Stones - Ty Sanga Short Film

Hawaiian filmmaker Ty Sanga’s short film Stones won the Best Short award at the 2010 Maui Film Festival.

The short film brings to life the myth of the ancient Hawaiian Mu people, who once lived peacefully in Hawai’i until ‘humans’ inhabited the islands forcing them in to the forests. They hid from the humans and did not make themselves known to them. They were nocturnal and only ventured out of their caves to gather food at night, as once the Sun shone and beamed onto their skin their bodies turned to stone. All the Mu people had left Hawai’i in search of quieter land, and only two remained there, a husband and his wife named Nihipali. Their lives were short lived, as her new friendship with a young human girl left her distracted and stranded in a field as the sun rose. Her husband found her stone figure in a nearby field and joined her willingly; standing by his wife as the sun rose declaring his everlasting love for her.

Migration is also present in the myth, as nearly all the Mu people left Hawai’i in search of a more prosperous land for its people. Although the Mu people are not factual creatures, this may signify the many Pacific Islanders today are migrating to nearby countries in the hopes of a more abundant life for their families. In stating this, I’m not inferring the life of the average ‘P.I’ has a lack of abundance as all Pacific nations have plenty of food/shelter/support and clean natural resources to live from, but because of their weaker economies Pacific nations aren’t as ‘strong’ as more established larger countries surrounding the Pacific. P.I’s who migrate covet a higher income and better education which drives them to move abroad to countries like the USA, Australia and New Zealand to take advantage of the benefits Western countries have to offer.

Myths and legends are commonly spoken throughout the Pacific; even the most ancient tales are still thriving today amongst Pacific communities. Oral story telling is an important pastime in many Pacific nations that help to keep alive the myths from the old religion as well as legends about more modern figures. Of course, recent technology has enabled these myths to be expressed through written and also visual text. Myths are not merely stories but the morals within the myth are used to educate those who listen to them. In my opinion the underlying moral of the myth of the Mu people and the husband and his wife is love, love between a husband and his wife and love for their homeland which was signified by their decision not to leave with the rest of their people.

Tatz - Ku'ualoha Ho'omanawanui

Ku'ualoha Ho'omanawanui was born in Hawai’i, Kailua, O’ahu. She is a graduate of the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. She grew up in Wailua Homesteads, Kaua’i. Ho’omanawanui is a published poet and an assistant professor of Hawaiin literature in the English Department at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. She is a founder and current chief editor of ‘Oiwi: A Native Hawaiian Journal.’

The poem is written in a mixture of both English and Hawaiian Pidgin which I found interesting as many Pacific poems are written in English with a translation of Pidgin English alongside it. This represents the majority of people in Hawai’i who speak a mixture of both languages and mix words/phrases and sentences into their daily spoken language.

Tattooing is a tradition that is still often practiced in many Pacific Nations. Although traditional tattooing is practiced among a variety of peoples throughout time and space, nowhere in the world has it been as important to the cultural heritage of a people as in the Pacific Islands of Oceania. According to legends, the practice is an ancient custom. Unfortunately, as with many non-Western societies, there are no local histories of this practice so the origins of tattooing in the Pacific can’t be known for certain.

As stated in the analysis of ‘Kros’ Western influences have impinged on Pacific traditions and have altered them by their teachings and western ideologies in the Pacific. The practice of tattooing in particular has changed in accordance to Western believes of the tattoos being ‘inappropriate’ and ‘immoral’. Niue is one country that doesn’t practice tattooing any longer as Niue identifies itself as a Christian nation, and tattooing goes against Christian beliefs as the Bible states in Leviticus 19:28, ‘Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the Lord.’

Although the islands of Samoa also identifies as a Christian country, tattooing is still regularly practiced today and remains a big part of the Samoan culture. A Samoan males’ traditional tattoo is called a Pe’a which usually covers the circumference of his body as high as the belly button down to his knees or thighs which consists of Pacific designs in black coloured ink and imprinted on the skin with traditional tools. A Samoan woman’s tattoos called the Malu which usually covers the legs from just below the knee to the upper thighs. A with Samoa tattooing in Hawai’i is also commonly practiced. Men are tattooed more heavily that women, with designs on their bodies and limbs. Hawaiian woman were primarily tattooed in their lower arms and hands, and sometimes as a sign of mourning, on their tongues. Modern designs are becoming more popular in the Pacific, with pictures such as flowers and written text being incorporated in to tattoos. Overall, many Pacific Islands continue to express their genealogy through tattoos. Tattooing is still a strong part of Pacific heritage that many Islands continue to practice today.

