Help us find and improve next week's Connection Finder profiles: Pacific-Islander and Asian Notables [closed]

Question

We're looking at notables with Pacific Islander and Asian heritage in the Connection Finder next week to commemorate the month-long observation in the US during May.

Here are some of the notables we're considering:

• Steven Yeun, actor known for his role of Glenn Rhee on "The Walking Dead" (unconnected)
• Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, actor and professional wrestler
• Montu Chawla, first Indian-woman in space; astronaut who died in the Columbia accident (unconnected)

Who else should we feature? We have room for 12 individuals. We can't feature everyone who is nominated, but if we don't feature a profile you work on, we may use it sometime in the future. And, of course, all contributions help improve our shared tree.

Our choice of features will depend partly on the notable person's CC7, i.e. their connection count within seven degrees. The more connections they have, the more likely it is for all WikiTree members to find a close and interesting connection to them. So, if you nominate someone, please help grow their CC7.

Suggestions are more likely to be considered if you provide a link to the person on WikiTree, some information about who they were or why you're nominating them, and if their profile is in good condition with a connection, image, and well-written and well-sourced biography.

We'll make a final decision on which ones to feature early next week.

Please reply here with what you're working on so that we don't duplicate our efforts. Thank you!

Take note that this is not the place to discuss why you think we shouldn't feature someone if those reasons are due to politics, actions, or opinions of those being suggested. Mentioning things like their not being connected, their biography still needing work, erroneous information, etc. are all suitable for discussion here and an opportunity to correct those situations.

Help us choose themes for 2024 Connection Finder themes here. 

Answer 1

How about Vice President Kamala Harris, the daughter of Indian and Jamaican parents? The highest ranking female government official in US history, irregardless of race. Informative profile, but CC7 could use some bolstering as it currently stands at 97.

Comments

Thanks, Brian.

Answer 2

I saw a documentary about Confucius a few years ago and IIRC, they still track descendants of him.  I couldn't find Kong Qiu on the tree but it seems like he might be an important one to have, especially since he's so far back and they kept records.  Taika Waititi (Taika David Cohen) would be interesting, but he's not on the tree yet either.  Hiroyuki Sanada (Hiroyuki Shimozawa) is a Japanese actor that's worked in international film and tv, but again, has no profile.  His miniseries Shogun was recently released to major acclaim.  Also not on the tree:  Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, Indian actress/"most beautiful woman in the world" Aishwayra Rai, Hong Kong action star Chow Yun-fat, Australian opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa (Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron).  Perhaps they are there, but written in other languages?  Indira Ghandi has a Notables page (Nehru-5) but is unconnected.  Same for Genghis Khan (Khan-12).

Comments

Taika Waititi (Taika David Cohen) has 67 connections.

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa (Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron) is a New Zealander (Not Australian) and while her father is on Wikitree it is an unsourced unconnected profile.

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Speaking of "Genghis Khan" (Khan-12): Genghis is what Westerners call him, not the name he would have used. Genghis is a corruption of the name. Mongolians call him Chinggis. Can someone add Chinggis as an alternate name to his profile? I'd do it myself, but I'm not pre-1500 certified.

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Thanks, all.

Answer 3

• 순헌 엄 (Eom Sunheon) (1854–1911) Korea, imperial consort; CC7 1,244, has image and short biography
• 桃子 安藤 (Andō Momoko) Japan, actor and film director; CC7 281, needs biography, needs image but one with a CC BY licence is readily available at Wikimedia Commons.

Comments

Thanks, Jim.

Answer 4

Seen as I look after a lot of Pacific Nations for the Global Project I should nominate some people. Finding ones connected to the main tree is hard as most are not connected. 

Tupua Tamasese Lealofioaana III  was a paramount chief of Samoa, holder of the Tupua Tamasese dynastic title and became the leader of the country's pro-independence Mau movement.   149 connections

Dwight Heine was a Marshall Islands polotician. 562 Connections

Hector Rex Hatch Fijian boxer and politician.  32 Connections

Tupou VI King of Tonga.  29 Connections

Comments

Thanks, Darren.

Answer 5

Maybe the first president of Indonesia, Sukarno?

Jason Momoa was born in Hawaii and has native Hawaiian ancestry through his father.

Comments

Thanks, Joke.

Answer 6

Here are a few suggestions (all are connected):

From Malaysia: 

   - Jimmy Cho, fashion designer

   - Michelle Yeoh, Academy Award winning actress

From the Philippines:

   - Corazon Aquino, former president and political matriarch 

From Japan:

   - Emperor Naruhito

   - Soichiro Honda, founder of Honda Motors

   - Osuma Tezuko, Father of Manga animation

   - Miyoshi Umeki, Academy Award winning actress

From India

   - Aghorenath Chattopadhyay, first Indian Doctor of Science

   - Ravi Shankar, musician father of Nora Roberts

       

Comments

Thanks, David.

