Seiji Igei
Seiji Igei (they/he) is a queer, nonbinary Okinawan-Japanese diasporic artist currently residing on Fernandeño Tataviam land in the San Fernando Valley.
Laura Kina and Seiji Igei
The Japanese text in the background says “Nuchi du takara” which is a proverb in Okinawan/Uchinaaguchi which means “Life is precious.” It is said to have been the final words from the last king of Ryukyu/Loochoo before he was taken by the Satsuma shogunate, reminding the people of Okinawa that all life is important and deserves to be protected. Over the last few years, it has been a phrase used in the movement to protest the military base at Henoko and, more broadly, the US military occupation in Okinawa as a whole.
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