Korean Texans
By Damon Cochran-Salinas
Immigration
Korean immigration in Texas was slow at first, the only ones actually moving being wives of american service men who had fought in the korean war or stationed in south Korea afterwards. Koreans started to migrate more in the late 1960's, yet there was only a recorded 2,090 in Texas as of 1970. Twenty years later, the population increased fifteen fold to 31,775.
Korean Flag
Did you know that white is a traditional color of the Korean people? Or that the emblem in the center of the South Korean flag represents the dual forces of yin (blue) and yang (red)?
And that the triagrams represent fire, water, earth, wood, and metal?
Push and Pull Factors
Push Factors
During the Korean war, Americans found the love of their live in Korea, bringing home with them their new wives. Some Koreans also went to America to escape Japanese rule. Others went to America because the immigration laws only allowing few Asians into America had been lifted.
Pull Factors
Better economical and educational opportunities, High demand for cheap labor, and Korean women married to Texans were three main and major pull factors
Culture Highlights
Dance
There are two types of dancing, court and common. The court is for upper class dancing and common is for common people to enjoy and to participate in. The traditional dance of Korea had its origin in the shamanistic rituals. After Japanese invasions, many old dance forms began a slow death and are now lost.
Paintings
Paintings in South Korea are petroglyphic, those that are done on rocks. The themes of these paintings took a turn when Buddhism arrived in China. The painting technique has also changed, though originally, Korean techniques did exist.
Music
There are different genres of music like the Sanjo, Pansori and the Nongak.The court music of Korea was called the "jeongak" and was basically made for the sophisticated and literate upper class with an intellectual strain in them. Modern-day music is known as K-pop, a Korean blend of pop and rock, which is very popular amongst the people.
Significant People
Sung Kwak
A world famous conductor and music teacher
Ho Yan Lee
Came to El Paso and operated a clothing mill
Analysis'
Analysis 1
My group had an effect on the culture of Texas in the way of music, clothing, and food. They did not change their culture but entwined it into everyone else's
Final Analysis
Did Korea impact Texas' whole culture? No. I would say that Korea impacted just some places (tar rant, dallas, el paso, bexar, Harris, bell and travis county) in the ways of clothing, music and food. Clothing had the most impact on El Paso County, Music and food overall. Texas in my opinion improved because they got a glance at different culture, which might make them question themselves and become better people. It might have also given them that last bit of conviction they needed.
Bibliography
- "National Flag of South Korea." South Korea Flag. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. <http://www.worldflags101.com/s/south-korea-flag.aspx>.
- "South Korean Flag (Flag of South Korea)." South Korean Flag (Flag of South Korea). N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. <http://www.flagdetective.com/south-korea-flag.htm>.
- "Texas: Facts, Map and State Symbols - EnchantedLearning.com." Texas: Facts, Map and State Symbols - EnchantedLearning.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. <http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/texas/>.
- "Map of South Korea." Map of South Korea. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. <http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/asia/south-korea/>.
Ganguly, Poushali. Buzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 30 May 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/south-korean-culture.html>.