Cultural exchange
Japanese students tour Tule River reservation
Students from Meiji Gakuin University in Yokohama, Japan visited the Tule River Indian Reservation on Thursday as part of their studies focusing on American and Native American cultures. The visit was one stop on a two-week tour of culturally significant locations in Arizona and California.
After beginning their tour in Arizona with visits to the Grand Canyon and the Hopi Indian Reservation, the group arrived at the Tule River reservation on their seventh day of travel in the United States. Their two-day itinerary in the Porterville area included a cultural exchange workshop and tour of the reservation, as well as a visit to the Porterville Historical Museum.
The group is led by Kumiko Noguchi, associate professor at Meiji Gakuin University’s Department of International Studies. The nine students in the group are taking coursework in the department’s four-year degree program that focuses on comparative examination of world cultures, while simultaneously creating opportunities for students to study in English.
“Our students are learning about both American and Native American cultures in our studies at our university,” said Noguchi. “This visit is good for learning about Native American society in order to gain a real-world understanding of the United States. It is also good for our students to share about Japanese culture with the Tule River people.”
During the cultural exchange workshop at the Tribal Justice Center, students and tribal members shared presentations about their respective cultures, focusing on religious practices, language, fashion, architecture and history. Some university students wore traditional clothing, and others gave basic lessons in conversational Japanese phrases. Tribal members presented cultural artifacts and shared details of native beliefs and customs.
Johnny Nieto, teacher at the Tule River Education Center, was impressed with the university students’ interest in learning about Native American cultures.
“It shows how much they appreciate our culture. We aren’t able to go to Japan, but they came to us,” said Nieto.
His own students were especially impressed with the similarities in traditional home construction and religious beliefs between the two
cultures.
“It just proves that everyone is human and we all have our own set of beliefs, but it all leads to one thing, which is the people,” said Nieto.
The Meiji Gakuin students will conclude their visit to the United States with visits to Sacramento, University of California at Davis and San Francisco before returning to Yokohama on Sept. 13. Professor Noguchi expressed hopes that Tule River native students may one day visit Japan.