Strength+Beauty = Success!

Strength+Beauty: The Empowerment of Young Polynesian Women

What defines a young woman's journey in life is her value of tradition, culture and people. As the Tongan proverb says, "Mo'ui manatu ki ho tupu'anga" (Live a life in constant remembrance of your origin/ancestors). This quote reminds us that we should never forget where we came from and to always remember those who have come before us. 

The day was filled with emotions of the past and the honoring of Polynesian women worldwide and the stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. It was also a day filled with great empowerment and wisdom with each young woman braving her voice and telling her story. Young and old women sat together now encouraged and strengthen by their own will to succeed in life. As traditional dances were being performed it reminded us as young Polynesian women what titles we hold, what values we share and what traditions we keep. It also gave us a reason to remember that in our culture we are more than just women, we are grandmothers, mothers, sisters, cousins, nieces and last but not least warriors. 

Every eye was kept on each young woman that performed watching as the gracefulness of her hands were revealed, the beauty of her structure and the culture of her song in itself was revived with each performance. Even though the Anchorage Museum was opening that day, we had our own rendition of a museum at the event. Display tables were set in the back to show the true craftsmanship of the arts from Tonga, Samoa and Hawaii. Items such as tapa, baskets, fans, mats and wooden masks were displayed. This shows the hard work and dedication that Polynesian women put in creating more than just the arts and crafts that people see but the heart that is put in the work in showing its true beauty and value to our culture.

As Strength+Beauty T-shirts were given out and worn and Spasifik Magazines were being read, it showed that the excitement and the support of the event was more than a success but a day that Polynesian people were being recognized for their achievements and accomplishments and not criticized or judged by the negative stereotypes that Polynesians are known for.

To this day I still see young Polynesian women wearing their Strength+Beauty T-shirts showing that they are proud to be young Polynesian women supporting each other through their efforts and their causes. There's more to what I see that represents a young Polynesian, it's the true value of her work and her dedication that each woman brings to her family that we are honored and respected. I am proud to say that this event will continue each year to bring about the goodness of our culture and remind us young Polynesian women we are more than what other people think of us, we are women of honor, respect, wisdom, strength and beauty.

Malo Aupito to ALL the supporters of this event, the sponsors and the people who attended!

Ofa Lahi Atu!

Elisiva Gallardo

May 09' - Pasifika Woman of the Day: Fuifuilupe Niumeitolu

Fuifuilupe Niumeitolu


This young Tongan woman is a mover and a shaker. Fuifuilupe Niumeitolu has been an advocate for education and has been a part of growing that by teaching courses such as U.S Social Movements, U.S. Women's Histories, Film History and Theory at City College of San Francisco and New College of California. Fui is currently pursuing her PhD at UC Berkeley in the Department of Comparative Ethnic Studies.

She is an inspiration for us Pasifika women to continue our education and to pursue our goals as a reason for to explore other avenues and areas in representing the culture from which we come from. As like many other Pasifika women, Fui also pays tribute to her successes from the love and support of her sisters Loa, 'Amelia and Vaimoana and her mother, Litia. Fui's contribution towards the empowerment of Pasifika women is encouraging and meaningful. Thank you Fui, for being a young leader and creating a path for other young Polynesian to follow in being more than they can be. Malo aupito ho'o ngaue mo ho'o ako.



Ofa Lahi Atu!



Siva

May 09' Pasifika Women of the Day: The MENA Women!

MENA

These four sisters have brought forth the cultural fashions of the South Pacific and have taken it to another level. MENA Fashion was started in Samoa in 2002 by the influence of their mother, Mena Loheni. As young teenagers they were taught by their mother to sew and design their own clothes thus creating the ever growing force of MENA! Since its launch in 2002, MENA has been flourishing across the South Pacific from Hawaii, Cook Island to Samoa and New Zealand in bringing their fresh new flavors of Pasifika fashion. The designs are as fresh and unique and the colors bring forth the life and art of the South Pacific. The dresses speak for themselves of the hard work and dedication these sisters put in representing Pasifika culture and its creative and unique designs.

I am proud to honor these women this week for all that they've done in representing young Polynesian women everywhere and the creative talents they bring in putting the South Pacific on the map for fashion and style!

Check out their website: www.mena.co.nz

Malo Aupito!

Ofa Lahi Atu,

Elisiva

Strength+Beauty: The Empowerment of Young Polynesian Women!!! 

Date: May 30th, 2009

Time: 12:00 - 4:00 pm

Where: Student Den (UAA Campus)

Please RSVP on FaceBook, MySpace, Blogspot, or

Email Me: elisiva.maka@gmail.com or

Call at 350-1327.

Malo Aupito!

Elisiva Gallardo

Check Out Upcoming Event at UC Berkeley!

Please Join Us:
CENTER FOR RACE & GENDER'S PACIFIC ISLANDS RESEARCH WORKING GROUP presents:
"FIGHTING FOR THE HAWAIIAN 'CEDED LANDS': HISTORY & CONSEQUENCES OF HAWAIIVs OHA et al (2009)"

This workshop will examine the latest land struggle in the Hawaiian Islands. We will trace the history of the “ceded lands” and the events leading up to the March 31 U.S. Supreme Court decision in State of Hawaiiv. Office of Hawaiian Affairs et al, No. 07–1372 (2009). At issue is the State of Hawaii’s ability to sell portions of the “ceded lands” which Hawaiian activists remind us were seized, not ceded. This workshop will pay particular attention to questions that remain open since the 1893 overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai'i, including who is the “public” of the Hawaiian Islands and what are the legal interrelationships between today’s State of Hawai'i and the Kingdom of Hawai'i.

