Pacific Islander American
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2008-06-01T01:25:51Z
69.232.36.121
{{Expand|date=February 2007}}
{{Infobox Ethnic group
|group = Pacific Islander American
|image = [[Image:Danakakareception.jpg|180px|Daniel Akaka]][[Image:SumoAkebono.jpg|180px|Akebono Taro]]
|pop = '''793,162'''<br/>0.3% of the US population<ref name="US Census Bureau, racial breakdown of the United States in 2005">{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=&geo_id=01000US&_geoContext=01000US&_street=&_county=&_cityTown=&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=DEC_2000_SAFF&_ci_nbr=002&qr_name=DEC_2000_SAFF_R1010®=DEC_2000_SAFF_R1010%3A002&_keyword=&_industry= |title=US Census Bureau, racial breakdown of the United States in 2005 |accessdate=2006-11-20}}</ref>
|regions = [[Hawaii]], [[Guam]], [[Samoa]], [[California]] and [[Alaska]]; parts of [[Oregon]] and [[Washington state|Washington]]
|languages = [[American English]], [[Carolinian language|Carolinian]], [[Chamorro language|Chamorro]], [[Fijian language|Fijian]], [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]], [[Marshallese language|Marshallese]], [[Samoan language|Samoan]], [[Polynesian languages]], others
|religions = [[Christianity]], others
|related = [[Pacific Islander]]s
}}
'''[[Pacific Islander]] Americans''' are residents of the United States with original ancestry from the Pacific Islands. They represent the smallest [[Race (United States Census)|racial group]] counted in the [[United States Census 2000|United States census of 2000]]. They numbered 874,000 people or 0.3 percent of the [[United States]] population. They are most concentrated in [[Hawaii]], [[Alaska]] and the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]], specifically [[California]], although they are to be found in other US States as well.
==Definition==
In the 2000–2010 U.S. Census the term "'Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander' refers to people having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa or other Pacific Islands. ... They are of Polynesian, Micronesian and Melanesian cultural backgrounds." The US Census counts [[Indigenous Australians]] and [[Maori]], the natives of [[New Zealand]], as part of the Pacific Islander race.<ref>University of Virginia. Geospatial and Statistical Data Center. "1990 PUMS Ancestry Codes." 2003. August 30, 2007.[http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/pums/sub/ancestry.html]</ref><ref name=Umich>University of Michigan. Census 1990: Ancestry Codes. August 27, 2007. [http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/cicdoc/cen90app/ancestry.htm]</ref>
The U.S. Census Bureau counts [[Filipino American]]s, [[Japanese American]]s, [[Indonesian American]]s, and [[Taiwanese American]]s as [[Asian American]]s even though they have ethnic origins from islands bordering the [[Pacific Ocean]] and the former two are [[Austronesian people|Austronesians]] also.
==Individuals==
===In politics===
[[Mufi Hannemann]] is the current mayor of [[Honolulu]]. Mufi Hanneman is a German and [[Samoan American]] who was originally a history teacher. He became mayor of Honolulu in [[January 2]], [[2005]] and is still serving his term.
===Media===
Pacific Islander Americans have media portrayal mostly as [[professional wrestlers]], but are also portrayed as regular people too. [[The Rock (entertainer)|The Rock]], with a Samoan mother and a [[Black Canadians|Black Canadian]] father, has been the most notable Pacific Islander American professional wrestler, branching out into movies like the ''[[The Scorpion King]]''. Other Pacific Islander American professional wrestlers include [[Samoa Joe]] and [[Solofa Fatu]]. [[Lilo Pelekai]] and [[Nani Pelekai]] are Native Hawaiian Americans in the [[Disney]] show called "Lilo & Stitch". Pacific Islander Americans portrayed two major supporting characters on the [[CBS]] [[television series]] ''[[Hawaii Five-O]]''—Native Hawaiian [[Gilbert Lani Kauhi|Zulu]] as Kono Kalakaua and Samoan American [[Al Harrington (actor)|Al Harrington]] as Det. Ben Kokua. Also, Hawaiian-American [[Jason Momoa]] plays [[Ronon Dex]] on the popular science-fiction TV show ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]''.
