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News • Hawaii • United States • 2011-07-02

TE MANA O TE MOANA CONNECTS WITH THEIR CULTURE AT THE POLYNESIAN CULTURAL CENTER

Laie, Hawaii – July 1, 2011 – The seven crews of Te Mana O Te Moana were hosted today at the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC). Upon arrival crew members were taken on a tour of the PCC’s island villages and exhibits, before being treated to a private dinner in the Samoan Fale, during which the PCC entertained their guests and presented each vessel makana (gifts) to help them on their journey, including salt, pepper, rice, flour and other provisions. The crews’ evening concluded with the critically acclaimed evening show, Ha: Breath of Life.

Crew members were exuberant while visiting the island villages and friendly competitions broke out as they tried a few of the many hands on activities offered at the PCC. Connections and friendships were made between crew members, PCC employees and residents of the Laie community over dinner as they chatted about the importance of cultural preservation and the intricacies of navigation among other topics.

“Preservation and perpetuation of culture is a vital part to any society. You need to understand where you’ve come from to know where you have to go,” said Alfred Grace, PCC chief operating officer. “Te Mana O Te Moana is the modern day embodiment of the Polynesian voyaging spirit and it was truly inspiring and refreshing for them to join us as guests and share their manao.”

Te Mana O Te Moana, which means the “Spirit of the Sea,” is a fleet of seven double-hulled Polynesian voyaging canoes that are sailing across the Pacific “to renew ties to the sea and its life-sustaining strength” while embracing and preserving the art of Polynesian voyaging by celestial navigation. The canoes in this historical journey are Faafaite (Tahiti), Gaualofa (Samoa), Haunui (Pan-Pacific), Hine Moana (Pan-Pacific), Marumaru Atua (Cook Islands), Te Matau a Maui (Aotearoa) and Uto Ni Yalo (Fiji). The canoes are expected to be in Hawaii until July 10 when they set sail for San Francisco. To learn more about their journey or to track their progress visit www.pacificvoyagers.org.

Founded in 1963 as a non-profit organization, the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) has entertained more than 34 million visitors, while preserving and portraying the culture, arts, and crafts of Polynesia to the rest of the world. In addition, the PCC has provided financial assistance to 17,000 young people from over 70 countries while they attend Brigham Young University-Hawaii. As a non-profit organization, 100 percent of PCC’s revenue is used for daily operations and to support education.

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