sneak peek at Polynesian culture

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Hawaii is geographically part of Polynesia, a region in the central and southern parts of the Pacific Ocean. These are some of the most remote islands on the planet, and I had the opportunity to fly to some of these islands via United Airlines' Island Hopper route last year. I just stayed in the airports back then because we were just literally island hopping. 

This time around, I thought I could see more of the culture when my tour group made a lunch stop at the Polynesian Cultural Centre in Laie. There were six villages we could visit to see the different cultural exhibits: Samoa, Fiji, Hawaii, Tonga, Tahiti, and Aotearoa. However, we were just passing by (from the Hukilau Marketplace to the barbecue lunch), so everything I had was just a sample of the cake called Polynesia.


One of the things I noticed was the hand sign demonstrated by the statue outside the centre... I understand that it is called shaka and it means "hang loose" (among surfers... and there are plenty in Hawaii) and "Aloha spirit" (the signature way people greet each other in Hawaii).


Peppered throughout the centre (and even in the Hukilau Marketplace) are statues that represent Polynesian deities or ancient ancestors. Although uniquely Polynesian, I am somehow reminded of the bul-ul, the male rice deity I've seen in Ifugao. Is there a similarity between Filipino culture and that of the Polynesian cultures?



Perhaps. I was in conversation with a former classmate many years ago about Polynesians possibly descending from aboriginal Taiwanese. I couldn't believe what I was hearing at the time, until I bumped into an article about it in National Geographic.

I wish I had more time to roam around the Polynesian Cultural Centre. It's the most efficient way for me to experience some of the culture without actually traveling to the different countries. However, I only had a limited time on Oahu, so I had to skip quite a few of the tours... including the fascinating story about Laie, where Mormons settled and built schools for the locals.


As I was walking back to the bus after lunch, I noticed this statue; at first, I thought that he was holding a regular guitar. But it's a Hawaiian steel guitar... and this is a statue honouring Joseph Kekuku, the guy who invented the instrument. And he's holding it atypically from how others hold their guitars. A bit of reading led me to the "lap guitar", which means he played it the way the statue portrayed him.


A fascinating glimpse into Polynesian culture, indeed. One day, I'll be back in Hawaii and I'd like to immerse myself a bit more into the culture... aside from the luaus and the food, of course.

I hope that this day in the future won't be as distant as the gap between my first trip out here and this one.

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