[[Vili Fualaau]] is a Samoan-American boy who made headlines with his controversial relationship with [[Mary Kay Letourneau]].
The most famous stage character is [[Bloody Mary (South Pacific)]] of the [[South Pacific (musical)|South Pacific musical and movie]]. She is a souvenir trader to US Sailors stationed in the Pacific Theater of WWII. Though originally cast as [[Juanita Hall]], an [[African American]], she is often also cast as an Asian or Pacific Islander American in newer local productions.
===Sports===
{{Pacific Islander American map|float=right}}
Pacific Islander Americans are well represented in [[American football]]: [[Peter Tuipulotu]], [[Reno Mahe]], [[Vai Sikahema]], [[Nuu Faaola]], [[Jesse Sapolu]], [[Troy Polamalu]], [[Maake Kemoeatu]], [[Mosi Tatupu]] and his son [[Lofa Tatupu|Lofa]], [[Manu Tuiasosopo]] and his sons [[Marques Tuiasosopo|Marques]] and [[Zach Tuiasosopo|Zach]], and [[Junior Seau]] are current or former professional football players. [[Ken Niumatalolo]], a Samoan American who was named after the [[2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season|2007 regular season]] as the new head coach of [[Navy Midshipmen football|Navy]], is believed to be the first Pacific Islander American to head a [[Division I#Football Bowl Subdivision|major college]] program.
Many Pacific Islander Americans also play the most popular sport of their homeland, rugby, and have a strong influence in US rugby, with many going on to represent the USA, including Salesi Sika, David Niu, Vahafolau Esikia, Fifita Mounga, Olo Fifita, Thretton Palamo (the youngest player ever in the [[Rugby World Cup]]), Albert Tuipolotu, and Vaea Anitoni (the all-time leader in [[try|tries]] for the USA national team).
Pacific Islanders are also represented in [[sumo wrestling]]. [[Akebono Taro]] is a famous sumo-wrestling [[Yokozuna (sumo)|Yokozuna]] of Native Hawaiian ancestry.
[[Diving]] great [[Greg Louganis]], although often identified with his adoptive Greek-American heritage, is of Samoan and Swedish ancestry.
==Population==
{|class="wikitable"
|+''' Pacific Islander American [[Maps of American ancestries|Ancestries]] in the [[United States Census, 2000|2000 US Census]]'''<ref>Brittingham, Angela. Ancestry 2000:Census Brief. 2004. October 30, 2006. [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=y&-context=qt&-qr_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_QTP13&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&-tree_id=403&-redoLog=true&-all_geo_types=N&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=01000US&-geo_id=NBSP&-search_results=01000US&-format=&-_lang=en]</ref>
|-bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
!Ancestry||1990||1990% of US population ||2000||2000% of US population ||Percent change from 1990 to 2000
|-
|[[Image:Flag of the Northern Mariana Islands.svg|20px]] [[Image:Flag of Guam.svg|20px]] [[Chamorros|Chamorro]]
| negligible (no data)
| negligible (no data)
| 177,000
| 0.06%
| negligible (no data)
|-
|-
|[[Polynesian American|Polynesian]]
|negligible (no data)
|negligible (no data)
|616,162
|0.2%
|negligible (no data)
|-
|-
|'''TOTAL'''
|negligible (no data)
|negligible (no data)
|793,162
|0.3%
|negligible (no data)
|-
|}
==Polynesian Americans==
'''Polynesian Americans''' are Americans of [[Polynesian]] descent.
Large subcategories of Polynesian Americans include [[Native Hawaiian]]s and [[Samoan American]]s. In addition there are smaller communities of Tongan Americans and Maori Americans.
