Day 8: Polynesian Cultural Center

May 14, 2012

Today after class, my class along with the Old Testament class went on an excursion to the Polynesian Cultural Center.

 

To get there we had to travel to the North side of the Island. I’m still in shock at the vast difference between the different sides.

The side that we are staying on (the East side) is very dry and mostly low-income families live here. There really aren’t very many white people on this side of the Island either, so I feel a bit out of place when we go places.  The North side is pretty much the opposite in every way. It is green. Middle to high income families. And there is a mix of races. When we walked into Subway for lunch, I wasn’t stared at or counted. There were other white people too.

The Polynesian Cultural Center not only was in a different culture than the east side of the island, it also contained many different cultures.  The center could be compared to an Epcot. There were six different cultures represented. Each culture had it’s own little village with people dressed in their native attire. These “natives” performed dances and songs, gave temporary tribal tattoos, and provided a taste of local delicacies.

At each different village one of the girls in my class would give a little explanation about the cultural group we were about to enter into.  My culture was Fiji.

In the Fiji village and the other villages, I felt as though the traditions that were being presented were dramatized a bit.  I wonder if the people of those cultures really acted that way and what they would think if they could come back from the past to visit the center.

I do believe that the information that we were given was basically true. I’m pretty sure that it is true that basically all of the cultural groups put an emphasis on music and dance.

I also wonder what people in from these different backgrounds think of the way the cultural center presents their heritage.  Last night when we were at the Samoan church I told one of the women sitting across from me that we were going to the Polynesian Cultural Center.  She just kind of laughed. I’m not exactly sure what she meant by her quiet little smirk, but I’m pretty sure there is something about the center that she doesn’t like.

It could be because the center is basically a tourists dream. It is interactive, outside and a learning experience.

The center was all of those things for me, and more. Even if it was a tourist trap I feel as like I still learned a lot and had tons of fun!