Polynesian Cultural Center
Encyclopedia
The Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) is a Polynesian-themed theme park or living museum
located in Laie, on the northern shore of Oahu
, Hawaii
. Dedicated on October 12, 1963, the PCC occupies 42 acres (17 ha) owned by nearby Brigham Young University–Hawaii.
Within eight simulated tropical villages, performers demonstrate various arts and crafts from throughout Polynesia
. Visitors may also take a free shuttle to tour the university and see the Laie Hawaii Temple
visitor center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), the church that owns BYU–H and the PCC.
Seventy percent of of the center's approximately 1300 employees are students at BYU-Hawaii. Although it is largely a commercial venture, PCC profits fund various BYU–H scholarship
programs run by BYU–Hawaii. Students work up to 20 hours per week during school terms and 40 hours during breaks, many graduating debt-free.
and luau
beach gatherings to earn money to rebuild a local chapel belonging to the LDS Church, which had been destroyed in a fire. "The Hukilau Song
," made famous by Alfred Apaka
, was written following the composer and song's original singer, Jack Owens
's visit to Lāie's hukilau.
The PCC is one of the most frequently visited tourist destinations in Hawaii. In recent years, it claims to be Hawaii's number one paid attraction. The PCC is the venue for the annual World Fire Knife
Dance Competition, in which contestants display their skill with blazing swords. Since opening its doors in 1963, over 32 million people have visited the center.
, tamure
, otea, titi torea, haka
, poi
, meke
, tauʻolunga, and Taualuga
. Past shows include "This is Polynesia", "Mana: The Spirit of Our People.", and Horizons: Where the Sea Meets the Sky.
theater as well as a lagoon
where visitors can paddle canoe
s accompanied by a guide.
. Hourly performances and cultural learning experiences take place in these villages. Villages include:
In addition to the villages, the PCC has a special exhibit dedicated to Rapa Nui (Easter Island
or Isla de Pascua) and a tribute to the 1850s LDS mission.
Visitors may participate in a luau, such as the Alii Luau ("Royal Feast"), which offers traditional Polynesian fare, including pork
cooked in an imu
(an underground oven
). They can observe the roasted pig
in the imu prior to the meal.
PCC hosts many special events, highlighting Hawaiian, Samoan, Tahitian and Māori cultures along with a Christmas festival and a Haunted Lagoon. Others include Moanikeala Hula festival and World Fireknife Championships and Samoa festival.
Living museum
A living museum is a type of museum, in which historical events showing the life in ancient times are performed, especially in ethnographic or historical views, or processes for producing a commercial product in terms of technical and technological developments are shown, especially the craft...
located in Laie, on the northern shore of Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. Dedicated on October 12, 1963, the PCC occupies 42 acres (17 ha) owned by nearby Brigham Young University–Hawaii.
Within eight simulated tropical villages, performers demonstrate various arts and crafts from throughout Polynesia
Polynesia
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
. Visitors may also take a free shuttle to tour the university and see the Laie Hawaii Temple
Laie Hawaii Temple
Laie Hawaii Temple is a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located on the northeast shore of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The temple sits on a small hill a half-mile from the Pacific Ocean in the town of Lāie, from Honolulu...
visitor center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), the church that owns BYU–H and the PCC.
Seventy percent of of the center's approximately 1300 employees are students at BYU-Hawaii. Although it is largely a commercial venture, PCC profits fund various BYU–H scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
programs run by BYU–Hawaii. Students work up to 20 hours per week during school terms and 40 hours during breaks, many graduating debt-free.
History
The center was opened in 1963 as a way to provide employment and scholarships for students at BYU-Hawaii and also to preserve the cultures of Polynesia. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s hukilauHukilau
A hukilau is a way of fishing invented by the ancient Hawaiians. The word comes from huki, meaning pull, and lau, meaning leaves. A large number of people, usually family and friends, would work together in casting the net from shore and then pulling it back. The net was lined with ki leaves, which...
and luau
Luau
A luau is a Hawaiian feast. It may feature food, such as poi, kalua pig, poke, lomi salmon, opihi, haupia, and beer; and entertainment, such as Hawaiian music and hula...
beach gatherings to earn money to rebuild a local chapel belonging to the LDS Church, which had been destroyed in a fire. "The Hukilau Song
The Hukilau Song
"The Hukilau Song" is a song written by Jack Owens in 1948 after attending a luau in Laie, Hawaii.-Covers:Extremely popular, the song has been covered many times by a variety of artists.*Alfred Apaka*Ab Orchestra*Bing Crosby*Book 'em Danno...
," made famous by Alfred Apaka
Alfred Apaka
Alfred Apaka was born Alfred Aholo Apaka Jrin Honolulu, Hawaii to vocalist Alfred Aholo Apaka Sr. Alfred was a graduate of President Theodore Roosevelt High School where he was an athlete and ROTC cadet captain...