Answer 7

Lots of choices including:

Qianlong Emperor - one of the longest-reigning monarchs in history

Kōnosuke Matsushita - founder of Panasonic 

Patsy Mink - first Asian Pacific women member of Congress 

I.M. Pei and Maya Lin  - architects 

Shibusawa Eijirō - father of Japanese capitalism 

Fumiko Hayashida - iconic image of her and child represented the plight of Japanese Americans who were interned in WWII 

Fred Korematsu - litigant who challenged Japanese American internment in WWII.

Comments

Thanks, Russell.

Answer 8

King Kamehameha of Hawaii https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Kamehameha-1

Akira Kurasawa https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/%E9%BB%92%E6%BE%A4-1

Lisa Carrington (Maori-European descent) https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Carrington-299

Comments

Thanks, Steve.

Answer 9

Stacey Park Milbern, one of the founders of the disability justice movement. She'll be on the US quarter next year.

She's not connected yet, but I've made headway with her grandparents and it looks like her paternal line goes back to colonial America. She's now connected, and some of her lines are connected back almost 1000 years! CC7: 406.

Comments

Thanks, Melissa.

Answer 10

Such a good subject! Made me realize we have quite a few worthy notables to add or really polish up current profiles. 

Here’s my suggestions:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Kahanamoku-1, Duke Kahanamoku, Olympic champion swimmer and father of modern surfing. 

The last Queen of Hawai’i, Liliu’okalani, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Kapaakea-3

14 time Grand Slam winning tennis player, Evonne Goolagong , https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Goolagong-1

Acclaimed New Zealand actor, Temuera Morrison, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Morrison-7873

James Shigeta, popular 1960s & 70s actor and Golden Globe winner, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Shigeta-6

The formidable “Oddjob” from Goldfinger, Harold Sakata, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Sakata-9

Filipino-American Vicki Draves, competitive swimmer and the first Asian-American to win Olympic Gold medals in springboard and platform diving. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Manalo-4

World champion surfer, Derek Ho, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ho-223

His brother, entertainer famous for “Tiny Bubbles”, Don Ho, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ho-210

Need I say more? https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Van_Halen-59 His mother was Indonesian. 

Ballerina and actress Sono Osato, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Osato-1

Actor Lou Diamond Phillips, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Upchurch-924

Actor and Oscar nominee, Mako, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/岩松-1

Conjoined twins Chang and Eng Bunker, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Unknown-457673, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Unknown-457672

Multi sport athlete and first Japanese-American to play professional American football, Wally Yonamine,  https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Yonamine-3

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Kamakawiwoʻole-1, Native Hawai’ian singer/musician, Israel Kamakawiwoʻole. He has a small CC7 but he was too good of a singer for me to pass up. Everyone should look up his videos. 

Comments

I worked on Wally Yonamine. He has a very interesting history. He would be a great choice.

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Thanks for helping! I thought he’d make a good profile to choose, also.

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Thanks, Donna.

Answer 11

Canada Project nominates former Canadian Governor General Adrienne (Poy) Clarkson, born in Hong Kong and arrived as a refugee in Canada with her parents during World War II.

Comments

Thanks, Dave.

Answer 12

Leslie Joseph Tingyou - Tingyou-1 - Australian businessman who created LJ Hooker, one of Australia's biggest real estate companies - New profile, unconnected, help welcome

Penny Wong - Wong-705 - Foreign Minister and Leader of the Government in the Senate in Australia - Good biography with image, CC7 of 364

William Sing - Sing-98 - One of the finest snipers in Gallipoli - Good biography with image, connected with CC7 of 21 (quite a shaky connection, help still very much appreciated)

Comments

Thanks!

Answer 13

Mau Piailug (1932-2010) was a Micronesian navigator who helped revived traditional ways of navigation throughout Polynesia.  In many places, including Hawaii, the skills had been lost.  He was a true Pacific islander who lived his life on the islands and on the sea.

I had the honor to visit his grave a few years ago.  The people on his island are still learning to sail handmade traditional boats from an early age.

Just one problem - no profile.  There is a biography and I am sure that the oral traditions on Satawal have preserved generations of his ancestry.  Connecting to the global tree could still be tricky, but perhaps one or more of his 16 children married someone easy to trace.

Comments

Thanks, Steve. Maybe next time!