Lee A. Tonouchi
@Lee_TonouchiLee A. Tonouchi, Okinawan Yonsei, stay known as “Da Pidgin Guerrilla” for his activism in campaigning for Pidgin a.k.a. Hawai‘i Creole for be accepted as one legitimate language. Tonouchi stay da recipient of da 2023 American Association for Applied Linguistics Distinguished Public Service Award for his work in raising public awareness of important language-related issues and promoting linguistic social justice.
His Pidgin poetry collection Significant Moments in da Life of Oriental Faddah and Son: One Hawai‘i Okinawan Journal won da Association for Asian-American Studies Book Award. His Pidgin children’s picture book Okinawan Princess: Da Legend of Hajichi Tattoos won one Skipping Stones Honor Award. And his latest book stay Chiburu: Anthology of Hawai‘i Okinawan Literature.
Updated September 2023
Stories from This Author
Totally Pawsome: Aiko Wan’s Dresses Showcase Her Passion for Dogs, Art, and MATH?!!
Oct. 1, 2024 • Lee A. Tonouchi
As one child Aiko Wan, 39, loved math. She remembahs in six grade she won one district math competition which only made her wanna excel at math even more. When she got to high school and came time for take her SATs she got one perfect 800 math score. So I asked if she got perfect on top da English too and she said, “I scored 740 in English, but I was happy with that considering I went in without …
Master of da Disappearing Act: Actor Dann Seki on Becoming da Character
July 30, 2024 • Lee A. Tonouchi
Dann Seki, 78, stay one Hawai‘i acting icon. He grew up in ‘Aiea on O‘ahu in da 1950s back when ‘Aiea wuz just one small plantation town and nevah have nahting around but miles and miles of sugar cane. But luckily da town did have not one, but TWO movie theatres. Where get ‘Aiea Shopping Center now, Dann says there used to be one movie theatre that dey called Up Theatre. And below Moanalua road around where get da post …
No Longer One Need for Speed: Sanshin Master Kenton Odo on mastering da moment
July 9, 2024 • Lee A. Tonouchi
It’s kinda funny how growing up Kenton Odo always wanted for be da fastest. Like da fastest for ride his bike around Pacific Palisades on O‘ahu. Da fastest for hike down Heart Attack Hill. Even when he started learning songs on top da sanshin [Okinawan three-stringed instrument], he mostly only wanted for play da fastest of da songs. Nowdays dis 54 year old, ’88 Maryknoll grad finds himself no longer in such one rush. His journey to mastering da moment …
Storytelling Sensation Kathy Collins—How one “short Japanese girl” could still do acting
June 6, 2024 • Lee A. Tonouchi
Growing up in rural upcountry Maui, Kathy Collins [maiden name Yogi], 67, always had one fascination with stories and da power dey had in transporting da reader into totally different worlds. In da books of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Kathy would imagine “how wonderful it would be to live in the Midwest at the turn of the last century, making snow angels, churning butter. running through the meadow and picking wildflowers.” During da course of her life, Kathy’s been one radio …
Life of One Pidgin Linguist: How Kent Sakoda became da Pidgin Yoda
May 13, 2024 • Lee A. Tonouchi
Small kid time Kent Sakoda, 72 wuzn’t known as Kent “Yoda” Sakoda yet. He wuz just one Local Japanese sansei growing up in da small town of Hanapēpē on Kaua‘i. After he wen go graduate from Waimea High School in 1970, he already knew he wanted for leave Kaua‘i for try see what college life on top da continent might be like. Back den he had no clue he wuz eventually going become one highly respected Pidgin linguist known for …
Wea You Stay! Laurel Nakanishi on da importance of da poetry of place
March 29, 2024 • Lee A. Tonouchi
Waimea Valley IV We enter the valley silently, without shaking the branches. We enter without startling. Alae ‘ula watches us from the estuary remembering the pitch nights when the fire lived only in her. We followed the pig trails listening for the rustle grunt of Kamapua‘a. In the quiet, our thoughts are small gods. They fly above the earth. —Poem from Laurel Nakanishi's collection Ashore As I stay da outgoing Tony Quagliano poetry award champion, da Hawai‘i Council for the …
Big in Hawai‘i—Artist Kris Goto shares how she levels up
Feb. 29, 2024 • Lee A. Tonouchi
She nevah really thought about ‘em, but artist Kris Goto, 36, she been living in Hawai‘i half her life now. She wuz born in Kagoshima, Japan, den she wen live in New Zealand and Hong Kong before she wen finally settle down in Hawai‘i in 2006. She been featured in art exhibits in Japan, in California, and at various galleries all ova Hawai‘i. In recent years mo and mo of her murals have been popping up and mo and mo …
Why You Should Talk to Strangers—Crafting celebrity Joy Shimabukuro says chance ‘em
Feb. 6, 2024 • Lee A. Tonouchi
Local people in Hawai‘i might not know her last name, but mostly everybody recognizes her face and her first name that has become synonymous with crafting. When dey see her in public dey go up to her and tell, “Eh, you Joy...Of Crafting, yeah?” First name—Joy. Last name—Of Crafting. Lol. About for film her 483rd episode, Joy Shimabukuro’s television show Joy of Crafting has been running continuously in Hawai‘i since 2002. Painfully shy as one kid, Joy nevah imagined she …
“Da Okinawan Hammah” stay nailing it!—Brandon Ufugusuku Ing’s projects promote Okinawan language
Jan. 4, 2024 • Lee A. Tonouchi
“Da Okinawan Hammah” get one skill that not too many people get. Uchinaaguchi, da Okinawan language stay dying out and Hawai‘i-born yonsei Brandon Ufugusuku Ing stay doing everything in his powah for try help save ‘em. Whether it’s teaching Uchinaaguchi classes on Zoom, creating eju-ma-cational animated Uchinaaguchi music videos for childrens, making avant-garde Uchinaaguchi movies for film festivals, or just rocking out to his own original Uchinaaguchi songs, Braddah Brandon, one Castle High School 2001 grad, does it all in …
Kenny Kusaka’s Calling—How he chose stand-up comedy as his service
Dec. 5, 2023 • Lee A. Tonouchi
Leilehua class of 2013 grad, Kenny Kusaka wuz getting lotta leading roles in da Local theatre scene in Hawai‘i when he decided for switch gears and try his hand at stand-up comedy. For da past several years he been making one name for himself on top da stand-up circuit, refining his act all across da country. I caught up with him recently aftah his first time headlining his own show at The Blue Note, da Hawai‘i branch of da celebrated …
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