Spring Lūʻau hosted at USD

POI celebrates Island culture with food, dance, and music

ABAGAIL CAVIZO / ASST. A&C EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

USD’s People of the Islands (POI) Club put on their first in-person Spring Lūʻau since before the pandemic. A Lūʻau is typically a festive Hawaiian tradition, known to be a feast with food and dancing. To make it more inclusive, POI’s Lūʻau consisted of celebrating other Pacific Islander cultures as well. The excitement surrounding the event was two-fold from both the clubs and various attendees. The planning consisted of hard work and dedication.

The Lūʻau Coordinator, junior Ely Redoble, described the process as long but rewarding. “We’ve been doing all of this planning since summer and I’ve been waiting so long to see all of it in action,” Redoble said. “I think an event like this is cool because we get to teach people at USD about island culture, especially since it’s a predominantly white institution.”

The night itself began at 5 p.m. and opened with leimaking using tea leaves. Although tea leaves are not native to Hawaii, its importance to Hawaiian culture shows up in things such as leimaking. There was island food, such as chicken katsu, macaroni salad, and kalua pork provided for everyone. In deciding what vendor to choose from, the Lūʻau planning committee wanted authentic food close to USD’s campus.

The event continued with cultural island dances. This included hula dancing, Tahitian dancing, and Filipino cultural dance, “Tinikling.” The newest dance included in the Lu’au was a Chamorro dance from Guam. Popular Island-reggae singer from Hawaii, “Fia,” ended the night with a captivating performance, including singing his post popular hit, “Love Me.”

Both of the POI Co-Presidents Kapri Tulang-De Silva and Austin Peters are seniors. They lead the night as hosts and are thankful POI has given them an outlet to celebrate their island identities. 

Tulang-De Silva expressed that although it was difficult to plan the Lūʻau because she hadn’t been to one since her freshman year, the POI community helped a lot.

“A lot of seniors that planned it when we were freshmen were still in San Diego, so we met up with them and they gave us tips,” Tulang-De Silva said. “I think the culture that was implemented during [my] freshmen year was really that POI is a home away from home. The community just comes with the nature of our culture back home in that even after I graduate, POI will always be there.”

Similarly, Peters expressed the same nostalgia in reflecting on his freshman year experiences. 

“It’s really cool to be able to give back, like the alumni in our club had taken us under our wings and to foster a community for the younger kids in our club,” Peters said. “It’s an honor getting to spread information about what’s going on in our community, especially to people who don’t understand.”

The island culture is all about sharing culture with everyone, even those who cannot identify with it. 

Redoble wants people to understand the separation between appropriation and appreciation. 

“Although I am from Hawaii, I do not identify as Hawaiian,” Redoble said. “It’s hard to explain to people here because they don’t understand that Hawaii has its own culture. This is why it’s so important to learn and hear people out when coming to a fun event like the Lūʻau.”

The pacific islands and everything POI stands for has a rich history of people’s stories. The culture itself is easy to immerse oneself in, but like other cultures, it’s integral to educate oneself about how they got to where they are today. 

The POI Lūʻau was a perfect event to attend as a stepping stone for fun cultural education, as well as a celebration of different identities within the Island community.