Tagata Pasifika - Is Religion Still important to Pacific Communities

Brief#2Tagata Pasifika Video - Is Religion stillimportant to Pacific Communities
 The video touches up on the significance of religion to Pacific people in 2010, which provides something to contrast Leomala’s ideology of religion around the 1980’s. The comparison of the two texts highlights the differences in opinions towards religion, and most importantly highlights the effect religion has had and still has on Pacific people today. Anosa (featured in the video) quotes “the church plays a bigger role than just a spiritual house, it becomes the substitute village”. This is regarding pacific islanders that have migrated to other countries; some attend church to retain their culture by participating in cultural activities with the church and also associating with others of the same ethnicity. He implies the majority of church goers aren’t attending to ‘praise God’ which cannot be an absolute fact as he doesn’t know the thoughts and feelings of all those attending church, but he has a fair point as according to a poll presented in the video people who answered the question ‘Is Religion important to you?’, 8% answered little, 32% answered not important which are significant numbers although an overwhelming 60% said it was very important. Overall we can conclude that the majority of Pacific people still regard religion as being an important aspect in their lives. Interesting enough, Albert Wendt described the literature from the 80’s as being written with an ambiguous and ironic language structure, this is apparent in Leomala’s reference in the poem to the Cross, because irony is apparent when comparing both texts. Leomala expresses his feeling of hatred and his sense of loss of culture Western religious influences have caused, yet Pacific people today who have left their homeland need the Church to regain their sense of Pacific identity and culture as briefly mentioned earlier.

Kros/Cross- Albert Leomala

Brief#2

Kros/Cross – Albert Leomala

Albert Leomala is a well established poet/politician from Vanuatu, who has graduated from the University of the South Pacific which is one if his many achievements.

The poem Kros was published in Lali: A Pacific Anthology (1980) by Albert Wendt along with another poem of his named Niuhebridis or New Hebridis. Both poems are published in Pidgin English also known as Bislama along with English. Both languages are national languages of Vanuatu along with French, which gives us an insight in to the colonial powers that have entered and influenced Vanuatu.

Religion has had a major impact on nearly all nations in the Pacific with the majority of Pacific Islanders claiming to be religious, and belonging to many ‘faiths’ including Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Seventh Day Adventist, and Christianity. Kros gives us an example of Leomala’s thoughts and feelings on the impact religion has had on Vanuatu specifically, although it is reasonable to assume he is regarding the effects it has had on all Pacific nations. Leomala doesn't state or address any particular religion in the poem, but we can assume he is regarding Christianity seeing as it is the predominant religion in Vanuatu with approximately 83% of Ni-Vanuatu (the people of Vanuatu) identifying themselves as Christians. Leomala may also be generalising all religions that have impacted Ni-Vanuatu.

Western missionaries first introduced Christianity to Vanuatu in the 19^th century. They varied in their attitudes towards Pacific customs but most considered much of the Melanesian culture and traditions unacceptable deeming them as sinful, and taught the indigenous people that in order for them to live a holy life and follow a righteous path they had to either compromise their traditions (not necessarily all of them) or in most cases discontinue them. This ultimately influenced certain rituals, deeming the exposure of woman’s breasts as inappropriate and tattooing gradually became less and less common. Interestingly enough, tattooing is still very popular in Samoa. Most importantly their teachings influenced the minds of Ni-Vanuatu resulting in a dramatic change in what they valued.

In my opinion, because Ni-Vanuatu no longer prioritised their customs and valued the Church more, they didn’t realise the severity of the loss of their traditions because they thought they were doing what was right at that time. Because certain traditions weren’t practiced on a regular basis this resulted in the generations that followed becoming less and less knowledgeable about traditions that were once highly regarded in their community. In Leomala’s case he blames the Church for this happening and this is apparent with his use of sentences such as ‘Cross I hate you’ and ‘You are killing me, you are destroying my traditions’.

