Moving to Vancouver gives many Chuukese immigrants culture shock. This is a very different place from Chuuk, a cluster of volcanic islands in the Federated States of Micronesia.
Older generations of Chuukese people say while they sometimes need help overcoming cultural and language barriers in Vancouver, they also fear the younger generations of Chuukese will slowly lose their native language and culture.
So how do you reduce cultural barriers while preserving culture? Enter Sakura 39ers Youth Association.
The Vancouver organization helps Chuukese access translators, eviction attorneys, rental assistance, homeless outreach and housing services, said Dania Otto, executive director. But it also works to tighten bonds in the Chuukese community through language classes, music, dancing and volleyball.
Founded in 2021, the organization has continued to grow. Even though Chuuk only has a population of about 12,000 people, Sakura 39ers Youth Association helps more than 100 families a month, Otto said.
“We are … here to help our own community, but also really just be a part of the whole community,” she said.
The organization is named after the Chuuk island the founders are from, which is the 39th municipal in Chuuk state. The Japanese called this island Sakura, meaning cherry blossom, for the pink trees that pepper the island. People on the island used the cherry blossoms as an herbal remedy for flu-like symptoms, Otto said.
“We want to be that remedy for our community issues and community healing,” Otto said.
Coming together
In Chuuk, people are often part of tight-knit families and communities, Otto said.
“Back home, our culture is really based on love, respect, family, working together and collaborating, helping each other,” she said over the sound of Chuukese songs playing from a speaker outside her office.
On a Thursday morning, the Sakura 39ers Youth Association office on Fourth Plain Boulevard was packed with people in colorful clothing speaking a mix of English and Chuukese.
One woman helped another translate an English document while a toddler bounced up and down in her walker across the room.
“A lot of our children and generations that are now born in the U.S., they’re slowly losing the language. They’re slowly losing the culture. So we need to preserve that and … restore that culture,” Otto said.
The organization offers Chuukese language classes twice a month at Clark College. It also hosts other cultural events with song and dance, as well as sewing classes.
Sewing is especially important in Chuukese culture, Otto said. Chuukese skirts and dresses, called skato and Chuukese mumu, are embroidered with colorful thread depicting flowers, leaves and other patterns. Sewing is often a time of socializing and is thought to be good for mental health, Otto said.
“With that gap of language and culture with our kids nowadays, there’s a disconnect. I feel like that sewing class helps,” Otto said.
Songs and dance hold stories of ancestors and history in Chuuk, Otto said.
“A lot of our rich culture is in the song,” Otto said. “That Chuukese song program and the language are really what our culture is. It’s about coming together as a family,” she said.
Bridging barriers
In Chuuk, homelessness and evictions are uncommon because people often own land.
“It’s hard to transition from a culture like that to a culture like this, which is all based on systems,” Otto said.
By systems, Otto is referring to certain legal processes, like eviction, that are uncommon in Chuuk, where people tight-knit communities help each other if they hit hard times.
“A lot of our families go through eviction, and they really struggle because there’s not a lot of support that’s culturally sensitive, that can break the language barrier, break the cultural barrier, break the systemic barrier,” Otto said.
Sakura 39ers Youth Association helps people access translators for courts and hospitals. Staff also help translate paperwork, such as that for school or food stamp enrollment, into Chuukese.
Recently, Sakura 39ers Youth Association staff began visiting homeless camps once a week with the city of Vancouver’s Homeless Assistance and Resources Team to help any Chuukese people living outside, Otto said.
To end Chuukese generational poverty, Sakura 39ers Youth Association focuses on preparing youth for the future, Otto said, translating for her husband, JM Otto, the organization’s president, who spoke in Chuukese.
Staff at the organization sometimes help kids with their homework, JM Otto said, if their parents don’t understand English well. Many Chuukese families moved to Vancouver for better opportunities and education for their children, where they formed a community, JM Otto said.
This year, Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle proclaimed May 13 Chuukese Heritage and Unity Day “to celebrate the strength, resilience and cultural heritage of the Chuukese community,” the proclamation said.
Dania Otto has a copy of the proclamation, which she believes will encourage cultural awareness, hanging in her office.
The proclamation makes Chuukese people feel like Vancouver “is their home away from home because they can celebrate their culture,” she said.
