Ethnic Arts Institute International

Tonga - Parade of Nations
https://fb.watch/sOW7anlBK2/
13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture - festpachawaii.org
The Parade of Nations was an unforgettable cultural experience. Each of the 27 participating Pacific Island nations' delegates came forth to be welcomed by this year's host with a traditional Hawaiian oli. Then, the delegates presented themselves and their home with powerful, joyful celebrations before offering gifts to the presiding dignitaries before addressing those gathered in the arena. Tonga showed up and showed out when it came to this! Check out the voluminous 100 yards of handmade tapa cloth made by 100 Tongan women as a gift to the ali'i and dignitaries of Hawai'i! Celebrations of tradition and culture survive because they matter.

Rapa Nui
13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture - Parade of Nations
festpachawaii.org
The Parade of Nations was an unforgettable cultural experience. Each of the 27 participating Pacific Island nations' delegates came forth to be welcomed by this year's host with traditional Hawaiian oli. Then, the delegates presented themselves and their home with powerful, joyful celebrations before offering gifts to the presiding dignitaries and addressing those gathered in the arena. Celebrations of tradition and culture survive because they matter.

Part 2 of 2 https://festpachawaii.org/

The Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture (FestPAC) was launched in 1972 to "...halt the erosion of traditional practices".

As host of FestPAC 2024, Hawai'i leads the official festival opening ceremony. This clip is truly a wonderful capture of Hawaiian lifeways in practice: where hula, chant and kuahu (altar) offerings figure prominently as in ancient times. What this clip doesn't capture is what the opening ceremony ushered forth: the scope of such an event and what it was like to be present for such a powerful cultural experience. Unlike performances--which were many and all outstanding--the experience of being in the midst of a celebration of tradition and culture, the collective outpouring of love and appreciation for one another's shared yet unique identities and the mana that filled the arena was truly an unforgettable experience. Ceremony. It survives, because it matters.