Celebration of Polynesian culture crosses racial barriers
The swish of grass skirts, the smell of a succulent roasting pig, pineapples and coconuts, tanned skin, dark eyes and tropical islands are some things generally associated with the Polynesian culture, but there’s more to it than what is found in a tourist shop.
“Everyone I’ve ever been around has had so much pride in being Polynesian,” said Jess Mauga, vice president of the Polynesian Student Union. “No matter where we go, it still shows. We’re different.”
Mauga said the culture is passed on from generation to generation, but is slowly becoming modernized.
One of the main things that makes Polynesians the way they are is their concept of the family, Mauga said. When a Polynesian thinks of the word “family,” it doesn’t just apply to their immediate family, it includes aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents.
“Our culture is based around very strong family orientation,” Mauga said. “We use the term family very loosely.”
Another thing that stands out is what and how Polynesians eat, Mauga said. Big feasts, particularly on Sundays after church, are common.
“That’s why we’re so big,” Mauga said. “We love to eat.”
Typical dishes include corn beef, luau (a leafy plant like spinach), seafoods like mussels and fish and taro (a “Samoan potato”), Mauga said.
Mauga said there’s usually more than enough to eat, and if you go to someone’s house while they’re cooking, you’re “sure to go home with something.”
The typical dress for men and women is the lava lava. It’s worn like a towel, wrapped around the body at the waist for men and at the armpits for women.
“I get a kick out of watching someone else try to put on one. I guess I’m so used to it that I think it’s easy, but other people think it’s hard,” Mauga said.
Mauga said a lot of people at Utah State University are familiar with the Polynesian culture because they served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in that area or know someone who did.
“We stand out in a crowd because of our skin color, but we adapt to whatever is given to us,” Mauga said.
Mauga said it can be a shock for Polynesian students new to USU to find they are in the minority. They are used to having Caucasians as the minority.
“It’s different because there’s not too much diversity in the sense that the majority of students are Caucasians. We’re used to seeing more diversity,” Mauga said.
Mauga said the Polynesian students often seek out other Polynesians. He said you’ll typically find them in groups, not by themselves.
The Polynesian Student Union is a “close-knit group” with about 40 to 50 active members, Mauga said.
“It’s one of the strongest multicultural organizations on campus,” said Director of Multicultural Student Services Everardo Martinez-Inzunzaor.
They meet every other Thursday in the Multicultural Center in the Taggart Student Center at about 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. depending on everyone’s schedules, Mauga said.
According to Mauga, all the members aren’t Polynesian, but everyone is “Polynesian at heart.”
“I’ve noticed coming in here that a lot of people from the Western culture don’t really have a culture, and they admire ours. They come wanting to be a part of that. They want to learn about our culture,” Mauga said.
The club hosts an annual Luau in the TSC Ballroom. This year’s will be held April 6 beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Tickets are $8 for children 12 and under, $10 with a student ID and $12 for general admission.
Traditional Polynesian main dishes will be served with pineapple cake for dessert. The PSU will begin its floor show with Polynesian dancing at 7 p.m.
For more information about PSU or the Luau, call Mauga at 750-6922 or Kim Kawakami, the PSU secretary, at 797-5801.