Ukwanshin Kabudan 御冠船歌舞団

Happy Holidays!

Anyone is welcome to attend these cultural classes.  Please complete our Contact Form to enroll in any of these classes.

DECEMBER 2023 – JANUARY 2024 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

December 10         LOOCHOO STUDIES (Okinawa) Studies @ UH Hilo, 10am-4pm

January 8                SHIMAKUTUBA – Uchinaaguchi Study Session

                                7pm (Hawai`i time) online: [https://bit.ly/2XkyQHQshimakutuba]

                                Instructor: Brandon Ufugusuku Ing

Sanshin classes

December 5          7:30 – 8:30 pm  Ufubushi (classical uta-sanshin) 

                              instructor: Keith-shinshii

                              http://bit.ly/3vBOIWnSanshin

LAST CLASS OF 2023

December 6          6:30-7:30pm Intermediate Fa-uta (bon dance songs)

                              7:45-8:15pm Beginners’ Foundations class

                              instructor: Norman-shinshii

December 13        6:30-7:30pm Jiutee (advanced)

                              instructor: Norman-shinshii

UP-COMING EVENTS in 2024

February 10            Uchinā Sōgwachi Shinnenkai

March 22, 23, 24.    Loochoo Identity Summit

There are 2 ways to submit your reservation.  Please select the one that is most convenient for you:

1. online at (click on this link)  2023 Juuguya reservation

2. download, complete and mail the attached registration form to Ukwanshin Kabudan, PO Box 892725, Mililani, HI 96789. 

Every attendee must purchase a ticket for admission entry and buffet dinner.  Confirmation of reservation will be acknowledged upon receipt of payment.  
If you have any questions, please reply to this email.

Hope to see you there!

Request from Okinawan Genealogical Society of Hawaii (OGSH)
Please share the attached information on the DNA workshop sponsored by OGSH and HUOA scheduled for Tuesday, September 26th at 7 pm at HOC.  This is research done by Raplee Nobori to discover his Okinawan mother and Japanese father’s ancestry.   Below is the flyer and registration form for the “Tracing Your Okinawan Ancestry through DNA”  and the link to the trailer we created.  He discovered interesting DNA  information regarding a connection between the Ainu and Ryukuans as well as differences between Japanese and Okinawan DNA and their migration routes.

Link to Registration Form

Note from Ukwanshin Kabudan
Please register for and attend this intriguing presentation on DNA mapping and migration patterns sponsored by OGSH. In promoting this great learning opportunity, however, we at Ukwanshin Kabudan would like to remind you that DNA mapping and other empirical scientific research methods are merely tools to help build the bigger picture of who we are. When used in concert with ancestral knowledge, they can be powerfully constructive; however, when wielded with little or no cultural lens, they can be extremely deceptive, even destructive. Scientific research is very much prone to Western cultural biases that, historically, have dismissed or diminished the value of ancestral knowledge of native peoples. Genetic research, in particular, has a long history of over-generalizing or mischaracterizing minority and indigenous peoples, often in line with racist beliefs. This is not to say that all scientific research should be dismissed or distrusted; rather, it is a reminder that even “objective” science can be tainted or skewed by incorrect assumptions about a group of people. In regards to DNA mapping and migration research as it applies to Okinawa, please be aware that there are some who use this type of data to dismiss claims that Okinawans are indigenous, or even a separate ethnic group. Please be clear — we are NOT insinuating this is the intent of Mr. Nobori or OGSH. However, we do want to make sure our community is aware of the rhetoric surrounding studies regarding our “ethnic origins.” Please bear in mind that “heritage”, “ancestry,” “culture,” and definitely “ethnic identity” go far beyond where the first of our gene pool came from. The vast majority of who we are as a people — including indigeneity — come from what our ancestors did in place on the lands they connected with as their parents. We hope any discussion on DNA mapping or migration research will be helpful starting points in the densely layered discussion on understanding who we are as a people.

September also marks the start of the Foodland Give Aloha donation program.  Ukwanshin has been very fortunate to receive substantial contributions from our generous supporters in past years.  We appreciate your continued support if you will participate in this year’s program which runs through the month of September. Donations (up to $249 per customer) can be made to Ukwanshin at any Foodland grocery store by using our code: 78959.  With your donation, Foodland will contribute an additional amount based on the total customer donations made to us. 

If you would like an acknowledgement letter (for tax purposes) from us, please ask for a copy of your Foodland receipt and send it by email to events@ukwanshinkabudan.org or by US postal mail to:  Ukwanshin Kabudan / PO Box 892725 / Mililani, HI 96789

Gusūyō, chū wuganabira.
Our hearts are heavy as details surrounding the situation on Maui continue to emerge. This tragedy hits us hard, as Maui is one of the islands that Ukwanshin Kabudan has a strong connection to through their Okinawan cultural associations’ various activities. In case you are wanting to donate and unsure where to turn, here is a short list of organizations you might want to consider. 

• Volunteer Time or Donate Fund to Hawaii Red Cross:
  RedCross.org/local/hawaii/ways-to-donate
• Donate to Hawaii Community Foundation’s Maui Strong fund:
  HawaiiCommunityFoundation.org/maui-strong
• Donate to AUW’s Maui fire relief fund:
  MauiUnitedWay.org/disasterrelief
• Kākoʻi Maui – every dollar matched up to $1.5 million
  Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement

We realize there are many other groups and programs that are legitimate and trustworthy of your consideration, and if you have the means, please help in any way you can.
 
Chimugukuru,
Ukwanshin Kabudan