The SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on Sunday hosted the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts &Culture’s ecumenical service, embodied by “Ekaleisa,” the Marshallese word for “church,” which in Pacific Island cultures refers to a place of Christian worship.
Donald Reynolds, Norfolk Island head of delegation, prepared two hymns to perform at the service.
“We’ve been planning this for a long time,” Reynolds said. “When we were asked who would like to participate in sharing their hymns and songs from their country, we decided almost immediately to put our name up to perform.”
Weslake Ken, a pastor from Norfolk Island, mentioned that one of the hymns is a prayer attributed to John Adams, a Pitcairn Island settler who learned to read through the Bible and taught his community to live according to biblical principles.
“A sea captain had never seen a more orderly and peaceful society his whole life and wrote a prayer,” Ken said. “Don put that prayer into music, so we will be sharing that today.”
The second hymn reflects on the common heritage of the Pitcairn Islands and Norfolk Island, drawing inspiration from Matthew, Chapter 25 of the Bible, which emphasizes the importance of caring for the less fortunate, including those who are hungry, thirsty, sick or imprisoned.
Tahitian musician Heiarii Debon, part of the French Polynesian delegation, said it was important to value unity and support within their group and among others, despite personal religious beliefs and differences.
“To share a special moment with friends and showcase your culture is very amazing,” Debon said. “I appreciate seeing people come together and celebrate their cultural heritage, even if it is religious.”
Debon hopes to continue to learn more about other cultures, particularly Hawaii, after prior travels to almost all the nations attending FestPAC.
Seven children ranging from
6 to 12 years old, participants of Pacific Voices, opened the service with a call to worship with “Tirow Lang,” a traditional practice in Chuukese culture. Pacific Voices is an after-school program at Kuhio Park Towers facilitated
by Kokua Kalihi Valley that supports children, predominantly first-generation migrants from
Micronesia, learn and preserve their traditions and cultures.
“I was so proud of them,” said Paulina Perman, Pacific Voices program coordinator. “That’s their protocol, grounding them in their culture and honoring our Lord and our creator, our land, ocean and our people.”
Perman said the children initially were nervous, but their strong connection to their culture gave them confidence to present themselves in a large event like FestPAC, both in person and live to hundreds of people.
“They’re inspired to know that they’re the future generation,” she said. “Being in a space like this, united with other Pacific Islanders, it’s amazing — it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them.”
Nehe Nehe Pakomio Atan, Ariki Vahine Taptati Rapa Nui (queen of culture of Rapa Nui), said this is the first FestPAC where Rapa Nui brought children as delegates, with a total of 22 children to “show the world the fruits of Rapa Nui.”
She emphasized the importance of including children in conversations about heritage and culture, as they are the “future bearers of these traditions.”
Rapa Nui cultural leaders have been teaching the children about their culture,
hoping they will share these teachings with other children of Rapa Nui and children of other islands.
Atan said that while theistic religions are not prominent in Rapa Nui culture, she still attended the service to show respect and support for other cultures on neighboring islands and nations, and “especially our host, Hawaii.”
“We are here for our brothers and sisters,” Atan said. “I am here to show you my culture, but I am also here to learn from other peoples’ cultures.”
Kevin Su’a, a Mililani
resident originally from Western Samoa, brought
his two children to the ecumenical service, their first FestPAC event, hoping to provide them with a learning experience.
Su’a hopes his children will appreciate and learn more about their family cultures and heritage through this event, and he plans on taking them to more events throughout the week.
“It’s cool to learn something new about our Samoan culture and also learn something different about other cultures as well,” said Mosaesa Su’a, 13.
