Every four years, members of different Pacific communities gather in the world’s largest celebration of Pacific Islanders and their culture, often called the Pacific’s largest family reunion: the Festival of the Pacific Arts (FestPac). This celebration of Pacific arts and culture took place for the first time in Suva, Fiji in 1972. Raising from the discussions around the revival and promotion of cultures from Oceania, FestPac has been a forum for celebration of the rich cultural diversity of the islands in the Pacific, as well as a space where different artistic and cultural practices of the region converge, interact and learn from one another. 

The 13th Festival of the Pacific Arts was set to take place in Hawai’i in 2020. However, in light of the Covid-19 outbreak and the impact it had in the lives of Pacific peoples, it was postponed until 2024 (the next time FestPac was meant to take place). FestPac 2024 also served as a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first festival. This circumstance allowed the organisers of the 13th FestPac to conceive the biggest event seen to the date, with large delegations of over 100 delegates, five main venues, nine additional venues for performances and eight different simultaneous thematic programmes. Under the theme Ho’oulu Lāhui/Regenerating Oceania, the festival organisers wanted to “honour traditions that FestPac has perpetuated for the last fifty years, with an eye towards the future”. Furthermore, this edition of the festival revolved around ohana (family) reunions after a long eight-year hiatus. 

The 10-day-long event kicked off with the Wa’a/Canoe Arrival Ceremony on the 5th of June. Just like the ancestors of Pacific peoples arrived on large voyaging canoes to populate the different islands in the vast Pacific Ocean, many crews from different island nations shipped or voyaged in their canoes to Kualoa Regional Park in the months before FestPac. On June 5th, dignitaries and delegates from across the region arrived by canoe and were officially welcomed by Hawaiian dignitaries through ceremonial chanting and a showcase of different wa’a cultural practices. The Wa’a Ceremony, a regular feature of FestPac, symbolises the deep connection between Pacific peoples through seafaring. 

On the 6th of June the Wehena/Opening Ceremony took place at the Stan Sheriff Center at the University of Hawaii Manoa campus in Honolulu. Every Pacific nation – with the exception of Vanuatu, who did not attend this edition, and of New Caledonia who, due to the current political circumstances, was unable to attend – was welcomed by the pū kani (blowing of the conch shell), followed by the pule (Hawaiian ceremonial blessing and welcoming). This was followed by the Parade of Nations, where each nation introduced themselves through cultural performances and the ceremonial presentation of gifts to the state of Hawaii. The first country to perform was the honorary guest of this edition, Taiwan, who was participating in the festival for the first time. General scientific consensus places Taiwan as the birthplace of migrations of Austronesian peoples about 4,000 years ago. Today, some indigenous Taiwanese communities still have cultural connections to the Pacific region. This year’s FestPac wanted to emphasize those ancestral connections to the Taiwanese through their invitation.  

The event took place in what’s popularly known as ‘Pacific time’ – over an extended period of almost seven hours that went well into midnight. It was a colourful and vibrant evening where both delegates, Pacific peoples that had travelled to Hawaii for FestPac and members of the Pacific diaspora in Hawaii showed their pride in being part of the Pacific Island community, of the resilience and strength of their peoples. References to the moana (the ocean) as the main thing that connects them rather than divides them was often emphasised.  

The main venue for the 13th FestPac was the Hawai’i Convention Center: a four-floor, 1.1 million square foot building. Upon entering the Convention Center, one was immediately driven to the main exhibition hall. The first thing one encountered was a Polynesian wa’a (canoe). Multimedia installations depicting waves, starry night skies, constellations, and star compasses from across the Pacific surrounded the wa’a. These elements combined highlighted the power and knowledge of ancestors in the art of voyaging. Although the entrance to the main hall was quite dramatic, one soon noticed the darkness caused by the venue’s dim lighting. Bad lighting was a recurring complaint of the delegates as they struggled to conduct their cultural practices.  

