Silver City, NM- On Saturday, students and community members were invited to go on an adventure through the five islands that make up Polynesia. Among these islands include Hawaii, American Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand. These islands have a culture descended from the indigenous people of Polynesia that share quite a few things in common, such as languages, traditions, and societal values.
This event was the fourth annual Polynesian Night held by the Polynesian Club of Western New Mexico University in Old James Stadium. The club is made up of students from WNMU who hail from the five islands or have a family history from them.
The food that was served at this event came as a hearty plate filled with kahlua pork and cabbage, white rice, coconut sweet rolls, and crab potato salad.
Sunia Vatai was the emcee of the evening, and also as the president of the club, gave language lessons to the crowd on how to say “Hello” in each island’s respective tongue, and even invited the crowd out to participate in dancing along with the student performers.
From the more vibrant, outgoing performances, like the Haka, to the couples dance, every production was well-executed and a great sight for the vast audience that came out to enjoy this cultural entity. Each performance promised amazing costumes and beautiful renditions through dance.
Polynesian Night is one event that is always much looked forward to around the end of the semester, and is always a good experience that is brought into Western’s diverse community.
