| Subject: Re: 95.5% Malay, 1.5% Chinese and 3% Others (Spanish, Negrito, American, Etc.) |
Author:
leila
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Date Posted: 09/22/05 12:30pm PDT
In reply to:
Kristina
's message, "Re: 95.5% Malay, 1.5% Chinese and 3% Others (Spanish, Negrito, American, Etc.)" on 06/ 7/05 9:55am PDT
I am an American of full Filipino ancestry, born and bred in San Francisco. I view Nationality, Ethnicity,Place of birthand Citizenship as not necessarily synomous.
"Nationality is, in English usage, the legal relationship between a person and a country."
"Nationality must be distinguished from citizenship: citizens have rights to participate in the political life of the state of which they are a citizen, such as by voting or standing for election; while nationals need not have these rights, though normally they do."
"Naturalisation or naturalization is the process whereby a person becomes a national of a nation, or a citizen of a country, other than the one of his birth."
"Jus soli (Latin for "right of the territory") is a right by which nationality or citizenship can be recognised to any individual born in the territory of the related state. It contrasts with jus sanguinis ("right of blood"). A relatively few number of nations grant jus soli to children born in a nation's territory."
Nationality can generally be acquired by jus soli, jus sanguinis or naturalisation.
I am an American National- by virtue of "jus soli" being born in the the territory of the U.S.A.
I am a citizen becuase I participate in the political process.
I am Filipino because that is the ethnic household culture I was born into. Outside the house and away from people of the same ethnicity, we are all supposed to function and consider ourselves Americans. However, this is difficult because Americans are still seen as those of Western European descent, even though some Asian families have been in the U.S. for 4 generations or more.
I personally have closer affinity to the city and state of my birth, just as alot of young Filipinos born in Hawaii may have.
In regards to Filipinos born here in the states-saying they're Filipino-Spanish-Chinese etc. that's rather sad.
Yes, Filipinos have a mix of cultural influences, and yes there may be Spanish and Chinese bloodlines in Filipinos but unless its recent-i.e. having a parent or grandparent who is Chinese or Spanish or German etc. Filipinos ought to just regard themselves as Filipinos.
I've always regarded myself as "full" Filipino even though at times, people think I'm Chinese or even Hawaiian.
As to the Filipino singers from Hawaii on American idol- people (the non-Filipino ones)on the mainland percieve them as Hawaiian because they are brown and may have been born there and are locals. I consider myself a Californian and San Franciscan because that is the locality I was born and raise in.
Though I don't speak Tagalog fluently, I still can get the gist of a conversation when I hear people speaking Tagalog. My Irish born and bred husband and I are happy that my mom is teaching our Eurasian son Tagalog. I want to keep aspects of my Filipino heritage alive in our children. My husband and I participate in alot of Filipino church related fiestas etc.,
I really don't mind seeing Filipina girls dying their hair-hey, if Beyonce can do it they can do it. Express themselves. However, it does bug me when I seen Filipino teens so into hip-hop and not into the indigenous dances of the Philippines.
Another observation, a couple of months ago I attended a Pistahan festival at the Yerba Buena Center at San Francisco. It so happened that there was also a Maori exhibit from New Zealand, at the center's museum. I checked it out it was great. The exhibit displayed some antique Maori tradtional wear, and also showed modern interpretations of traditional garb, there were modern pieces of jewelry-with Maori genealogical designs engraved into them. These were all for sale as well. There were Maori artists who who came with the exhibit, and all the pieces listed the artist's tribal affiliations. The show was also one big travel ad to visit New Zealand. There were large colorful posters of the country and its people, and video displays. There were two posters there struck me: the first one had a picture of school children in tradtional Maori dress. The caption below the poster read .... "We were the first people of this land, when the British came we fought each other in many land wars, now we've married each other." In the picture there are children of various skin tones.
The other poster was that of a young (mixed) girl and a full blooded grandfatherly Maori, both in traditonal garb, and the man had the full facial tattoos. They are leaning towards each other rubbing noses in the traditional greeting.
At the exhibit as well were traditional tattoo artists (though tattoo isn't the word they use or prefer), they were tattooing visitors with traditional Maori patterns, (although, I'm not sure if tattooed them with genealogical designs).
A couple of the artists were obviously mixed (English or Scottish ancestry)
they came across as very proud of their indigenous heritage. One guy carved wood and the other carved jade and worked with silver. If I saw them on the street, on first glance, because they are pale I would've assumed they were just of European stock. However, they proudly have those tattoos on their arms and they were both muscular and solidly built like linebackers.
I told my husband, that my initial impression of the Maori were that they were a proud fierce (though friendly as well) people. Those mixed blooded men didn't come across as effete, or dandified as the mix blooded male movie actors in the Philippines. The men had this rugged quality. I don't know much about New Zealand history, but they did fight fiercely with the British over the land. There must have been a stalemate, because the Maori people, don't come across as "pacified, deferential people." I even met an older Maori woman, in her mid 60s who was part of the dance performance and who interpreted the meaning of the dances. She was rather striking, she had brown skin and blue eyes. Her mother was originally from Scotland. (That's unusual, a European woman marrying a Native. Usually its a European male marrying a Native woman. Especially back in those days.)
Outside the museum, the Pistahan festival was in full swing with the food booths, people selling clothing, i.e. FLIPS (FIne Island People) Clothing line, mostly T-shirts with witty lines. There were other business booths and sponsors there as well. On the main stage there were 2 MCs, introducing the various dance groups that were entertaining the audience.
Most of the dance groups were teen groups from the Bay Area-doing the usual hip-hop dances. Its good to have positve activites. There must of been 10 hip-hop groups that danced, with the same type of music.The best dance group happened to be a bit older, used a variety of music, and were made up of more than just Filipino young adults.
I was actually getting bored waiting for the more traditional dancers, who were waiting at the sides. The MCs annouced every local hip-hop group, until finally they got to the traditional dancers. They were actually more exciting and interesting to look at than the majority of the hip-hop dance groups. The dancers danced traditional Bontonc Igorot or Ifugao dances, a couple of Spanish influenced dances, a courtship dance from one of the ethnic groups in Mindanao (costumes being similar to Hmongs or Laos), the well known Singkil dance from Mindanao, with the umbrellas, the princess, the sultan and a royal Muslim court.
A group of young Filipino teens near us watched, one of the boys making Indian "whooping" sounds, as the dancers wearing the traditional Igorot garb (feathers, the red, yellow, black striped breech cloth ) performed. I got the impression they were a bit embarrased by the more "primitive" looking dancers.
Here's the IRONY, the group dancing the traditonal dances came all the way from Edmonton in Canada!Here's the Pistahan fiesta, in the Bay Area filled with bunches of Filipinos, and on that particular day, there is a whole line up of hip-hop youth dancers, but NO LOCAL group performing the traditional dances. It takes an all volunteer dance troupe from Canada to present some tradtional folk dances in San Francisco teeming with Filipino young people.
There are Filipinos who maintain and revive (pre-hispanic) tradtions, i.e. the martial arts eskrima and kali, the alibata script and tattooing. However, its not as well known.
I just thought it was an interesting contrast seeing the tattooed mix blooded Maori jewelry designer, who was proud and secure within himself. Also seeing these non-Maoris wanting to get Maori tattoos. Whereas, outside, a full-blooded Filipino teen seems embarrased seeing the indigenous Igorot dances, and the traditional folk dancers came from furthest away. All the local Filipino teens were focused on the hip-hop scene.
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