Silina Aina shares her experiences as an artisan weaver and lover of culture
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Through years of working at the Polynesian Cultural Center, Silina Aina said she is motivated to work by the people she has met and worked with over the years. She said her experiences talking and meeting new people in the Center made her appreciate her role as an artisan weaver and the culture she is working with. Silina Aina works in the Fijian Village and is the longest-tenured worker at the PCC.
She said for the past 50 years, she has learned so much about the different cultures around the Center. “Growing up at BYU–Hawaii, previously called Church College of Hawaii, my parents paved the way for me to learn and appreciate cultures from the other islands of Polynesia.” Silina Aina said besides learning about other cultures and traditions from older uncles and aunties, she has also learned different crafts and weaving patterns from each culture around the Center.
Origins at the PCC
Silina Aina grew up in Hawaii and said her parents came to BYUH for school trying to get a better future with their chosen degrees. She said although they were originally from Rotuma, Fiji, her love for the island grew when her parents brought her and other siblings to the PCC while her parents were working there.
“We did not have babysitters back then, so we were introduced to various cultures while my parents alternated their times taking care of us. It was a struggle at first, but my parents managed to do it,” she said.
She said her parents both attended Church College of Hawaii and were also invited to help build the Center. “My dad helped build the huts around the Center. Not only was he there to help when building the Fiji huts, but also he helped in almost the creation of every hut around the Center. That is why he introduced us to various island cultures at home because he was constantly communicating and helping people from other islands,” she said.
Life at PCC
At age 4, Silina Aina said she became one of the keiki, or child, models for the PCC. She said their role was to amaze guests with cultural costumes and showcase them through a dance. “It was a fun experience doing the keiki model for the Center. Besides sharing the culture, I can remember how curious I was when I was given my first ever paycheck.”
By the time she started elementary school, she said she became a performer in the canoe show. When she reached high school, she worked both in the canoe and night show and she volunteered to work in the village in her free time, she said.
While working in the Center, she said her dad, who became a chief in the Fijian Village, would always encourage her and her siblings to know more about other cultures. “Although we are Fijian by blood, my dad was a perfect example of being a multicultural mentor. He introduced us to different cultures where we learn their way of living, clothing, traditions and more.”
Her skills of being able to adapt to other cultures came from her dad, Silina Aina said. “I can still recall occasions in my younger years working in the Center when my father taught us to appreciate the culture around us. He encouraged us to join and participate in learning activities around the Center. He was always a big fan of preserving culture, and he wanted us to do the same while he was working in the village.”
After a few more years, Silina Aina said she started to go to college, but later on dropped out after a year of schooling. She said she was always a fan of weaving, which made her want to explore being a weaver in the village. “Back when I was young, my mom was also one of the managers of the weaving department in the PCC. That is probably where my interest in weaving ignited,” she said. Moreover, Silina Aina added, “Back then, there were three main weavers in the village and each position was full-time. It took a while for me to be a full-time weaver because the dedicated aunties loved their job in the Center. When I got in, they mentored me from my first day working onwards.
“Weaving takes various hours or days to make depending on its style, length and size,” Silina Aina said. She said even the simplest lei can take her a couple of hours or days to finish. “It is not easy to weave and make something. Although I know most of the techniques and basics of weaving styles around the Center, I still take my time to do it beautifully.”
Terry Na’auao Panee, a local from Kaneohe and the current manager of the Hawaiian Village at the PCC, said his relationship at work with Silina Aina grew over time. “For the past 40 years I have been working with her, she has never failed to amaze me with what she does. Although I am also a weaver and help her at times, she is far more versatile and skilled in weaving.” Panee said being raised in the Center has taught Silina Aina to weave various patterns from the other islands. “She was very eager and excited to learn new weaving patterns and she adapts to certain styles and techniques fast,” he said.
In 1993, Silina Aina said she met her future husband, Lance Aina, in the Hawaiian Village. She said, “He was the new guy in early 1993. Since I was already in the village working, he approached me and wanted to talk with me. We did and the rest was history.” She said they were sealed on July 11, 1995 and had two children, Jack and Emosi.
Hualani Prescott, a cultural demonstrator from Nanakuli, said, “I started working in the PCC around 2012. I became a performer for the night show and then joined luau. After that I became a cultural performer in Hawaiian Village.” She said even though she has been in the PCC for quite some time, she became interested in weaving when she met Silina Aina.
“As part of working in the village, there are moments where I saw Auntie Silina teach about weaving. I became interested in it so I began learning from her,” she said. Prescott said because of her eagerness to learn about weaving, she became an assistant to Silina Aina this year.
Creating a legacy
Because of Silina Aina’s lifelong service at the Center, Panee said, “I consider her as one of the top 10 weavers in all the islands of Hawaii right now because of the craft, skills and versatility she has while working with different weave patterns.”
He said, “Her working for that long became a legacy for her and for our ancestors on how we should do things around the Center.” Silina Aina said preserving culture was not hard for her because she grew up in a household where every diverse culture they met in the Center was as important as theirs. “My problem over the years was the people coming in and going from the Center. I always felt that they are only here because it is just a job for them to stay here and earn a living.”
Prescott said, “Being a beginner weaver taught me a lot of things from Auntie Silina. Besides her usual countenance of being sweet and immediately looking after you, she is a very patient, dedicated hard worker and radiates Christlike love around the Center.”
Moreover, she said Silina Aina treats everyone who comes to the PCC like her close relatives or children, which makes it easier for everyone to love her. “It is obvious she has done so much for the Center aside from weaving and radiating the spirit. It is an example to future generations to follow the true Spirit of Aloha,” she said.