The Cook Islands performing group ended their six-week stay at the Polynesian Cultural Center with a final canoe parade on July 18. In total of 20 young performers, who were chosen from the Cook Islands National Art Theater, came to showcase the culture, encourage tourism, learn more about education opportunities in BYU-Hawaii, and allow themselves to be immersed in the LDS faith.
Coming back with the same purpose this year, Tiko Tapurau, the composer of the group, said, “Tourism wise, after we came last year, a lot more people have been coming down to the Cook Islands. During our first week here [at the PCC], I actually met some of them who I met back home. Pieltz Napa, the district president of the Cook Islands, said, “We thank our government and the PCC for allowing us to be here. It’s not easy to be here and it costs a lot, but we hope to lead a way for other island nations, such as Niue, Tokelau, Wallis and Futuna, Tuvalu, etc., to come [to the PCC] in the future.”
According to Napa, all of the dancers are not members of the LDS faith except for Eden Brown, who just returned from serving his mission in the Australia Perth Mission. Brown said he is coming to BYUH in the upcoming Fall semester, and he is very excited about that. “After this trip, I will go back home, get my visa, and pack my bags [to come]”
When asked what he’d love to work as once he comes back to Hawaii, Brown said he wants to try something new. “Since after my mission, I've wanted to have more involvement with people. I will probably be a tour guide or work at customer service, because there's a lot of talking with people.”
Tamaiva Mateariki, a 19-year-old dancer returned this year, said, people in the Cook Islands have innate love toward dancing. He joked, “I learned how to dance when I was still in my mom’s belly.”
Napa shared, “Tamaiva [Mateariki] is one of the top dancers we have, and he is more passionate about the culture and his dance than anything else.” Though Mateariki is not a church member, he expressed his desire to come to BYUH and shared his goal. “My goal is to be a movie star like the Rock [Dwayne Johnson] and Vin Diesel. I am a big fan of them.”
During the special performance held in the Pacific Theater on Saturday night, July 14, Napa expressed his gratitude once again and the hope of sharing the gospel with non members among the group.
“The images of young people are what keep us alive, and we have to guide them in the right path. BYUH and PCC provide that guidance. Many of our dancers are non members, so they have come to experience for themselves. I pray and hope the Lord will touch the heart of each one of them.” He said.
Kayla Purotu Kaimaram, a sophomore from the Cook Islands majoring in political science and a guide at the PCC, said, “When they [the dancers] are here, they go to church and take the sacrament just like we do. I hope the Spirit will touch their hearts, and they will take [gospel] lessons in the future.” Because the history and culture of the Cook Islands were still new to some guides, the Guests Services Department posted on its page the background of the country and provided trainings.
As a tour guide, Kaimaram shared how she will introduce the Cook Islands to her guests. “When I bring my guests [to the temporary village of the Cook Islands], I will tell them those are my people performing. I will talk about the things we do back home and share with guests how proud I am to have them here, because it's rare to have cook islanders come in. I will talk about the different dances, which are a mix of both New Zealand and Tahiti cultures together.
“I will also tell guests how much effort it will take up to dance. The lower the dance moves for guys and girls, the more work they get. However, dancing and chanting were how people were able to tell stories, because people didn’t know how to read and write throughout Polynesia.” Tapurau said, though being a tour guide is his main job back home, he will never slack when it comes to composing. “Our performance is new this time and called “Ura Pātōtō”. It’s a fishing dance or the dance of the Cook Islands. As a composer, I like to bring up new numbers regularly”
Many BYUH students, who work at the PCC during the summer, commented on the Cook Islands performing group as a highlight for the summer, and they are hoping the group can come back again next year. At the end of the special performance on Saturday night, a group of students from New Zealand exchanged Haka, a traditional Māori war dance, with the Cook Islands performing group.
According to Katie Nuku, a junior from New Zealand majoring in World Music, performing Haka for someone or a group is to show respect and appreciation.
Writer: Vic Zhong