Okinawan Princess - Da Legend of Hajichi Tattoos

Okinawan Princess is an illustrated, transpacific feminist fairy tale for all readers that illuminates an ancient tradition and pushes back against normative standards of beauty. When Gramma notices how much her granddaughter wishes she could be a supermodel, Gramma shares how her own mother was made fun of when she moved to Hawaii from Okinawa due to the bold, blue hajichi tattoos on her back and hands.

Gramma then reveals the legend behind those mysterious markings. When the Okinawan Princess is kidnapped by Japanese pirates, will she wait for someone to save her, or will she be able to outwit her captors? This tri-lingual story is written in Hawaii Creole, then translated into Japanese and the endangered indigenous Okinawan language called Uchinaaguchi. Okinawan Princess is a part of ongoing efforts to revitalize Okinawan language, history and culture worldwide.

Lee A. Tonouchi is a full Oki-nawan yonsei born and raised in Hawaii. He is known as “Da Pidgin Guerilla”, for his championing of Pidgin (aka Hawaii Creole) to be accepted as a legitimate language. His last book, Significant Moments in da Life of Oriental Faddah and Son, published by Bess Press, won the Association for Asian American Studies Book Award for Poetry/Prose.

Laura Kina is a “hapa, yonsei, Uchinanchu” artist and educator based in Chicago. Her artwork addresses Asian American and mixed-race identities and histories with a focus on Okinawa and Hawaii diasporas. She is a Vincent de Paul Professor of Art, Media & Design at DePaul University.