Beyond this area lay the main stage where, for 10 days, different delegations had the opportunity to showcase both traditional and contemporary music and dance. Fashion shows also took place on the main stage, giving a forum for Pasifika fashion designers to present their culturally-inspired work to an audience. Surrounding the main stage and the wa’a, each delegation had its own hale (hut). Delegations were free to decorate and arrange their hale as they wished. Many delegations chose to set out tables where artists were able to sell their work. Others used the space to showcase different artistic and cultural practices: weavers would sit on the pandanus mats provided by the organisers to weave coconut or pandanus leaves; tapa makers would beat bark and stamp the barkcloth; healers brought samples of medicinal plants and would be teaching visitors about their properties and uses. Hale were spaces of encounter, and delegates and visitors alike would often hang out in them while exchanging knowledge. They were also a forum for artist delegates from different delegations to learn new traditions and techniques. It was common to see, for example, siapo (barkcloth) makers from Sāmoa sitting alongside Norfolk Islander tapa makers and creating together. FestPac is as much about the connections that are made than about the showcasing of art and culture. 

Many simultaneous events were happening in other rooms at the Convention Center. From the Literary Arts delegates who put on an engaging program with writers from many different Pacific nations, to the film program that included both short and long features from directors of Pacific origin, to several academic conferences dealing with topics such as traditional seafaring, islander responses to climate change, coconut knowledge sharing and cultural exchange through practice-based conversations, among others. Furthermore, the exhibition Ho’oulu Lāhui: Regerating Oceania could be found on the third floor. Works of art from many contemporary Pacific artists were found here, dealing with issues such as ancestral connections, the relationships between peoples and their environment, resilient Pacific cultures and island pride. Overall, all of these activities offered a forum for knowledge exchange, learning and thinking together. 

For most of FestPac, the navigators were located in Kualoa Regional Park. On June 8th, members of the public were invited to sail and tour some of the wa’a brought by different delegations. Canoe carvers and sail weavers from different cultural backgrounds were also working tirelessly to carve a new canoe and sail. Cultural exchange and collaboration were emphasized through craftmanship in the production of the new wa’a. The motto behind the seafaring programme was to bring seafaring practitioners together in the spirit of “make one family” by spending time together in Kualoa, the birthplace of modern seafaring in Hawaii. Moreover, to honour the revival of Hawaiian canoe voyaging, all crews joined in a ceremony to remember Grand Master Navigator Pius Mau Piailug. Piailug was a navigator from the island of Satawal in the Federated States of Micronesia. In the 1970s, Piailug shared with knowledge of seafaring with the Polynesian Voyaging Society. Following his teachings, the PVS built the Hokūle’a, a reconstruction of a Hawaiian ancient double-hulled canoe that successfully sailed to Tahiti and back. Piailug, who passed away in 2010, is still greatly remembered and revered by Pacific navigators. 

The carvers’ and tattoo artists’ tents were located just outside of the Bishop Museum. On the one hand, daily tattoo demonstrations from different delegations were offered, and tattoo artists had the opportunity to share techniques and learn from one another. On the other hand, carver delegates created a workspace where each delegation had to carve a hoe uli (large steering paddle). During the 10 days FestPac lasted, carvers worked on their paddles, giving their own a unique cultural touch. Carvers could also do secondary projects, such as god images, kava bowls and canoe models. The carvers’ tent was surrounded by controversy when the Cook Islands delegation, who had the only female carver delegate, accused the organisation of discrimination for creating a ‘kāne (male) only’ space out of the official carving area, arguing that it was kapu (sacred, restricted). The organiser of the carving programme, Andre Perez, responded to the accusations by arguing that the female carver had a money box and was trying to sell her carvings from inside the tent, which not only was dangerous but also went against protocol. This controversy, whatever the reason, raised issues such as the role and continuity of gendered protocols and sacred restrictions in the contemporary world.  

