth do people learn in geography and history classes?!!!

Whatever the victors & conquerors want to teach.

[admin]

Re: What is your ethnicity?

Didn't I just answer this on another thread?

Yes you did. I've merged them.

First rule of message boards: before you click "New Thread," click "Search." Especially if your topic is just a talkstory survey. Chances are it has come around before... likely more than once!

[Hi Tone]

Re: What is your ethnicity?

i'm half filipino and half kanaka maoli, go patriots..

[Fat Jeff]

Re: What is your ethnicity?

It's pretty simple with me, 1/2 Polish & 1/2 Slovene. When I was growing up, my family spent most of our weekends with my Mother's (Polish) family. As a result I've always identified with that side inspite of carrying a Slovene name.

My wife is 1/2 Mexican 3/8 Portuegese & 1/8 Hawaiian. She has expressed that she mostly identifies with her Hawaiian heritage. My guess is because she was very close to her (mostly) Hawaiian Tutu.

Now this leaves our son 1/4 Polish, 1/4 Slovene, 1/4 Mexican, 3/16 Portuguese, & 1/16 Hawaiian. I'll leave it to him to pick his identity...

[Kaukura]

Re: What is your ethnicity?

I am half Irish and American Indian.

My fathers side is from Ireland. He and his brothers all had black hair, but lighter skin.

My mothers side is American Indian. Her father (my grandfather) was an Assinaboine chief in Eastern Montana, her mother (my grandmother) was Sioux from North Dakota. My mother grew up on the Ft. Peck Indian reservation until 1963 when my dad brought her to California before I was born. I was born and raised in Calif., but I often wonder what type of life I would have had had they not married.

I carry around a beaded buckskin baby tomahawk that my grandmother made for me before she died 2 yrs after I was born in 1964.

[MadAzza]

Re: What is your ethnicity?

I was born and raised in Calif., but I often wonder what type of life I would have had had they not married.

Would you have been born if they hadn't been married? Or were you born before they were married? Or do you mean, what type of life would you have had if they had had you out of wedlock?

I guess I don't understand the question.

[Kaukura]

Re: What is your ethnicity?

MadAzza, my father was stationed in the Air Force in Montana in the 60's. The AF base was just outside of the reservation. That's where he met my mother. They dated etc. and I was conceived before they were married. I was born in Feb 1964, they were married in July 1963. I would guess there could have been the chance that he could have 'left her' pregnant on the reservation (for lack of a better description) and just went back to California, but he bonded with her family, going deer hunting, going to pow wow's, immersing himself in the culture (which was stronger back then than it is now). In all honesty, I have no idea how long they dated before I was conceived. I was born in California, after they were married.

Their marriage only lasted 13 years, so it's natural (for me at least) to wonder how strong it was and if they got married 'due to me'. Life on the reservation back then (as is now I suppose) was very poor. My fathers life in Calfornia was an idyllic middle class life growing up in the suburban farmland Sacramento in the 50's (think Happy Days or Grease) where my mothers life growing up was taking care of 12 brothers and relying on government subsidies.

Anyway, to cut a long story short (and I have a horrible problem with writing too much) I had just always thought to myself, what would my life be like growing up, or even where I would be now had my father not decided to marry my mother and take her back to California. How would I have turned out growing up on the reservation. I honestly cannot say that it would have been a great life.

[MadAzza]

Re: What is your ethnicity?

Thanks for the explanation.

I believe it's always best to get off the reservation. My mom's people fared much better that way. For that reason and others, I have an "anti-reservation" bias.

Yes, lots of guys dump their pregnant girlfriends. In general, that's bad for everyone. I'm glad that didn't happen to you and your mom.

Aloha,
Maddie

[SusieMisajon]

Re: What is your ethnicity?

Does this ask what the blood is, or what the family is?

My blood is German and Italian-American. The family is a German Mom and a local Filipino Dad.

The culture is US Army brat, USA and Germany, with dashes of Hawaii.