When & Where : WEDS APRIL 29 @ 5:00-8:00PM. Center for Race & Gender, 6th Floor Barrows, University of California,Berkeley.

SPEAKER BIOS:
*JESSIE K. KEOLA MINIER-is an attorney in Silicon Valley, with a practicethat focuses on compliance with federal and state corporate and securitieslaws. In addition, he has conducted research and prepared analyses oflegal issues confronting Native Hawaiians and kama’aina of Hawai'i.

*DR. LAURA LEHUA YIM- is an Assistant Professor in the Department ofEnglish at San Francisco State University. Her research and teaching workfocuses on Renaissance English literature and culture, especially domesticand colonial reformulations of epistemology, notions of the person, andland and water law. Her other academic and activist work includesstrategic analyses of political, economic and social institutions inHawai'i.

**Food will be provided.-This workshop is organized by the Pacific Islands Research Working Groupand it is generously sponsored by a grant from The Center for Race & Gender at the University of California, Berkeley.

For more info fuifuilupe@berkeley.edu

Who We Are: Strength+Beauty

Project Overview
This project is geared towards the empowerment of young Polynesian women in this community in addressing the real life issues that they face and examining the historical roles of women in their culture. The program curriculum will weave the real life struggle of young Polynesian women in balancing cultural and generational differences in a Polynesian Woman's role in society with the historical role of Pacific Islander Monarchs and the leadership and educational examples they set in an effort to broaden the young women's perceptions of the opportunities of higher education and to inspire all Polynesian women to fulfill their dreams and become leaders in this community.

The inspiration to begin this proposal stems from my own life experiences and the stories of my grandmothers. My life experiences of being torn between two cultures left me with a life filled with much pain and affliction. But it was the power of education that led me to a path of a life unknown to many young Polynesian women. Many Polynesian families within our community struggle to make ends meet making it impossible to allow their children to pursue higher education. Financial hardships for school are not the only problems plaguing our community but the responsibility we hold through our culture to help support and provide for our families. As a young woman starting out at the University of Alaska Anchorage I found myself helpless and alone. At the time of attending UAA my family and I lived in a house that had only 3 rooms for a family of nine. My parents worked hours of overtime to help provide and support our family. As an older sibiling, I knew I had to accept my responisbilities and find a job. I was blessed by getting a job with the Bureau of Land Management as an intern at their office downtown. This job allowed me to work the hours that I could do which gave me more room to focus more on school. The money I got from this job not only helped me support myself in getting my books for school but also helped put food on the table and pay bills. Both my parents held jobs that had long hours making it seem almost impossible to even give me a ride to school or work. Determined as I was I would wake up every morning to get ready to catch the bus for work then take the bus from work to school. This routine lasted for more than half my years at the univiersity. It was a privilege to learn how to appreciate the smaller things in order to work my way up. It was through education that I have been able to shape my life in ways that I can see many other young women achieve. The struggle is short-lived but a life lived by education is a life long lived. My struggle to fight the battle of domestic abuse and depression made me stronger as an individual and as a young woman to empower myself through higher education and culture. My grandmothers stood as my role models in my life always being an example to me to be a strong woman and to have the faith to believe I can make something of myself. They reminded me not only to be humble of my beginnings but also become inspired achieving my dreams and goals in life and to always work hard. Achieving this education I received from UAA allowed me to discover the strengths I had to in me only to overcome through the hardships which motivated me to do the impossible. With education I was able to create a path of new opportunities, ones that I would have never thought would be available to me before. I want to share my personal testimony with other young Polynesian women to share and encourage them that they are not alone in this and that they are capable of achieving their highest dreams in life and being an inspiration unto themselves.


From Hawaii to Tonga to Samoa there was one thing in common that these neighboring South Pacific islands had and it was the strength and courage that graces the identity of all Polynesian women. Our inspiration as young Polynesian women came not from what we are made of but of the women that came before us establishing our character through our values in family and culture. Through times of adversity Polynesian women were always known to fight through challenges and hardships yet still stand and remain humble and grateful in all that they have accomplished. Throughout family bloodlines of all nations in the South Pacific, Polynesian women were born with the gifts of inner strength and beauty, sacrificing more than just their lives but giving birth to a generation of women that would continue their legacy and establish a trail of hope and faith for all women to become inspired and empowered. In times of male dominance there were those few women who stood out amongst the rest defying the odds and changing history. Described as women of great humility and respect, they were women given the titles as queens but ruled with the rights and the power of a king. These queens would make a lasting impression on their kingdoms and impact its people and culture throughout the generations. This began a new era of womanhood in which this event will showcase the strengths of Pacific Islander women not only from the past but also the present day.


The legacies and stories of their accomplishments live on in many Polynesian women of today’s generation. In today's media they do not recognize Polynesian women for their accomplishments or achievements but through research and technology we are able to bring the resources needed to help reach out to our generation of Polynesian women in encouraging and empowering them through education and culture. The goal of this event is to establish a place for Polynesian women to be inspired, pursue education and learn to become young leaders in the Polynesian community.