Check out the biggest gathering of Pacific artists in the world - the Festival of the Pacific Arts 2016! 

27 different Islands from Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia have come together in a sharing of knowledge and Taonga from their counties.

Local Chamorro are hosting the different delegations at high schools around the Island that have been converted into dorms for the 100 strong delegations.

Hundreds of different artist feature across all art forms until June 2nd - from visual arts, digital arts, floral, food, traditional dance, contemporary performance, body adornment, theatre, tatau and clay work.

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

Tonga 'Uli'uli Fifita (born 3 February 1959) is a semi-retired Tongan professional wrestler known for his appearances in both World Champion Wrestling (WCW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). In WCW, he wrestled under the name Meng; in the WWF, he wrestled under the names King Tonga, King Haku, and Haku

Special thanks to Michel Mulipola

The spectacular opening of the Festival of Pacific Arts '16 with 27 Island nations representing their finest in this unique showdown of all our magnificent Pacific taonga and performance! #FestPac #OpeningShowcase #VakaArrival

Kiwi-Samoan heavyweight Joseph Parker is set to fight Solomon Haumono in what would be the biggest transtasman bout in history.

The fight would likely take place in New Zealand, and the winner would get an IBF title bout against Britain's world champion Anthony Joshua.

Parker, 24, defeated tough French-Cameroonian Carlos Takam in Manukau on Saturday via unanimous decision to become the mandatory challenger for Joshua.

The undefeated Parker (19-0, 16KO) is New Zealand's best heavyweight since David Tua, while Haumono (24-2-2, 21KO) is one of Australia's best-known athletes having previously been a star NRL player.

Haumono, 40, has been publicly challenging Parker for some time and it appears his wish has been granted.

But he will be a heavy underdog against Parker, who many believe is the future of the heavyweight division alongside Joshua.…more

“I went through a depression that I started to think like a serial killer.” So were the thoughts in former heavy weight boxer To’aletai David Tua depressed mind after losing everything – money and assets he earned during his boxing career of which he blamed the people around him which he took to court.

Source: Talamua

Tua was speaking in Apia where he traveled from Auckland, New Zealand to support Marie Grace in concert and her efforts to share their lives stories and experiences to help young Samoans who maybe going through the same problems.

But Tua is now changed focusing on the positive encouraging young Samoans to stay with God and obey their parents.

“It was through the grace of God,” he professed. “I went through very challenging times. As a (professional) boxer, you put your trust in people that you trust will do the right thing. If people kill for a pair of shoes, $20 million dollars is alot of dead people,” he said.…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