Cultural Treasure Trunks PDF Print E-mail

Washington State is now home to more than 250,000 Americans of Asian heritage. The State’s fastest growing minority population is in many ways the least visible. Lack of knowledge of Americans of Asian and Pacific Island cultural heritage by other population groups can lead to problems of cultural intolerance and misunderstandings. The Cultural Treasure Trunk Project is an educational program aimed at schools and designed to increase knowledge and understanding of Asian and Pacific Islanders cultures at the 5th-8th grade level.

ctt jade

Korean trunk presentation at Washington State History Museum

Cultural Treasure Trunks are culturally-themed, portable trunks that will be accompanied by Cultural Interpreters. In each trunk, common objects include:

  • Maps of the Pacific Rim, with Hawaii as the center point
  • Map of the specific country
  • A concise history of the country
  • Statistics for the particular country such as business rankings, financial standing, literacy rates, population there and in USA
  • Timeline in chart type representing the western world versus Asian and Pacific Rim

vietnamese trunk

Vietnamese trunk presentation

Three areas of focus are:

Live: Calendar, Family structure, Religious beliefs and objects, Currency, Medicinal herbs and compounds, old method cooking pots and tools, and pictures of house or building materials, etc.

Work: Artisans and inventions that are unique to country, School systems which could be compared to USA and point out education for careers, Forms of transport, Child care traditions, and compare and contrast of careers of police, medical workers, teachers, banking officials, mechanics, grocers, farmers, and fisherman and port workers.

Play: Arts, Music, Dolls, Comics, cartoons, playing cards, and board games, athletic teams and contests, and fans.

The Cultural Treasure Trunk Project has 4 main goals:

  1. To broaden the public’s understanding and appreciation of traditional and contemporary Asian-Pacific cultures
  2. To assist teachers in educating themselves and their students about Asian and Pacific Island traditions and culture
  3. To assist first generation Americans of Asian heritage in their process of assimilation
  4. To facilitate inquiry into the impact contemporary immigration has on traditions and culture

Currently, we have a Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Filipino trunks.
Should you wish to donate items for these trunks or volunteer for the Cultural Interpreter's positions, please contact the APCC at (253) 383-3900, or email us at info@asiapacificculturalcenter.org.

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