Australia
After years of not performing in Culture Night, Mahonri Eteru, a freshman from Australia studying social work, said they decided to join this year to show people a different side of Australia. Being indigenous to Australia, members of the club showed interest in Eteru’s story and wanted to incorporate it to their performance.
“We gathered everyone together, taught them the songs, the dances, and the culture of my people. When [others] think of Australia, they don’t think about culture, it’s more like kangaroos, rugby and the stereotypes. It was good to have this opportunity to share an actual culture that comes from Australia,” Eteru shared.
The club’s performance was also a tribute to the recent shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand. Eteru said, “Australia and New Zealand are very close and always has been. So we wanted to show our respects to them for the tragedies that have happened over there and just show our love for our nations and that we are still one.”
Eteru said the club prepared for over a month, and they received great support from other clubs. He said the goal of their performance was to portray a hidden culture no one really knows about, help people feel the spirit and get a good feeling from watching something they’ve never seen.
Fiji
Inspired by the number of graduates they will have this year, Fiji’s theme for Culture Night was a celebration of success, according to Errol Qaqa, a freshman from Fiji studying exercise and sport science. Qaqa said, “We’re giving back to those who have contributed their time and their efforts to the Fiji chapter all these years. So this is like a tribute to all those who are graduating.”
Qaqa said they practiced for two months and prepared for their performance before Culture Night practices officially started. He said, “By the time people who were not Fijian join[ed] it was easier for us to teach, because all of the Fijians kids have sat down together and have told them, ‘Okay when you come this is what we want, and we’ve been practicing the songs.’
“In the past years we’ve had some of our students not sleep for two days, staying up to make costumes, and it was not good. That’s what we’re trying to refrain from this semester. Now everyone can sleep well, the costumes are done, and we’re just singing songs together,” said Qaqa.
Regarding their goal for the club’s performance, Qaqa said, “We want people to know who they really are and not to forget the people who have come before them. We’re celebrating their journey, their history and are thanking them for who they are because that’s why we’re here today. Always celebrate your ancestors, your parents and your elders, because they have taught you values and your culture.”
Tahiti
The Tahiti club wanted to show what their culture really meant by performing a mini Heiva, a traditional event celebrated annually in Tahiti, said Day-j Pendant, a sophomore from Tahiti studying Pacific Island studies. Pendant shared, “Gods, war, freedom and celebration are part of the theme this year, and all of them will be represented through different dances.”
“We are presenting a show involving the four elements water, air, fire and earth. They encounter a conflict which leads them to battle one with another, but the battle is stopped by the higher god named Ta’aroa who brings back the peace between the elements,” explained Raihau Gariki, a senior from Tahiti studying TESOL education.
Writer: Esther Insigne