− | Today, Hawaii is home to a great number of Okinawan groups and associations, and cultural activities and events. The State of Hawaii and Okinawa prefecture became "sister states" in 1985, and the Hawaii Okinawa Center opened in 1990.<ref name=toyama/> | + | Today, the Okinawan community in Hawaii is roughly one-ninth the size of the Japanese-American community.<ref>Gail Miyasaki, "Okinawans and Culture in Hawaii," ''Uchinanchu: A History of Okinawans in Hawaii'', Honolulu: University of Hawaii at Manoa Ethnic Studies Program (2009), 164.</ref> Hawaii is home to a great number of Okinawan groups and associations, and cultural activities and events. The State of Hawaii and Okinawa prefecture became "sister states" in 1985, and the Hawaii Okinawa Center opened in 1990.<ref name=toyama/> |
| The University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) is the only university in the US to boast a dedicated Center for Okinawan Studies, and offers courses in [[Okinawan language]], [[Ryukyu odori|Ryukyuan dance]], and classical Okinawan ''[[sanshin]]'' music. The Manoa-based East-West Center, which has a close relationship with the university but is a separate institution unto itself, has strong relationships with Okinawa in a variety of ways, listing Okinawa specifically (and separately from Japan) as one of the regions in which it engages; among the Center's various activities, it offers extensive fellowships specifically for Okinawan students to come study at UHM. Community organizations such as HUOA, meanwhile, sponsor scholarships for students traveling in the other direction, i.e. for Okinawan-American students from Hawaii to study at the [[University of the Ryukyus]]. | | The University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) is the only university in the US to boast a dedicated Center for Okinawan Studies, and offers courses in [[Okinawan language]], [[Ryukyu odori|Ryukyuan dance]], and classical Okinawan ''[[sanshin]]'' music. The Manoa-based East-West Center, which has a close relationship with the university but is a separate institution unto itself, has strong relationships with Okinawa in a variety of ways, listing Okinawa specifically (and separately from Japan) as one of the regions in which it engages; among the Center's various activities, it offers extensive fellowships specifically for Okinawan students to come study at UHM. Community organizations such as HUOA, meanwhile, sponsor scholarships for students traveling in the other direction, i.e. for Okinawan-American students from Hawaii to study at the [[University of the Ryukyus]]. |