, was written following the composer and song's original singer, Jack Owens
Jack Owens (singer-songwriter)
John Milton "Jack" Owens , singer/songwriter, gifted pianist, and a star of the longest running network radio show, Don McNeil's Breakfast Club, was known as "The Cruising Crooner" because of his unique showmanship of cruising through mostly female audiences attending the live Breakfast Club...
's visit to Lāie's hukilau.
Fire Knife
The fire knife is a traditional Samoan cultural implement that is used in ceremonial dances. It was originally composed of a machete wrapped in towels on both ends with a portion of the blade exposed in the middle. Tribal performers of fire knife dancing dance while twirling the knife and doing...
Dance Competition, in which contestants display their skill with blazing swords. Since opening its doors in 1963, over 32 million people have visited the center.
Activities
Hā–Breath of Life
In addition to the daytime exhibits and demonstrations, PCC features an evening show for an additional charge. As of 2011 the show is a multicultural Polynesian show titled Hā–Breath of Life. The show features songs and dances from throughout Polynesia, including the HulaHula
Hula is a dance form accompanied by chant or song . It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Polynesians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visual dance form....
, tamure
Tamure
The tāmūrē, or Tamouré as popularized in many 1960s recordings, is a dance from Tahiti and the Cook Islands and although denied by the local purists, for the rest of the world it is the most popular dance and the mark of Tahiti...
, otea, titi torea, haka
Haka
Haka is a traditional ancestral war cry, dance or challenge from the Māori people of New Zealand. It is a posture dance performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment...
, poi
Poi
Poi may refer to:* Poi , a 2006 Tamil film* Poi , the Polynesian staple food* Poi , a Māori dance from New Zealand* Poi, Pakistan, a town in the Balochistan province of Pakistan* Poi, the Tibetan name for Tibet...
, meke
Meke
Meke is a broad term in the Fijian language, primarily referring to all traditional style of dance. It is a cognate of the words "maka" and "mele" . It is typically performed during celebrations and festivals...
, tauʻolunga, and Taualuga
Taualuga
The Taualuga is a traditional Samoan dance, considered the apex of Samoan performance art forms and the centerpiece of the Culture of Samoa. This dance form has been adopted and adapted throughout western Polynesia, most notably in the Kingdom of Tonga, Uvea, Futuna, and Tokelau...
. Past shows include "This is Polynesia", "Mana: The Spirit of Our People.", and Horizons: Where the Sea Meets the Sky.
Imax and canoe rides
The park has its own IMAXIMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
theater as well as a lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
where visitors can paddle canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
s accompanied by a guide.
Rainbows of Paradise
The Lagoon hosts a "parade" of canoes that showcases the signature dances of each of Polynesian culture. The current show "Rainbows of Paradise", which premiered in May 2010, was preceded by "This is Polynesia" and "Ancient Legends of Polynesia".Villages
Each of the major Polynesian cultures has its own section, centered on a traditional villageVillage
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
. Hourly performances and cultural learning experiences take place in these villages. Villages include:
- HawaiiAncient HawaiiAncient Hawaii refers to the period of Hawaiian human history preceding the unification of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great in 1810. After being first settled by Polynesian long-distance navigators sometime between AD 300–800, a unique culture developed. Diversified agroforestry and...
- SamoaSamoaSamoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
- AotearoaAotearoaAotearoa is the most widely known and accepted Māori name for New Zealand. It is used by both Māori and non-Māori, and is becoming increasingly widespread in the bilingual names of national organisations, such as the National Library of New Zealand / Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa.-Translation:The...
(present-day New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
)
- FijiFijiFiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
- TahitiTahitiTahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
- TongaTongaTonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
- the Marquesas IslandsMarquesas IslandsThe Marquesas Islands enana and Te Fenua `Enata , both meaning "The Land of Men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean. The Marquesas are located at 9° 00S, 139° 30W...
In addition to the villages, the PCC has a special exhibit dedicated to Rapa Nui (Easter Island
Easter Island
Easter Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people...
or Isla de Pascua) and a tribute to the 1850s LDS mission.
Visitors may participate in a luau, such as the Alii Luau ("Royal Feast"), which offers traditional Polynesian fare, including pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
cooked in an imu
IMU
IMU may refer to:*Inertial measurement unit*Initial markup*Interactive Member Universal*Interactive Marketing Unit*International Mathematical Union*International Medical University*Interurban Multiple Units used by Citytrain...
(an underground oven
Oven
An oven is a thermally insulated chamber used for the heating, baking or drying of a substance. It is most commonly used for cooking. Kilns, and furnaces are special-purpose ovens...
). They can observe the roasted pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
in the imu prior to the meal.
Special events