Eisa Taiko is a Community

Ray Borovina

English 101D

4/30/2008

Eisa Taiko is a form of Okinawan drumming that is quite a large community. I would say the number of groups that share this interests is what forms the community. The glue that holds this group together is the pure appreciation of the sounds and the meaning of what Taiko is really about. In older times our ancestors of Ryuku, now known as Okinawa, believed that Taiko was a way to connect people between all nations, they believed it was a way to bring people together. Not only is there a community of drummers there is also a larger community of listeners and viewers that bring together a stronger and bigger community.
A lot of these drummers share the appreciation for Taiko. Taiko is a great interests and it makes a person feel good. Having people feel at peace also makes the performers happy to share their interests with the viewers.
The only difference that could work against the cohesion of this group is different cultures. Other cultures have their own way of showing what their community is about. This to me is a very minimal aspect of what would hold this community back, because people are interested in finding out about other cultures and their different communities.
The community of Taiko is like my second home. I have been taking part of this community for nearly five years. The thing I enjoy most is performing and seeing people get out of their seats and dance along. Nothing beats the feeling of seeing you making others feel happy. Even though I am not of Okinawan descent I do not feel out of place one bit, because the people in my group are always welcoming no matter what the case maybe. Lastly the other benefit of belonging to this community is traveling and have other groups come up here. We always have people come here from Okinawa and it is such a privilege to unit with people oversea. The community of Taiko is such a strong one and I hope that more and more people are able to see the beauty of this community.