BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//PYVOBJECT//NONSGML Version 1//EN
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:events.uid.6795@www.discovernikkei.org
DTSTART:20230709T000000Z
DTEND:20230709T000000Z
DESCRIPTION:&lt;strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;RSVP REQUIRED:&lt;/strong&gt;\n&lt;a href=&quot;https://tinyu
 rl.com/oaa-hiromi-23&quot; style=&quot;font-weight: bold\;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;tinyurl.
 com/oaa-hiromi-23&lt;/a&gt;\n• Free for current OAA members\n• $2 for the ge
 neral public&lt;/strong&gt;\n&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;\n&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;\n\nOn July 9 
 (Sunday)\, 5 p.m. Pacific Time\, the Okinawa Association of America (OAA) 
 in Gardena\, California\, will host a &lt;strong&gt;special event with Hiromi To
 ma\, an Okinawan-Brazilian artist visiting from São Paulo.&lt;/strong&gt; The e
 vent will be both in person at the OAA Center’s Yamauchi Building and on
 line via Zoom (hybrid). Admission is free for current OAA members and $2 f
 or the general public. &lt;strong&gt;RSVP is required: visit &lt;a href=&quot;https://ti
 nyurl.com/oaa-hiromi-23&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;tinyurl.com/oaa-hiromi-23&lt;/a&gt; or 
 contact (310) 532-1929\, oaamensore@gmail.com&lt;/strong&gt;.\n\n&lt;strong&gt;Hiromi 
 Toma\, a third generation Okinawan\, will talk about the Okinawan communit
 y in Brazil\, her identity journey\, and becoming a &lt;em&gt;hajichi&lt;/em&gt; artis
 t.&lt;/strong&gt; She started &lt;em&gt;hajichi&lt;/em&gt; in 2021 and has since tattooed 96
  Okinawan women in her home country using traditional techniques. She is a
 lso the director of the Okinawa Association of Brazil (Associação Okinaw
 a Kenjin do Brasil) and co-founded “Shimanchu nu Mōashibi\,” an inter
 national Okinawa diaspora art exhibition started in Campo Grande.\n\n&lt;stro
 ng&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hajichi&lt;/em&gt; is a traditional ritual that was practiced by indigeno
 us Ryūkyūan women for centuries before being banned under Japanese colon
 ization.&lt;/strong&gt; Young women would receive &lt;em&gt;hajichi&lt;/em&gt; on their hand
 s and wrists based on milestones\, with specific symbols and patterns hand
 -poked onto their skin. Much like with languages and traditions\, regions 
 and islands have their own unique &lt;em&gt;hajichi&lt;/em&gt;.\n\n&lt;strong&gt;The July 9t
 h event will feature research by Toma and Ava Kvapil\, a fourth generation
  Okinawan-American &lt;em&gt;hajichi&lt;/em&gt; artist in Long Beach\, California\, as
  well as a live tattooing demonstration.&lt;/strong&gt;\n\nMany Okinawans around
  the world have seen &lt;em&gt;hajichi&lt;/em&gt; in photos of emigrant mothers\, gran
 dmothers\, and great-grandmothers. There are also photos of women with the
 ir palms facing up\, hiding the markings that had long been stigmatized in
  Japanese society. &lt;strong&gt;Toma encourages anybody with such family photos
  to share them at the July 9th event.&lt;/strong&gt;\n\nThere has been a resurge
 nce of interest among younger generations including the publishing of Lee 
 Tonouchi and Laura Kina’s children’s book\, “Okinawan Princess: Da L
 egend of Hajichi Tattoos\,” and Okinawan women in the islands and throug
 hout the diaspora getting &lt;em&gt;hajichi&lt;/em&gt; themselves. There has also been
  discord in Okinawan communities about traditional vs. modern perspectives
  and practices\, as well as cultural appropriation by non-Okinawans in Jap
 an using &lt;em&gt;hajichi&lt;/em&gt; as decorative “tribal” tattoos.\n\n&lt;strong&gt;W
 ith this event\, the OAA only aims to share Toma’s own knowledge of haji
 chi and her experiences as a hajichi artist.&lt;/strong&gt;\n\nThe OAA Center is
  located at 16500 S. Western Ave. in Gardena\; the parking lot is accessib
 le behind the buildings off of 165th Place. The in-person event will take 
 place in the Yamauchi Building (southend of the parking lot). For the onli
 ne event\, the Zoom link will be emailed to registrants on the day of.\n\n
 &lt;strong&gt;The Okinawa Association of America\, Inc. (OAA) is a 501(c)(3) non
 -profit organization that is dedicated to preserving and promoting Okinawa
 n culture.&lt;/strong&gt; Formed by first generation Okinawan immigrants &lt;em&gt;(is
 sei)&lt;/em&gt;\, the OAA has grown into a multi-generational organization that 
 hosts numerous events throughout the year including cultural lectures\, pe
 rformances\, social gatherings\, and senior-focused activities. 2019 marke
 d the organization’s 110th anniversary as well as the 20th anniversary o
 f the OAA Center in Gardena. &lt;a href=&quot;https://facebook.com/oaamensore&quot; tar
 get=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Facebook&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href=&quot;https://instagram.com/oaamensore&quot; tar
 get=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Instagram&lt;/a&gt;
DTSTAMP:20240509T030506Z
SUMMARY:Ryūkyūan/Okinawan Hajichi Artist Talk
URL:/en/events/2023/07/09/ryukyuanokinawan-hajichi-artist-talk/
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR