On Saturday May 9th, the Oregon State University Pacific Islander Association hosted its 4th annual Pasifika Fest highlighting different Pacific Islander communities and them all coming together to support each other.
In the SEC plaza, booths are scattered throughout. From different Pacific Islander clubs such as Ka’ikena and Hui O’ Hawaii to Jewelry and food vendors honoring traditional styles found in the Islands. People of all cultures pack out the plaza with welcoming smiles, hugs, and excitement for their culture to be represented.
Sydney Mijo, a third year student majoring in Marine studies and an officer for Hui O’ Hawaii says, “as one of the few Pacific Islander Clubs on campus… we always love supporting each other and showing up. We help each other out by just volunteering, helping clean up.”
“It’s really just become a great space for the Pacific Islander community, the broader Pacific Islander community, to gather and celebrate,” says Patricia Fifita, an Assistant Professor of Indigenous Studies at OSU and organizer of the event.
“This has been important for Pacific Islander students, because they’re a minority, and oftentimes feel invisible. This event is meant to affirm Pacific Islander Identities and really increase visibility of the students on campus.”
The theme of the event is “celebrating love and community.” Pacific Islander students and the public come to OSU for Pasifika Fest every year to be together and celebrate.
Mijo says the community is “so welcoming and friendly. When we say community we really mean family… Everyone really just embraces each other’s culture and heritage, even if you’re not a PI (Pacific Islander) it really is just a big family.”
The cultural dances performed at the event are especially extraordinary. Through rigorous practice and planning, these dancers work hard to make these performances happen.
Selita Maitaka, a first-year at University of Oregon, and Fijian dancer, says, “it was really hard…we all got it done this week. It was pretty difficult but we managed to pull through.”
This year, for the first time dance groups from different schools are featured in the program.
Maitaka says, “It’s very important to be connected to the Pacific Islander community because it helps you with fitting in, especially in the PNW.”
The crowd watching the dances goes wild, cheering and shouting declarations of pride and unity from their cultures. People throw money at the dancers, showing their deep-rooted appreciation and respect.
Kaimana Kon, the president of Ka’ikena, a club that teaches Hawaiian language and culture, and a second year at Oregon State University says, “It’s inspiring just being able to see not only my own culture represented here in such a public stage and format, but seeing other Pacific Islander cultures, especially of more underrepresented communities, like those from Melanesia or in Micronesia.”
“It pulls at my heart,” says Kon, “it’s just so nice to see my own community come out here, even outside of just Pasifika Fest, there’s also on campus, being able to see my culture, my language, everything I grew up with, celebrated, is such a beautiful thing.”