===Population===
{|class="wikitable"
|+''' Polynesian American [[Maps of American ancestries|Ancestries]] in the [[United States Census, 2000|2000 US Census]]'''<ref>Brittingham, Angela. Ancestry 2000:Census Brief. 2004. October 30, 2006. [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=y&-context=qt&-qr_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_QTP13&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&-tree_id=403&-redoLog=true&-all_geo_types=N&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=01000US&-geo_id=NBSP&-search_results=01000US&-format=&-_lang=en]</ref>
|-bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
!Ancestry||1990||1990% of US population ||2000||2000% of US population ||Percent change from 1990 to 2000
|-
|[[Image:Flag of Hawaii.svg|20px]] [[Native Hawaiian]]
|negligible (no data)
|negligible (no data)
| 401,162
| 0.13%
|negligible (no data)
|-
|-
|[[Image:Flag of Samoa.svg|20px]] [[Image:Flag of American Samoa.svg|20px]] [[Samoan American|Samoan]]
|negligible (no data)
|negligible (no data)
|215,000
|0.07%
|negligible (no data)
|-
|-
|'''TOTAL'''
|negligible (no data)
|negligible (no data)
|616,162
|0.2%
|negligible (no data)
|-
|}
===Samoan Americans===
A '''Samoan American''' is an American who is of ethnic Samoan descent and may be from either the independent nation [[Samoa]] or the [[Insular area|American territory]] of [[American Samoa]]. Many Samoans live in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], [[Carson, California|Carson]], [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]], [[San Jose, California|San Jose]], [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]], [[Salt Lake City, Utah|Salt Lake City]], [[Portland, Oregon|Portland (Oregon)]], [[Houston, Texas|Houston]], [[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]] and in the state of [[Hawaii]].
Since the end of [[World War II]], persons born in American Samoa are United States [[nationality|national]]s, but not United States [[citizen]]s. (This is the only circumstance under which an individual would be one and not the other.) For this reason, Samoans can move to Hawaii or the mainland United States and obtain citizenship comparatively easily.
Samoan American is a subcategory of Polynesian American. Alike Hawaiian Americans, the Samoans arrived in the mainland in the 20th century as agricultural laborers and factory workers.
==Culture==
As a result of the rise of Samoan communities in highly concentrated [[hip hop]] areas such as [[Los Angeles, CA]], American Samoans have built up a reputation for themselves of being highly skilled dancers and athletes. This stereotyping based on physicality put pressure on Samoan communities in the United States because of nervous law enforcement officials who would frequently assault the Samoan men and women. Despite this racial stereotyping, dance was a way through which young Samoans could gain respect and earn social status. It acted as a diasporic currency where dance styles and mastery of hip hop breakdancing skills of [[Locking (dance)|locking]], and [[popping]] signified a connection of this community which was assumed to be 'foreign' with its fellow Americans.
While women were mostly restrained from their expression of hip hop dance, many Samoan men became professional dancers and entered the American music industry. Suga Pop, and [[Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.]] are examples of this. <ref>Henderson, April K. “Dancing Between Islands: Hip Hop and the Samoan Diaspora.” In The Vinyl Ain’t Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture, ed. by Dipannita Basu and Sidney J. Lemelle, 180-199. London; Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press, 200</ref>
The involvement of Samoans in street dance and hip hop music in America has impacted the Samoan cultural production in other places where Samoans have settled. A transmission of culture between the American Samoan community and its Pacific origin (i.e [[New Zealand]], [[Hawaii]]) took place. This resulted in a mimicking of not only music and dance styles but of the fashion of American hip hop as well. Samoan dance crews copied the popping and locking dance forms while wearing Adidas track suits- a style very commonly associated with [[Queens, New York|Queens]] based hip hop group [[Run DMC]]. As a result of the American Samoan community's rising recognition, performers such as [[Snoop Dogg]] and [[Lord Tariq]] have collaborated with various American-based Samoan and Pacific artists.<ref>Henderson, April K. “Dancing Between Islands: Hip Hop and the Samoan Diaspora.” In The Vinyl Ain’t Final: Hip Hop and the Globalization of Black Popular Culture, ed. by Dipannita Basu and Sidney J. Lemelle, 180-199. London; Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press, 200</ref>
==External links==
*[http://ict.cas.psu.edu/resources/Census/PDF/C2K_Race_HW_PacIs.pdf US Census PDF on Pacific Islanders]
==References==
<references/>
<br/>
{{Demographics of the United States}}
{{Pacific Islander Americans}}
{{Race in the 2000 U.S. Census}}
<!--Categories-->
[[Category:Ethnic groups in the United States]]
[[Category:Polynesian Americans]]
[[Category:Samoan Americans| ]]
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[[fr:Américains d'origine océanienne]]