May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. To celebrate, the Museum has a new Rotunda Installation featuring an amalgamation of culturally and nationally symbolic flowers of the Asian-Pacific Diaspora.
People of Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander descent have always been part of United States history. Since the late 1970s, various iterations of this heritage month have been celebrated for different lengths of time and under evolving names, but all aimed to recognize the heritage, history, and contributions of these Americans.
In this installation, Lotus, plum blossom, cherry blossom, rose, jasmine, and hibiscus flowers cascade through the Rotunda, visible from three different floors. To learn more about the history of AANHPI Month and about the featured flowers, keep reading below!
The Museum's Rotunda Installations are opportunities to engage and educate visitors in new ways, utilizing our building's unique space. If you have an idea or recommendation for a topic, theme, or collaboration, please contact us here.
HISTORY
Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month began with five joint resolutions from across the House of Representatives and Senate. These resolutions each called for the first ten days of May to be proclaimed as "Pacific/Asian American Heritage Week." When these resolutions failed, a new one was introduced and was passed by Congress, which asserted:
"...That the President is hereby authorized and requested to issue a proclamation designating the 7-day period beginning on May 4, 1979, as "Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week" and calling upon the people of the United States, especially the educational community, to observe such week with appropriate ceremonies and activities."
This was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter, who then issued a proclamation declaring such week "Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week." In 1992, May was officially designated as "Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month" by the George H.W. Bush administration upon Congressional push. The month was renamed "AAPI Heritage Month" in 2009, and has been referred to as "Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month" in more recent years.
AANHPI Heritage Month falls on May to commemorate the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants on May 7, 1843 and the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. Though Chinese immigrants did much of the dangerous and grueling labor of building the railroad, their involvement, and that of Black and Native American workers, was long overlooked.
This month allows us to consider the roles of the Asian-Pacific diaspora nationally and locally. In McLean County, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders make up 5.3% of the population and continue to grow.
As we acknowledge the heritage and history of these groups, we also note that people from Asian and Pacific nations lived and worked in parts of the United States long before the construction of the transcontinental railroad. In many places, such as Hawai'i and Guam, people lived and worked there before they were deemed part of the United States.
We also remember that the Asian-Pacific diaspora is profoundly diverse, and one person or family's story cannot capture that of another. This May, we remember this history and celebrate such diversity.
FLORAL SYMBOLISM
This floral installation centers six different flowers that call to the variegated regions of Asia and the Pacific, with significance across numerous national and cultural groups. Some of these flowers are the official or unofficial flower of different countries and regions, some have long been in religious iconography, and others are prominent parts of social and cultural life. The flowers that make up this display design include hibiscus, lotus, jasmine, plum blossom, cherry blossom, and rose.
HIBISCUS
Within the hibiscus genus are hundreds of species that can be found worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions. Some of these earliest species are native to Pacific islands, including the arnottianus and kokio of Hawai'i, storckii of Fiji, and rosa-sinensis, whose native region is believed to be Vanuatu, China, or India.
Hibiscus flowers also serve as sovereign symbols across different cultural groups. The hibiscus is the national flower of Malaysia, South Korea, Niew, the Solomon Islands, and the state flower of Hawai'i.
The hibiscus enjoys more than just historical and symbolic status across Asian-Pacific regions: it is also used in a variety of everyday instances in both religious and secular settings. The hibiscus can be found in Hindu art, particularly in depictions of the goddess Kali. These flowers may also be amongst those used in Hindu offerings to Lord Ganesha. Outside of religious practice, hibiscus flowers are used across many nations medicinally, for culinary creations, as tea, and as dye.
LOTUS
Native to much of Asia and the Pacific Islands, the lotus has long been revered for its unique characteristics, and its popularity and significance transcends various faiths and nations.
Closing and sinking into the water each night, the lotus is lauded for its ability to consistently emerge from these muddy waters at dawn, petals opening again.
These properties and more play a significant role in the lotus' status as a sacred symbol in Buddhism and Hinduism. It is displayed in religious practices, texts, and art. The Lotus Dance, which originated in Vietnam, is widely performed to celebrate the birth of Buddha. Both Buddhist and Hindu art commonly incorporate lotus thrones and pedestals when depicting deities. Representations of the lotus have also been found in Islamic art.
Due to the lotus' profound role in these individual religions, it is popular across Vietnam, India, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka, among others. For Vietnam and India, the lotus serves as their national flower.
JASMINE
There are hundreds of species within the Jasminum genus, and most are native to mid-southern regions of Asia, the Middle East, the Pacific Islands, and Africa. Many species of jasmine serve as Asian and Pacific nations' national flowers, including Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Syria, and, unofficially, Oman.
Jasmine flowers are popularly used in celebrations, cultural rituals, and religious practices across the Asian-Pacific diaspora. In India, artisans tie jasmine buds together to make intricate garlands used for personal adornment, as religious offerings, and as decor for various ceremonies and festivals. In Indonesia, jasmine is used both as a symbolic decoration and as a popular tea drink for special occasions and in different rituals, such as weddings. It is also part of a symbolic flower arrangement in Javanese mysticism. In the Philippines, jasmine is used in religious practices as a garland to honor saints and the tombs of loved ones for All Souls' Day. Jasmine is also one of the holy flowers of Buddhism.
ROSE
The rose is a popular symbol of various nations in Southern and Western Asia. Roses are indeed the national flower of Iraq, Turkmenistan, Maldives, Saudi Arabia, as well as the United States.
Rose iconography can be seen in numerous religious texts, art, and practices. As some Islamic texts have described him in comparison to a rose, and other sources profess the belief that roses were created from his drop of sweat, roses have been considered a symbol of the Prophet Muhammed. In some Hindu practices, roses may be offered to many different deities.
Roses are popular components in a motley of artworks. They are found in religious Muslim art, as well as in other artisan-crafted pieces such as mats, rugs, and embroidery, which often use floral motifs. Roses have also been found as common parts of Ottoman and Persian portraiture.
Today, Saudi Arabia is famous for its beautiful fields of the Taif Rose and for being an essential part of the rosewater industry, which is used for religious and secular purposes worldwide. Lebanon enjoys similar popularity, where the famed Damask rose grows profusely.
PLUM BLOSSOM
Plum blossoms are a popular symbol in much of Eastern Asia. These flowers are native to south-central China, Laos, and Vietnam and now bloom in almost all parts of China, in Inner Mongolia, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Tibet, and Manchuria.
Because they bloom in winter and early spring, plum blossoms are often regarded as symbols of perseverance, as well as renewal and purity. They are also ubiquitous in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean artworks and poetry.
CHERRY BLOSSOM
Though not the country's national symbol, cherry blossoms have become synonymous with Japanese landscape and culture. The flower's likeness is prominent across much of Japanese art, including historic paintings, pottery, and contemporary media as well.
Cherry blossoms only bloom for a short period of time, which has added to their popularity. The blossoms included in this display pay homage to Bloomington-Normal's regional significance abroad and to its sister city, Asahikawa, Japan.
How can you tell the difference between cherry and plum blossoms? Look at the petals! Cherry blossoms have a notch at the top of each petal. Plum blossoms have rounded petals.
Curated by Morgan Bueza with assistance from Susan Hartzold, Dr. Maria Mears, Micaela Harris, and Anja Schrag.