A recent New York Times article described a passionate debate stirring up the yoga community. According to the Hindu American Foundation's position paper, many yoga practitioners are either ignorant of or work actively to decouple yoga and its Hindu base. The Foundation's campaign, "Take Back Yoga," asks that practitioners acknowledge the religion and culture from which it was birthed while also asserting that yoga's benefits are for all. This request provoked reactions from diverse ends of the spectrum including New Age guru Deepak Chopra and R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
As a yoga practioner, I admit freely that I've little knowledge of yoga and Hinduism while receiving so much: centeredness, focus, not to mention a workout that keeps me limber and flexible. I have, however, often asked myself what Indian Americans think of this wholesale, very American co-opting of this part of their heritage. Would a base knowledge help my yoga practice? Of course! It could only help enrich my understanding of the religion from which it came.
I've been wrestling with similar issues for taiko and Mu Daiko, especially as we work towards realizing our mission of "great performances born of arts, equality and justice from the heart of the Asian American experience." I have so many questions and few answers. The New York Times articles ask, "Who owns yoga?" I could ask, "Who owns taiko?"
There are about 200 North American taiko groups. Some approach taiko as an international music form to be shared with and performed by all. Others will cite taiko as an expression of community-building within Japanese/Japanese American/Asian American culture. Some groups are specific outgrowths of Japanese Buddhist churches and many more will cite some combination of the above. The ethnic and racial compositions of these groups vary from those predominately Japanese/Japanese American/Asian American (West Coast and Hawaii) to those with little or no such representation.
Mu Daiko is based on San Francisco Taiko Dojo's philosophies through Rick Shiomi's direct study with Seiichi Tanaka. Another influence, in a less overt way, was Rick's work as a community organizer in Vancouver's Japanese/Asian Canadian neighborhoods. His co-founding of Katari Taiko (Vancouver) and Wasabi Taiko (Toronto) in addition to Theater Mu was a direct response to the need for Asian American artists to have a voice. It was a handful of Mu's Asian American actors who begged Rick to teach them taiko.
At its inception (1997), Mu Daiko was comprised solely of Asian Americans (Japanese Canadian, Japanese American, Korean American, Filipino American, Indian American) and over the years has maintained (without conscious thought) a 50-80% Asian American presence. This percentage includes those of multicultural heritage who identify as Asian American. Mu Daiko audiences are largely non-Asian and draws its performers from the ranks of its students. Currently, 95% of our students are non-Asian. In the very near future, we could be looking at a majority non-Asian presence within Mu Daiko.
Why do we play taiko? Professionals and students alike say they love the sound of the drums, the movement, the great workout and taiko's cathartic nature. A few will say they're interested in Japan, and with the exception of a handful of Asian American students, almost no one will say that taiko is a way to connect with Asian American culture. Like yoga, it appears to be the outside trappings of the art form that are so attractive and compelling. I can't fault any of these reasons--they are certainly part of why I choose to keep learning and performing and composing. But I also play to connect with my Japanese heritage and to be a part of the local Asian American community. Is it possible for Mu Daiko to fulfill its mission through non-Asian taiko artists? Can a non-Asian create work "from the heart of the Asian American experience?"
Like so many other musicians/artists, I want to create and perform with the very best folks around. And, without doubt, we give best service to any art form by finding these best artists. But as with yoga, I also believe that taiko's cultural essence is integral to the art form. However, it comes to manifest itself in the process--through Asian American artists, or through non-Asians willing to immerse themselves in the history and culture--enriches us all.
In order for Mu Daiko to fulfill its mission, we will continue to recruit potential artists from the best students available, regardless of race or gender. We will especially encourage talented Asian American students. Regardless, each player will be expected to share taiko through his/her own Asian American lens or to be a knowledgeable culture bearer, an ally willing to transmit a sense of the "heart of the Asian American experience."
by Iris Shiraishi
