As a child, I was dedicated at a Spanish-speaking church in Seattle by Reverende Castano. No one in my family was Hispanic—my mother is just a charmingly whimsical woman who enjoys a good Spanish sermon from time to time. In fact, I grew up knowing much more about Hispanic cultures than my own wildly eclectic European heritages.
Perhaps it’s the lack of my own cultural awareness that makes me interested in world traditions that have a strong intimacy between people and history. South Pacific cultures have always appealed to me, especially the symbiotic relationship they hold between people, history and environment.
At the beach, I often think of how gracefully man interacts with the ocean despite its power. And then there are other days when I get smashed into rocks and the whole thing doesn’t seem very graceful at all.
I sit and wonder how the first canoe conversation was instigated: “Hey guys! Let’s go make a big hole in this log and go out way past the waves to see what’s out there.” Amazing! How did that go over? How would you build it? What would it look like?
Well, my worries are over because the MACC will be hosting a five-week exhibit entitled “Pacific Voyagers” starting May 14 that will display canoes built in during last year’s Festival of Canoes, along with tools and drums used in their construction. I’m glad that my canoe quandaries will be laid to rest but I’m even more excited to see Te Vaka (literally, “the canoe”), a Polynesian musical group that will be helping celebrate the opening of the exhibit on Friday.
The band has 12 members from all over the South Pacific: Samoa, the Cook Islands, Tokelau, Tuvalu and New Zealand. Their music is a complete sensory experience incorporating dancers, a seven-man drum section, acoustic and electric guitars for a funky, modern edge. They’ve also got some of the most moving ballads you could hope for.
The music and dance of Te Vaka allows the listener to travel through language and time. You’re there in the canoe with them, emotions ebbing and flowing with the waves and rhythms. It throws audiences into a tumultuous Polynesian free-for-all. One minute you’re dancing, the next you’re tearing it up. It’s delightful mayhem.
The band is led by the inspired songwriter Optaia Foa’i, a Tokelaun/Tavulian man originally from Samoa. At age nine, he and his family moved to a small Tokelaun community in New Zealand. About that time he also began playing music, imitating popular Western styles. Foa’i says his music has now come full circle.
“I have purposefully retuned the guitar to an open tuning, as that was how I originally played it in Samoa,” he said. “I’ve also used a Polynesian language (Tokelaun) to express different aspects of Polynesia in the most honest and natural way I can.”
Te Vaka’s beautifully pure dedication to its culture has won them worldwide acclaim and recognition, sending them to the top of the world music charts. They’ve been nominated for Best Roots Album and won Best Pacific Album at the Music Industry Awards in New Zealand. They have been involved with WOMAD (World of Music Arts and Dance) and managed to draw attention to global warming, which is an important issue facing the South Pacific.
On Tokelau, the highest point above sea level is a mere five meters. It’s predicted that the entire island will be swallowed up into the ocean by the end of the 21st century, forcing its citizens to flee and rendering the island uninhabitable. Think about that next time you want to use aerosol! But mostly, Te Vaka puts on a great show to entertain fans all over the world. MTW