Polynesian Men Do All the Cooking?

by | May 6, 2015 | Cultures of Polynesia, Samoa

Up and until the time I entered college, I had no idea that men do all the cooking anywhere.  Certainly not in my home, though my dad was a good cook himself.  Unfortunately, his genes never got passed down to me.  It wasn’t until I started working at the Polynesian...
Maoritanga — The Maori Way of Life

Maoritanga — The Maori Way of Life

by | Mar 11, 2015 | Aotearoa, Cultures of Polynesia

Māoritanga — Māori culture — is very much alive  Occasionally, a travel writer may describe the Polynesian Cultural Center as a “living museum”: That is, a place where we’ve recreated the past, but that’s not really accurate. Granted, most Polynesians now-a-days live...

The Awe of the Haka

by | Feb 3, 2015 | Aotearoa, Cultures of Polynesia

Story by Polynesian Cultural Blogger, Bobby Akoi, Jr I was in high school when I first witnessed my first haka in Hilo put on by a dance troupe from New Zealand. The first thing that came out of my mouth was, “WOW”.  It was so powerful it gave me goose bumps all over...