The Vast Tales of Many Peoples - East Asia and The Pacific IslandsLike this list

For AAPI Heritage Month 2024, Kirkwood Library's display pays homage to Asian-American, Asian, Native Hawai'ian, and Pacific Islander authors. We honor fiction and non-fiction literary works written by the indigenous, diasporic and displaced peoples of this heritage born or living in America, Hawai'i, or the Pacific Islands, as well as cultural accounts from their ancestral territories. A Not-So-Brief Introduction to East Asia and The Pacific Islands: East Asia is made up of China, Tibet, Mongolia, Japan, Taiwan, Macau, Okinawa, North and South Korea (since 1945), and Hong Kong. The Pacific Islands is a term used to describe the many unique islands and peoples even more broadly generalized as Polynesia, Micronesia, Melanesia, and Oceania. In this archive I feature accounts from indigenous people of Guam (Chamorro), Fiji, Tahiti, and Hawai'i. In hopes of acknowledging the regional history and the historical and/or current autonomy of these nations, here are a few additional notes: -Okinawa, while considered a Japanese 'prefecture,' has a distinct culture and many Okinawans do not identify as Japanese. It became part of colonial Japan in 1879. -Similarly, Hawai'i, (prior to its classification as a 'state'), only came to be considered an American 'territory' in 1893. Native Hawaiians are known as 'Kanaka Maoli' (True People). -Guam and Tahiti (as French Polynesia) are current 'overseas territories' of the USA and France. These official 'titles' do not recognize the independence of any of these islands, and the more fitting term is 'colony'; that error has been noted in this display. Macau, Hong Kong, Tibet, and Taiwan are considered 'special administrative/autonomous regions' of the People's Republic of China (Mainland China's official title), but have many differences, including dialectally. Each has a history of independence from China, and thus they remain their own nations in this archive. Curated by Maya P as a CCC (Curated Cultural Collection) series.

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