AsiaLIFE

In which Will learns to do the Coconut Dance courtesy of You Tube…

Being a minor minority in America is not easy. While many ethnic groups have carved out a slice of the American dream, the Cambodian has yet to establish the same minority profile given to some Asian neighbours.

Chinese people, or at least the deep-fried heavily sweetened cuisine that bears their name, is everywhere in America. There’s nothing more American than ordering Chinese takeout after a long day at the office. Many small streams bear the name “China Creek” as well, all though it’s usually because something unpleasant happened to the Chinese prospectors.

There are many Japanese people in America, and they have a rich history here. In fact, there are plaques in isolated corners all over western United States marking the internment camps they were confined in during the Second World War.

Koreans are an integral thread in the fabric of the West Coast as well. They played a central role in the 1992 race riots in Los Angeles. According to some, a Korean shopkeeper helped trigger the riots by shooting a black shoplifter. Koreans later made the news during the riots when they defended themselves and shot at blacks who were trying to burn down their stores. As recently as 2006, noted black civil rights leader, diplomat and politician Andrew Young accused Korean shopkeepers of economically oppressing African-Americans.

Even Thais and Vietnamese have won acceptance with their cuisine. Thai restaurants have a great reputation for more upscale dining, and phở gained a hip cachet and then mainstream acceptance.

Alas, Cambodians don't enjoy that level of social visibility.

They are assumed to be Mexican, or Filipino, or something else. And most Americans are not even aware of where Cambodia is. My wife occasionally tells people it’s in Alaska, just so they can place it on a map.

There are no Khmer restaurants outside of Long Beach, California, or Lowell, Massachusetts.

And the only Cambodian store in the state of Oregon is a ramshackle affair more suited to a village market than a cultural gathering. The few Cambodian-owned businesses that do exist, are geared to American fare — selling doughnuts or beer or (Americanised) Chinese food.

If Cambodians want to establish themselves as a distinct culture — to themselves and those around them — it’s not as easy as gathering at the local fried rice shop.

To make their mark, Cambodians in Salem, Oregon, planned a Cambodian Culture Celebration.

A number of Cambodian students received support from the local community college to host the event. Elders in the community supplied traditional costumes and authentic Cambodian food. And a group of enthusiastic volunteers banded together to recreate the most Cambodian piece of dance performance they could – the Coconut Dance.

Unfortunately, Cambodian dance instructors are in short supply in Oregon. To learn this traditional dance, they turned to the next best thing – YouTube.

Videos of the traditional Coconut Dance, apparently predating the Khmer Rouge’s takeover of the country, are available on YouTube. The videos showcase the steps, the dress and provide a soundtrack. It’s a cultural link to something that is all but forgotten in the Cambodian diaspora that is lightly scattered around the globe.

After months of practice and more than a few profanity-laced rants in Khmer, the performance came together. The volunteers performed the Coconut Dance, a classically trained dancer performed the Wishing Dance, and monks blessed the crowd. There was even a fashion show with an assortment of wedding outfits, which Cambodia offers in abundance.

Those traditional dances, performed in 2010, are now alongside video performances from two generations ago on YouTube. It’s comforting that the most American of inventions, a website that brings video made by anyone to everyone else on the planet, can help connect Cambodians to their culture, no matter where they are.

To see video of the Salem’s Coconut Dance, go to: www.khmersalem.blogspot.com