Trip to Polynesian Culture Center (PCC)

So today I went to the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC). Being that I live here on O'ahu, this wasn't my first time going there. My first time there was back in December 1991 when we first moved here and I enjoyed it.

Then throughout the last 20 years, went quite often.  For me, it was doing the same thing, over and over, just encountering different people each time. However, as I walked the paths around each village today,  a thought crossed my mind.

I recalled a conversation that I was involved with, & a person once commented "I would never go to PCC because it's so artificial there & everything about that place is unreal." I asked this individual have you ever ben there before? She replied no & had no desire to support the Mormon cause. I was shocked hearing that from her. More on the Mormon thing later.

So I asked her, how she can think that way and shes never even been to Hawaii. She couldn't give me an answer. 

It doesn't bother me to no end she thinks that way. But I have to wonder, how could she have any inkling of an idea of what PCC is about. (The conversation happened before the internet boomed). PCC may not truly be a reflection of the islands that are represented there. But as I walk the grounds time and time again, I leave there with a sense of pride. Im glad im a polynesian. Im glad to be Samoan. I am glad someone even thought of building such a place to begin with. 

PCC does what other luaus & museums dont do & that is educating that someone who probably still has never heard of Tonga or Samoa.  Many visitors come from all over the world to visit Hawaii. When they arrive there, they are taken into a world they couldn't imagine is out there. Not many people knew that New Zealand is really Aotearoa, or that Samoan men were the cooks. How many of you knew that Fijians are not Polynesians but are from Melanesia? Each  island village shares with the visitors what  is unique about them.  PCC is a museum... Just a different type of museum.

As you walk throughout the museum, you can see the many similarities with each other. Despite the far distance, each island has interacted with each other. One thing we all know is that missionaries came from afar and tried to stamp out our culture. The Hawai'ian culture is an example of where the culture is endangered.  There are similarities in how the food is prepared. Hawai'ians use an imu (underground oven), Tahitians do the same thing, but call it ahi ma'a. Samaons call theirs an umu. I'm not sure about the other cultures. I noticed that each island village cooks their culture's food that you can later sample. It's funny because I was at the Tahitian village, and they made the Tahitian coconut bread. In Samoa, we call it papa.I can probably write a book on the similarities other than the spoken language and how history has been passed down through the generations orally. But let's get back to PCC.


All I am basically saying is, just enjoy the experience. Unless you are going to actually visit Tahiti, Fiji, or New Zealand, this is the next best thing. Whoever set up PCC tries as much as possible to make it as original as possible. So it's not perfect. I want to see those criticizers try to make it any better than it is. If you simply do not want to go, well there are many others who do. 


And as for the Mormon comment, I felt that was unnecessary. You see, the Mormons came up with a great and wonderful idea and well they are not only capitalizing on that idea, but it is one way to help the students make their money. It's not easy to drive 45+ minutes to downtown Honolulu every single day, especially when these students have classes to attend. Why drive when they can just work in their own backyard?


Again, if you don't want to support something solely on what you believe, that is your prerogative.They are not going to suffer one bit just because you won't go. There are hundreds if not thousands that go there anyway. I don't necessarily believe in what the Mormons teach. But despite what religion, race, gender, age, sexual orientation is, you're still my family. 


So in essence, no matter where you visit, whether it be Disneyland, Sea World, Hollywood, or PCC, just enjoy your experience. Take lots of photos and make some good memories. 


#Polynesia, #Polynesian Cultural Center, #PCC, #Samoa, #Tonga