As the Bishop Museum became one of the main venues for the festival, curators collaborated to create the Ka ’Ula Wena/Oceanic Red exhibition. Ka ’Ula Wena celebrates “the distinctly unique reds of Oceania and the redness of our connection”. In the Pacific, colour red encompasses a wide array of meanings. It is found in the beautiful sunrises and sunsets, in plants and animals, and in artefact forms. In some cultures it symbolises the ancestors, the sacred, the passions. In this way, the exhibition explored “manifestations of red in landscapes, memory and created expressions of Oceania”. While most of the objects on display came from the Bishop collections, some were borrowed from other institutions including the British Museum, and contemporary artistic productions were included around the exhibition space.  

Nine venues all across the island of Oahu hosted different performance groups throughout the festival. One of the main vehicles for language and culture preservation in the Pacific is performance art. As such, performance delegations were among the largest groups for each delegation. Chant, music, dance and theatrical groups travelled around the island, from the crowded touristy Waikiki all the way to the Polynesian Cultural Center in the North Shore and the Pālama Settlement where a large group of Micronesians live. They presented both traditional and contemporary performances, which showcased the rich diversity of Pacific heritage. 

For some delegations like Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), FestPac was also a space to connect and reconnect with Chamorros that live in the diaspora in Hawaii and the US, as well as with their saina (ancestors, the people that came before). In this spirit, representatives the Guam Museum and Cultural Repository facilitated a series of visits to look at the more than 10,000 Chamorro artefact collection kept at the Bishop Museum. These artefacts, alongside seven latte stones, were unlawfully removed from the Mariana Islands by amateur archaeologist Hans Hornbostel in the 1920s. The Bishop Museum has been consulting with representatives from Guam and the CNMI, as well as with representatives from the Hafa Adai Club (a diaspora group based in Hawaii) to facilitate community access and jointly think about the future of these collections. Part of this process entailed working with the Hafa Adai Club to clean and relocate the latte stones that, until this years’ spring break, had been hidden away from the public in the back of the building. Now relocated to the Bishop’s central courtyard, the latte are accessible for descendants while their eventual return to the Marianas is arranged. Not only are latte stones the pillars of the houses where the ancestors dwelled upon, but they are the symbol of CHamoru resilience. 

On the 15th of June, coinciding with the annual Celebrate Micronesia Festival at the Bishop Museum, members of the Chamorro diaspora in the US and representatives and delegates of the Guam and the CNMI joined in a ceremony to honour the latte stones. Words of praise for the ancestors’ resilience, of pain for the forceful removal of the stones from their homeland, and of hope for the future were shared. Members of the Guam performance delegation and the Kutturan CHamoru Club from Long Beach (CA) chanted and danced to honour the latte and the saina. Offerings in the shape of coconut oil, woven items and flower crowns were laid upon each of the latte stones. Tears were shed as members of the community walked around the latte and kneeled in front of them and touched them to pay their respects. Hugs were exchanged. Different generations were honoring the stones together, all united by the feeling of unity, respect and longing for the return of the ancestral latte stones home. 

FestPac came to an end at the Panina/Closing Ceremony on the 16th of June at UH Manoa. The closing ceremony evoked fond memories of the time and knowledge shared together and celebration of the strength involved in the preservation of Pacific cultures. It was a time of looking towards the future, of continuing to promote and preserve Pacific heritage. The main themes emphasized, however, were those of resilience in the face of ongoing colonial and military presence in the islands. Signs reading “Free Hawaii”, “Free Guåhan” and especially “Free New Caledonia” and “Free Palestine” were found among the delegates. The unity showed by Pacific peoples in the strive for self-determination was evident throughout the closing ceremony. Overall, Festpac has been a forum by Pacific Islanders for Pacific Islanders, where their resilience, creativity and sense of unity as a people has been present at every exchange and interaction. New Caledonia is set to host the 2028 FestPac, pending on the political situation.