HONOLULU — The 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture or FestPac held its opening ceremony on Thursday, June 6 at the University of Hawaii’s Stan Sheriff Center, gathering together thousands of Pacific Island dancers, weavers, musicians, traditional sailors, artisans, carvers, and more alongside host Hawaii.
FestPac is the largest celebration of indigenous Pacific Islanders, bringing together cultural practitioners from across the Pacific Islands and beyond. It is celebrated every four years on a different Pacific Island.
The opening ceremony, which is separate from the wa’a ceremony, featured a parade of cultures, where each of the participating delegations performed native dances on the arena’s main stage. Each delegation likewise brought gifts to Gov. Josh Green of Hawaii.
During his delegation’s parade entrance, Viliami ʻAlamameita Takau, CEO of the Ministry of Tourism in Tonga, was given a chance to address the crowd. He likened the event to a family reunion.
“I’ve been here since Friday and we’ve heard about family. We in the Pacific are family and this is a family gathering,” he said. “And as we know family gatherings are not always perfect, they’re never perfect. It involves tears, it involves laughter, it involves sharing, and it involves love. ‘Ohana’ means family. We cannot choose our family. Our family is a gift to you just as you are a gift to them. We in the Pacific are one. We are the Pacific. We are family. And this is a long overdue family gathering.”
For his part, Aeau Hazelman, CEO of the Samoan Ministry of Education, said FestPac is an opportunity to preserve and perpetuate island culture.
“Every day is an opportunity for Samoa to shine the light on all of our young people, and to shine the light of culture … and of our language,” he said. “Your genealogy and your identity are not negotiable. And in Samoa we are here to ensure that our identity will never be negotiable. … Too often around the world they look at us as small island states, but in the words of the late Epeli Hau’ofa from Tonga we are not small island states; we are the caretakers of the largest ocean in the world.”
The Marshall Islands delegation had the entire center dancing at the conclusion of their parade entrance.
“May this festival be a testament to the beauty and resilience of our cultures,” a member of the delegation said. “In the Marshall Islands they dropped 67 nuclear weapons. They destroyed our way of life, they relocated our people, and yet we still have our culture, we still have our language, we’re still here!”
The CNMI delegation entered the center to a cover of KC Deleon Guerrero’s “Saipan,” which modified the lyrics to sing “Islas Marianas, hu saluda hao.”
The Simiyan Marianas was the first CNMI dance troupe that performed, followed by the Urááli Dancers.
Guam delegation members and other supporters shouted “Biba!” in the stands during the CNMI’s parade entrance.
Deviane Tudela, from Simiyan Marianas, said she’s “forever grateful” for the opportunity to perform at FestPac.
“To me it’s such an honor because this is such a prestigious event and you get to see all the different beautiful cultures,” she said.
Tudela and other Marianas delegates are staying at a dorm on the University of Hawaii’s campus for the duration of the event. Delegates from New Zealand, Nauru, Palau, and Guam share the facility alongside her and other dancers from Simiyan Marianas.
“We’re all similar in some way,” she said of her fellow Pacific Island delegates. “We either chant or we do dances. We have similar cultural ideals with one another.”
Maggie Sablan coordinated the delegation’s logistics ahead of their arrival in Hawaii. She said the CNMI needed to be at the event.
“Representation at FestPac is super important because this is where you share who we are and what we are. We cannot miss this,” she said. “This is where some things are new, some things are beginning, and youth ambassadors are here. We brought six groups of dancers which are going to have that exposure. We’re just excited to tell the world who we are. What makes this more special is because it’s the first time it’s held in a [U.S. state]. We are a U.S. territory. We cannot not come.”
CNMI joins FestPac parade of cultures.
From left, Richard “Apanon” Manglona, Tim San Nicolas, and Dan “Liyangua” Barcinas are carvers from Rota.
Simiyan Marianas dancers pose for a photo
The Palauan delegates represent their country at the 13th FestPac.
Kiribati delegation members pose for a photo with a model canoe and other gifts they brought for Hawaii.
CNMI and Tongan delegation members pose for a photo ahead of the opening ceremony.
Members of the CNMI and Tongan delegations pose for a photo ahead of the opening ceremony
Tonga women pose for a photo at FestPac.
A young Rapa Nui dancer holds a club while marching to the Stan Sheriff Center.
