One Tribe by M. Evelina Galang, Essay Example

One Tribe is a story M. Evelina Galang, that follows Isabel Manalo and her experience interacting with the teens in Virginia Beach.  Isabel is a young Pinay, otherwise known as a person of Filipino decent, but she has developed and grown outside of the Filipino American community. The story is told from the limited narrative third person perspective of Isabel. Ferdi Mamaril states, “to be filipino american is not only an honor, it is a burden” (Galang, 192).  Despite emphasis Ferdi places on his perspective of what it means to be Filipino, other characters in the novel define what’s entailed in being a Filipino American differently. The following will assess what it means for Ferdi to be Filipino American, and then compare and contrast his perspective  with those of other characters and then examine the importance of these comparisons.

Galang’s characters thrive within the confines of their Filipino American community. Ferdi Mamaril proclaimers himself to be a Filipino history “revisionist”, as he protests and rebels against much if the injustice covered up through the miseducation of the Filipino American youth. Kuya Jojo is presented as the cool character who has the trust of the youth due to the fact that he is seen as speaking and understanding their language. Juxtaposed to Jojo is Nita Starr, a community leader and stronghold of power. Starr identifies beauty pageants as a core aspect of a Filipina’s social stature and she promotes the concept in the hopes to implement structure on the teens. All of these contradictory perspectives shape a diverse view of what it means to be Filipino American in a white American dominated society.

While most of the characters play minor roles in the life of Isabel, Tita Nita and Ferdi Mamaril have a significant impact. Louie Starr, Tita Nita’s husband also contributes to some of the conflict that occurs between Tita Nita, being the white soldier that undoubtedly drives much of Tita Nita’s desire to sterilize and contain their daughter Lourdes’s “Filipinaness.” Isabel is Lourdes’s teacher and when she first arrives to their home, Louie Starr welcomes her in, while Tita Nita kicks her out of the house. This initial action reveals much of the conflict brewing within the conflicting ideologies based on how Isabel views what it means to be a Filipino American verses the views of Tita Nita. Lourdes also has her own perspective about how one can be Filipino within American society. There is a moment in the book where Isabel and Lourdes debate this issue.  Lourdes says, “Ain’t no matter how many books you read… northing’s going teach you how to be Pinay. You either is or you isn’t” (Galang, 254). Isabel responds by saying,  “those books don’t teach you how to be Filipino… they talk about our history, our past” (Galang, 254). Then Lourdes belittles her statement stating, “they don’t help you be Pinay… I know that (Galang, 254). The frustrations Isabel has in trying to communicate the value of Filipino literature and history to the students is visible here and the idea that education is the equivalent of whiteness and anti-Filipino is expressed when Angel sarcastically supports Isabel, when really further enforcing Lourdes’s perspective by saying  “No…It’s all right.. we understand. Just like you [Lourdes] tryin’ to show us some of dat white life. . I’m talkin’ yogurt and carrot sticks . White food” (Galang, 254). Here the contrast between what it means to be Filipino American in the minds of the young verses what it means to be white American is demonstrated sarcastically through stereotyping what the Filipino youth perceive as “white food”. The students are arguing that through teaching them about their culture Isabel is trying to make them white. Maya also states that to exercises is to do a “white” activity. This conflict between Isabel and the students pales in comparison to her encounters with Ferdi.

The most stark contrast in perspectives in regards to Filipino characteristics and an understanding of what it means to be Filipino American can be seen between Ferdi an Isabel, while Ferdi is well versed in the stereotypes and propaganda imposed on the Filipino American by white America, Isabel is virtually naive to the concept. When she first addresses the class in Virgina Beach, Isabel acknowledges this difference in where she comes from verses the culture of her new community. Galang notes that, “she smiled at the audience, took note of the teens in the back of the room. She tried to explain that, growing up in Evanston, she and her brother and sister were islands floating among classmates who were mostly White Anglo-Saxon or Jewish” (Galang, 24). She tries to communicate to them how she never experienced what it was like walking among fellow Filipinos, Pinoys, or to hear Tagalog slang. She tells the students they are lucky, but it falls on deaf ears and many just walk out of the classroom. It is Isabel’s belief that through the study of Filipino mythology and other texts they can have a better understanding of their culture and identity. In contrast, Ferdi takes the position that true Filipino identity has been lost through propaganda and rewritten by white America. He attempts on numerous occasions through phone messages to educate Isabel to this perspective.

In sum, throughout the book Ferdi is presented more as a fanatic than sound minded intellectual. This can largely be attributed to the fact that his rants about race and ideology are in all caps. Likewise, Tita Nita comes across as being obsessive compulsive, and this is largely demonstrated by the importance she places on beauty pageants and the plastic motifs associated with pageantry. Isabel is treated as a member of the bourgie or upper class, according to Ferdi, who has never experienced racism and been sheltered from the reality of her heritage. To Ferdi’s credit while Isabel does seem to be enthusiastic about the opportunity to live within a Filipino American community, she also seems very naive. Ferdi helps Isabel to realize that her parents have not actually experienced the American Dream, but a segregated racialized version of it. The main argument that constantly arises throughout the book is the question of who is Filipino; the young people in the book, specifically the Las Dalagas gang members, the mestiza beauty pageant queen and Lourdes argue being a Filipino can’t be learned. Isabel clearly disagrees with this idea. In truth, Tita Nita’s view on what it means to be Filipino is never clarified outside the necessity for structure and to be respectful. The final most telling contrast can be found between Isabel and Ferdi, Isabel’s view that studying Filipino history is essential to Filipinoness and Ferdi’s view that the real history is lost.

Work Cited

Galang, M. Evelina. One Tribe: A Novel. New Issues Poetry & Prose, 2006.