Before missionaries entered Vanuatu, traders, labour recruiters and other western influences had already arrived there. They also influenced Ni-Vanuatu’s values by introducing goods such as rifles and liquor which were foreign items to them at the time, the introduction of these created a lust of the indigenous people to attain these items which had a negative impact of the local communities.

Sons for the Return Home

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the novel and will seek to find more Pacific literature, specifically by Albert Wendt. This is the first novel I’ve read that was written by a Samoan, in fact this is the first novel I’ve read written by a ‘P.I’. On the cover of the novel it states ‘Samoan-born Albert Wendt was working as a teacher in Samoa when he wrote the autobiographical Sons for the Return Home,’ which leads me to believe that although the novel is fiction, he has most likely dawn on his own circumstances and experiences in life and he has integrated them into the plot. Although the majority of the story is a creation of his imagination, I like to think the characters are based on real people, although this is probably not the case.

Sons for the Return Home addresses numerous issues that ‘struck a chord’ with me, and I’m sure they have caught the attention of all those who read it, such as the relationship of a cross-racial couple, racism and stereotyping, abortion, religion, migration and his portrayal of the ‘boys’ Samoan family and his description of Samoa and Samoans living there.

The novel was first published in 1973 which would have created mixed reactions to the issues presented in the novel. By ‘mixed reactions’ I’m inferring the differences of the mindset of readers who read it in the 70’s and those who read it today simply because as the years pass by society changes and so do peoples ideologies. There are people who hold on to the ‘old’ way of life and their ‘old traditions’ but in my opinion ‘evolution’ is a natural way of life and impinges on everyone as it does with P.I’s that still live in the islands and those who migrate. Migrants naturally adapt to the country they live in, of course I can’t assume that all migrants have adapted to the ways of the new society they live in, but I can justify this claim by relating migration and the effects it has on migrants to comparing this to focusing on its effects on my own family. My father was born in NZ and went back to Samoa when he was young and was brought up there. My mother was born in Niue and was also raised in her mother land, yet they have both adapted to the NZ way of life.

A cross-racial couple would have most likely been frowned upon in the 70’s, yet it isn't as big of an issue today because it is more common. It leaves me wondering how a Samoan family in Samoa or migrants living in other countries would react to their children potentially marrying a ‘Palagi’ today. I can only answer this by relating this to my personal experiences. I’m engaged to a ‘Palagi’ or European and we have a daughter (who is obviously ‘half-cast’). My parents didn't detest our relationship at all. Yet they were both brought up in the ‘Islands’ and strive to live their lives in accordance to the teachings they were taught ‘at home’ (the Islands). Their reactions towards my relationship represent a ‘modern islander’ as I like to put it meaning their beliefs have changed and adapted to a ‘NZ way of life’ or a ‘modern way of life.’ I have no fear of my daughter being scrutinized throughout her life, which is another issue Wendt highlighted in the novel by the ‘boys mums’ negative predictions of her half-cast grandchild’s future. I believe racism that was addressed in the novel is not as present in today’s society which makes me comfortable and excited when I envisage the future of my family.

Sons of the Return home was a very interesting novel to read. I found the novel to be very in-depth with how different cultures relate to others, in this case, A Pakeha and an Islander. A part of the story I found interesting was on page 17-18, when the boy and girl of different cultures argue. This reminds me of me and my best friend, we are from two completely different cultures and share different beliefs in life. However, like the Sons of the Return home novel, we were able to reconcile our differences.

I'm not sorry any more

I’m not sorry any more is a very strong poem. What I believe the poem is about is the Europeans coming in and taking over the land. The first stanza talks about the Europeans being the boss and the islanders being the servant. This is symbolising when the Europeans came in and took over and the islanders were looked down on and had lost control over their land. The second stanza is the author asking who truly owns the land. They were fighting for whose land it really was. The third stanza talks about how the Europeans came in and took over but he won’t let it happen again, in a way is like a warning to the Europeans that he’s taking back what is his and isn’t going to let them take it again. The last stanza is also talking about him not letting the Europeans take his land. He is telling them that it is his and that he “belongs to the land”. I think this very emotionally powerful as the pacific islanders in this poem are taking a stand and are fighting for what they know is theirs. I think its sort of a warning to the Europeans that they aren’t going to let it happen again. The land is theirs and they are there to stay. I really enjoyed this poem and it makes me happy to think they are standing up for themselves and are no longer letting the Europeans take over.