Coco Talanoa — Humans of the Islands / Page 21

Joyana Finch (nee Meyer)

Mechatronic Engineer

Former Miss South Pacific & Miss Cook Islands

Cook Islands 

What do you love about doing what you do?

Thats a hard question. There's so much to enjoy in this job. Yes I enjoy the travelling, working with new people and a whole lot of other work perks but my love for this role has nothing to do with that.  What I love about being an Engineer is the opportunity to solve problems.  I imagine that many would hear that and their eyes would glaze over but when I think about it .... being able to attack problems systematically and methodically with logic (aaaand a boat load of patience) gives me a sense of .... freedom.

When you understand more and more about how the things that make up your world work, how you can fix them, how you can modify them to do your bidding, or better yet, how to build something of your own imagining ...…more

Paeariki Johnson (nee Mataroa)

Principal, Rongomai Primary School in Otara 

Cook Islands 

I was born in Ngatangiia in Rarotonga and came over to New Zealand with my 2 older siblings, I was only 1 at the time.  My Dad came over first and worked here for a year or 2, sent money back and brought my Mum and my sisters over.  We stayed with our uncles first and then moved into a flat but all they drilled into us was 'Education, education, education'.  We settled in Otahuhu first but I was schooled in Otara - East Tamaki Primary, Ferguson Intermediate & Hillary College.  Then I went off to Teachers College in Epsom and during my teaching career I did my degree through Auckland Uni and did my Post Grad in Educational Leadership.  

I had always aspired to be a teacher.  When I was in Year 6 (Standard 4), we had this amazing teacher at East Tamaki Primary and he used to give us breakfast, we'd go for runs and so on and that was something that wasn't done back then.…more

David Cordtz a.k.a DC Cordtz

39 years old, Samoan / Kiwi

Vegan Calisthenics Athlete, Zuu Fitness Trainer

Michel Mulipola

Samoan

Comic Book Artist / Professional Wrestler and owner of 'Bloody Samoan Art' company.

Michel Mulipola is a self taught Samoan comic book artist from Auckland. He is currently working as a Story Artist for Walt Disney Animation Studios on an upcoming project. You also may regonise him as the wrestler "Bloody Samoan". 

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As a little kid I pretty much remember my Uncles being into comics. I stumbled across their stash of comic books and instantly fell in love with it. I think it was just the characters, the costumes, the bright colours, just everything about it captured my young imagination. Eversince then, it’s been a constant in my life - just comic books.

Being a kid, naturally I loved to draw and when I found those comics, all I wanted to be was a comic book artist.

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So were you that kid in class drawing comic characters while the teacher was teaching?

Yeah.…more

Mara Liske

Former Professional Golfer

American Samoan

I grew up Pago Pago in Tutuila, American Samoa. I moved to California, United States in my Junior Year in High School and it's been my home ever since. I'm now married to a 'Californian'.

Ena Schwalger
Elei Artist
Samoa at FestPac in Guam

One thing about the Guam people is that they are really really friendly and they are so fascinated with Polynesian things- they went out of their way to make us welcome.

I'm representing Samoa making elei at the festival. I had a stall at the maketi in Samoa which burnt down, so it so good bringing my materials over here where the whole Pacific is!

I do all the elei myself - I make stencils of the ulu leaves and all the other samoan patterns then I print my fabric up so it's totally unique.

And our ie Lavalava we have is the best! It's pure cotton and really soft and we have so many different designs. We are so proud of the way we've improved our printing - the Samoan ie really stands out here and the Micronesians especially really love it.

Our stuff has been very popular I think because not many people are doing clothes and we're pretty cheap compared to other products.…more

My name is Dallanz and I'm representing Rotuma. This is our first time at a festival like this and we are so excited to represent our culture.

We are drummers and we play the lales and the dunduns and the pahua. We are part of the Fijian delegation and we are also performers in Rako Pasifika which is a contemporary dance group in Fiji

Iane: We have strong links with other Polynesia styles Wallace and Futuna, Samoa and Tonga so we've adapted our styles to other countries as well Rotuman music is most similar to Fiji.

Iane: The Kuki and Tahitian beats are the best their very technical and their instruments compliment each other very well. We've actually been to Washington DC and the Blues fest in Byron Bay. We do our cultural dances which is based around themes - climate change and global warming.

What makes the Rotuman flavour stand out at the festival?
Dallanz: Our energy.…more

POLOMA IOSEFA (a.k.a MOMOEACHOKES)

Samoan

28 years old

I'm making this fisherman's hat, this is the style from our ancestors almost exact replica from the way we made them hundreds of years ago.

The more intense weaving is from my teacher here but a lot of the style of coconut weaving came from my aunties.
This pandanus comes from off island the Chamorro coconut fibre is alot stronger, alot more sturdy.

We don't have a lot of coconut trees in Guam so there isn't a lot of raw material- the beetlenut destroyed
them.

As far as folding leaves it was very easy to get the concept but it's very difficult to hold on to all the leaves at one time! Now days all the traditional weavers are really scattered, in our all group Its mostly men who weave but back in the day it was mostly women.

The most challenging thing I have woven is a little bag because the finer it gets the more challenging it can be.…more

Naki Moala

Tongan / Chamorro

26 years old

I was raised in California in the Bay area, born in the West Bay San Mateo and then raised in Hayward, East Bay. My Mom is from Saipan and my Dad is from Tonga and I'm the second eldest of 5 kids. We were raised in the Church, that's where the musical journey started for me. 

We're all musical - my Grandma kind of just put us in front of audiences at church and made us sing Tongan hymns and do our lesoni's (scripture readings). Me and my siblings we formed a band called the 'Tomorro's' (Tongan/Chamorro). Music was kind of something that would always bring my family together. Everytime we were at family parties my Dad would always volunteer us to be the entertainment of the night. It was just something I loved doing because it always got us together and it was always good times.

Can you describe what it was like being raised with two completely different Pacific cultures of the Pacific? Your mix is a unique combination.…more