For canoe pushers at the Polynesian Cultural Center, brotherhood extends far beyond the workplace
Most employed BYU–Hawaii students work up to 19 hours a week. Students often form bonds with the people they spend the most time with. For the canoe pushers at the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC), some said those bonds have developed into a sense of family that exists both at and outside work.
A second home and shared purpose
Darryl Agung, a freshman in political science from Indonesia, said he has been a canoe pusher at the PCC since arriving at BYU–Hawaii last April. He said while the job is physically demanding, with workers spending up to five to six hours a day in the sun, the brotherhood amongst his coworkers makes the job worthwhile. At work, he said there is a sense of family between him and his coworkers. With about 24 workers, he said his coworkers have the opportunity to know each other well and become friends.
Agung said before each shift begins at work, all of the canoe pushers gather and have a prayer meeting. In this meeting, someone shares a spiritual thought and an employee highlight. “We are all united before the day starts,” he said.
At the end of each day, Agung said, the group gathers again to debrief what happened that day. He continued, saying he was grateful because, like any family, there can occasionally be clashes, but with daily debriefs everything gets sorted out. He added, “At the end of the day, everyone’s my favorite.”
Although brotherhood is a commonly used term to describe the canoe pushers, Zion Tevaga, a junior in business management from New York, said the sense of family extends to female canoe pushers as well. He added, “There's the girls there who are just the same. We're all just tight with them. And when I think of a family, where there's brothers and sisters, I think we're all just homies.” Agung concurred and said he considers his coworkers to be like his brothers and sisters.
Tevaga said he enjoys going to work each day because it feels like a second home to him. “It's nice to know that I'm going to work at canoes because of that family vibe. It doesn't feel like it. ‘Oh, I have to go to work today,’” he said.
Built on support, not competition
Agung said the closeness among the canoe pushers is rooted in mutual support rather than competition. The lack of competition, Agung said, spills over outside of work. If one canoe pusher is struggling or sick, they reach out to one another. He added that maintaining high integrity and leading by example helps everyone feel welcomed.
We don’t have competition. We help each other. We want each other to be successful and happy.
Agung added from being a supervisor with the canoe pushers he always tries to tell his coworkers to not be afraid to ask for help. “If you need us, we’ll try to come whenever we can, as soon as we can,” he said.
Jamerus Tai Hook, a sophomore majoring in health and human science from Laie, said the camaraderie among the canoe pushers is well known in the community. “Growing up you always hear about the canoe boys,” Tai Hook said. “As soon as I started working here, I could already feel the camaraderie and connection with everyone, even though I didn’t know anyone yet.” He added that once he got to know his coworkers and spent more time with them, it enhanced that feeling more. He said even knowing someone that used to be a canoe pusher, there is an instant connection to them.
Tai Hook said when new hires start, he initially tries to build a relationship with them based on trust because he wants them to feel comfortable in the workplace. Tai Hook said he lives by a statement that prevails when he is at work too, “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” When new hires start the job, he said he tries to get to know them first rather than bossing them around. He aims to form a true friendship with them first before knowing them at work.
Tevaga said that the environment encourages people to be themselves. “If new hires see that we’re all ourselves with each other, it makes them feel safe to open up too,” he said.
Beyond the workplace
For many canoe pushers, the relationships built at work extend beyond work hours. Tai Hook said, “I’m doing a culture night section mainly because one of the canoe boys is leading the Tuvalu section, and I thought I’d support him.” Tevaga and Tai Hook said for the Super Bowl about 10 of the canoe pushers all came together to hangout and watch the game.
Tevaga said even with former coworkers, they remain close with each other. “It’s not just about the friendship,” he said. “The friendships will last longer than the job.”
He added being friends with his coworkers has improved his job performance. “If everyone's in a happier mood and wants to be around each other, overall moods are going to be boosted up, which is going to make you want to work harder, and will make everything else better.”