Tēvita O. Kaʻili, a cultural anthropology associate professor, with his knowledge of the past and present culture, takes students back in time. Dr. Kaʻili is also the Dean of the Faculty of Culture, Language and Performing Arts, and he is an author.
How would you define culture?
“Culture encompasses all the human configurations of time-and-space, knowledge, signs, symbols, languages, stories, narratives, discourses, texts, histories, arts, sciences, rituals, performances, practices, behaviors, beliefs, values, ideologies, social systems and materials. Culture is co-created, shared, learned and patterned by humans. It entails materiality (objects, artifacts, technologies, foods), ideology (systems of ideas, beliefs), performativity (performances, music, dances), and narratively (stories, languages, systems of symbols). Culture emerges from the complex intersection of humans, histories and environments, both physical and social.”
What does culture mean to you?
“Culture is significant because it defines us as humans. Human identity is based on culture, meaning it is derived from culture, and human time-space is arranged by culture. Culture has a profound influence on human thinking and actions. Humans are cultural beings. Thus all humans have cultures.”
What exactly is cultural anthropology?
“Culture anthropology is the interdisciplinary study of the cultural dimensions of humanity in all times and spaces. As an interdisciplinary field, cultural anthropology, entails both the humanistic and scientific study of all cultural aspects of humans and their environments.”
Why do we have Culture Night?
“Culture Night is a grand celebration and veneration of the diversity and complexity of cultures at our university. It provides the time-and-space for students to share their cultures and learn from one another. As a BYUH student in the 1990s, I performed in several Cultural Nights.”
When you see Culture Night as an anthropology professor, what do you think?
“Cultural Night is an elaborate ritual of paying homage to our ancestors who created our cultures and acknowledging the innovations, changes and fluidity within our cultural performances. It is a wonderful event for identifying, sharing and learning cultures. I give my anthropology students extra credits for participating in Culture Night.”
How can we be more sensitive to others cultures?
“Learning about the history and meaning of culture is the first step. From learning comes understand that will lead to appreciation and deep respect for all cultures. One way to start your learning of culture is to take certain university courses. In the Faculty of Culture, Language & Performing Arts, we offer several courses in the areas of culture, such as Hawaiian Studies, Pacific Islands Studies, Asian Studies, History, Languages, Intercultural Peacebuilding, Music, Theatre, Humanities and Cultural Anthropology. I invite all students to take courses from our faculty.”
Along with teaching and being a Dean of Faculty, Dr. Kaʻili has also written a couple of books. One of his books is “Marking Indigeneity: The Tongan Art of Sociospatial Relations” (University of Arizona Press, 2017).
He said, “This book critically examines Tongans in Maui, Hawaiʻi, and their cultural arrangement of tā and vā, time and space, through the art of tauhi vā, sustaining harmonious social relations in the mutual performance of fatongia (cultural obligations).”
His other book is “Ko e Ngaahi ʻAta mei he Hisitōlia mo e Kalatua ʻo Tongá : Ke Tufungaʻi ha Lea Tonga Fakaako.” [Images from the History and Culture of Tonga: Towards Creating a Tongan Academic Language] (Co-authored with ʻOkusitino Māhina and ʻAnapesi L. Kaʻili; Centre for Pacific Studies, University of Auckland, 2006)
In relation to this book he said, “It explores aspects of Tongan history and culture. The authors argue for the need to create a Tongan academic language to perpetuate and vitalize Tongan history and culture.”
Writer: Mackenzie Beaver