January 16, 2013
Today we had a very long day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. According to the brochure, the PCC employs native people of the islands they illustrate. I don’t know about the veracity of that statement, but I did enjoy the presentations nonetheless. We saw Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, Fiji, New Zealand and Hawaii. Overall, I felt that while each island was very different in some ways, they were also all very similar. They are similar because they share similar organs and ingredients of culture. Their fauna and produce is similar, and their customs are similar.
For instance, coconuts were everywhere. The use of coconuts by the Samoans was very impressive. They literally used every part for food, drink, fire, and entertainment. It was the first time I’d ever seen a coconut being parted like that and used like that.
Dance and song were also a major part, especially instruments like drums or sticks. I enjoyed the interactive aspectof some of the demonstrations, such as the show by Tahiti. In Fiji, they used bamboo as an instrument.
The Ha-Breath of life show was amazing. It was a convergence of the cultures in a single story about love, loss, devotion…life! It was a good summarization of everything we learned that day
In essence, the PCC is a Disney-esque view of island culture. Most of the grisly parts of history from each culture aren’t shown, but this is a living museum mean tot showcase the cultures so I understand that.
The buffet has more haupia, but it was delicious unlike the other one I tried earlier this week. According to a reading, I remember the reading describing it as a coconut milk pudding thickened with Polynesian arrowroot. This demonstrates the Polynesian origins of some foods.
I really enjoyed seeing some of the cooking demons, which included an unu, or Samoan pit oven making and use. I saw coconut bread being made and then I got to taste it. I got to try the fish wrapped in leaves with baked taro.
Other demonstrations where coconut tree climbing, the parade of canoes with dances from the collective islands, and seeing this workshop that taught people how to use leaves from the hala tree to prepare things like mats or baskets or “fish.
This entire experience makes me think about the tourism industry and the “authentic” experience we have talked about and continue to talk about during our stay here. In some experiences, such as swap meet, tourism and locality converge. Sometimes I felt uncomfortable think about the Maori of New Zealand who have been demanding the return of land promised by national treaties were never discussed as anything more than a people whoplayed stick games or danced the haka during their performance at the PCC. Surely there still exists a tense relationship between the military, the American government, and Pacific Islanders throughout the Pacific Region. Tourism is the biggest industry as told by the guide on the bus. I felt strange sometimes being treated well and with caution because they didn’t’ want to upset any of the tourists.
