Moana?

Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Pocahontas, Snow White, Lilo (and Stitch), Rapunzel/Tangled, Frozen (Elsa), and soon, Moana?   That’s what Disney has next in its heroine/princess animation pipeline.

Disney Animation

Moana is Polynesian. So “Yay!”  The inhabitants of the “isles of the sea” will finally be represented at the Disney heroines' big dance - sans Lilo, of course. And while those listed above have arrived riding magic carpets, chariots, horses with silver and snowy manes, paddling dugout canoes or swimming, I guess our Moana will be sailing the ‘alia (big double-hulled vessels of Polynesia) to the ball.
(‘Alia or va’a tele in Samoan, kalia/vaka in Tongan, waka (Maori), wa’a kaulua (Hawaiian). Notice the shared heritage of the Polynesians in their language similarities especially in the name of something that was indispensable in their seafaring history - the va’a (boat). The “w” is also pronounced |v| in some Polynesian languages like Hawaiian and Maori.)

Or, considering the already favored Hawaiian background and context for the animation, Moana may sail in on the Hokule’a.  (Maui, a Hawaiian demigod has already been cast as a co-protagonist too.) But the word/name “Moana” belongs to Polynesia. It means “ocean” in Samoan and in most, if not all, of the Polynesian languages/dialects. And therein lies the spoil that may already be brewing ahead of Moana’s arrival, and one that might dampen her spirits and her premiere/debut.  At worst, figuratively speaking, she could end up a castaway, a misfortune she would certainly welcome as long as it’s on a tropical island and not in the colder regions of Antarctica.

Moana? - Illustration by Catena Badolato

The predicament involves an internal strife among some of Moana’s seafaring posterity.  The squabble is over how she would/should be portrayed - outfit, demeanor, accouterments and all.  Some of these "polykins" seem to want an inclusive Moana, one that represents all of Polynesia instead of the stereotypical dashboard-hula-dancing-maiden in a grass skirt, a flower garland, a lei and sei (flower worn over the ear).  The Hawaiian “hula” prototype for Polynesian maidens has prevailed for years and, understandably, for several reasons. To most outsiders, Hawaii IS Polynesia, at least in the world of movies and entertainment.  The popularity and visibility of Hawaii as a tourist mecca easily make it the Polynesian bellwether.

But let’s say that Disney caves in a bit to an inclusive Polynesian Moana, at least for the sake of cultural correctness and fairness.  That would mean that Moana needs a malu (Samoan female tattoos above the knees), wearing a ta’ovala (Tongan waist-mat), over a Tahitian tamure (dance) skirt, and then a moko (Maori chin tattoo), etc., etc.  Fair enough, or ridiculous? Methinks the latter.

The filmmakers have a duty - and will surely do their best - to be fair to the Polynesian heritage and culture (however one defines those in the context of time), though at the same time, they have at their disposal the creative/artistic license which serves as their chief negotiator and arbiter. Balancing the two - cultural correctness/fairness and artistic license - can be a challenge; but Disney may also claim that Moana is a movie, not a documentary and therefore they (filmmakers) do have some leeway if not autonomy.

Now, let’s say that push comes to shove is a possibility, and Disney acquiesces and portrays the real “Moana” of Polynesia 2000 years ago, the time period of the movie, then .. Hmmm... Huh? Wow!  Can you imagine how “Moana” might have looked then?   Obviously scantily-clad, like all Poly women of the pre-contact years; and even right up to the post-contact years too.  The famous Nafanua's (Samoa war goddess) tiputa (shawl) malfunction can conjure similar images; not that such images are foreign to Hollywood, but Moana needs to belong to the family-friendly genre of Disney productions.  So if by an infinitesimal chance (no way) that Moana will be depicted as a Poly woman of long ago, she will certainly end up as a castaway on a cold Temptation Island, viewed  not by a general audience, but by a mature/adult one.

I think therefore that the more insular and ethnocentric of Moana’s cousins should reconsider their “demands” for an inclusive surrogate of their newly dubbed princess.  The costume in the first picture (top) should suffice. Remember, also, Disney will settle on an outfit that's marketable and can be sold as a proprietary costume.  Profit, after all, is the bottom line, and therefore Disney's main goal.

Now if those are not enough to dissuade the inclusive-minded Poly's from their "fairness campaign", then let me also remind them that Moana will speak ...hmmm...English!?! - not Satomataha (my coinage for a Polynesian Esperanto) - Sa(moan)to(ngan)ma(ori)ta(hitian)ha(waiian).  And definitely not Hawaiian pidgin either.  Again, Moana is a movie (fiction), not a documentary (nonfiction).

But let's wait and see. If Moana shows up at the ball in skinny jeans and a sheer top, then I'll volunteer to lead the protest and boycott; and unmoor her 'alia so she can be a castaway.  Ha!

Oh, by the way, Disney is accepting auditions for the voice of Moana.  Some already on Youtube.  So if you want that big break, go to some casting sites for the audition information.  Good luck!  The voice of Maui is already awarded to the Rock.

Marcus Mariota Wins 2014 Heisman Award

"The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman), is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football in the United States whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work." - Wikipedia.

(Photo: Alex Goodlett, Getty Images)

I had just watched the 2014 announcement on ESPN of the highly coveted award which Mariota was favored to win. He did. He seems a very nice young man. Though born and raised in Hawaii, he is still true to his Samoan roots. At the end of his acceptance speech he said "Faafetai Tele Lava". During the post interview, he was asked by the ESPN representative about some Hawaiian phrase he included in his speech and Mariota said "... it was Samoan 'Faafetai tele lava' which means 'Thank you very much' ". Thank you Marcus! And with due credit and acknowledgement to your parents and family. You're a fine ambassador and role model for Samoan and Poly athletes everywhere. Wishing you the best of luck.

Pictures

Fred (middle - from NZ), Ed and myself at Park City, UT.

... on the O'Callaghan-Tillman Memorial Bridge (outside Vegas) - re: picture of bridge
below, our pic taken about where the arrow points.  Also Hoover Dam (back).

O'Callaghan-Tillman Memorial Bridge and Hoover Dam

Ed, Soli & Fred on the Bridge

Selfies/Pics...

...at the dance

Thanksgiving week (last week) was a busy one ... I scheduled the whole week off so I can catch up on my more serious writing pursuits. But then a change of plans in order to accommodate some friends from NZ (Soli and Fred). So we ended up going places - a quick hop out to Vegas (6-7 hr. drive one way) then to other places in Utah, making sure we’re back home on Thursday for Thanksgiving and Friday night for a gig/dance where our band played. Really enjoyed the time with friends and family - GRATEFUL for them. Our Kiwi friends took copious pictures which will eventually find their way to maybe Dropbox, Google Drive or MS Cloud...heheee...meanwhile some selfies/pics ..:)

... at the dance (l to r) dearie, Soli and Martha

... at the dance with dearie and cousin

... at Provo Canyon (Utah) .. a selfie within a selfie Hi Fred!

... at Hoover Dam just outside Vegas. O’Callaghan-Tillman Memorial Bridge in the background - both dam and bridge
are engineering marvels.

... at snowy Park City (Utah) .. almost a skier ...LOL!!

... at the gym

... at work in the winterrrrr

... at leisure

... us at New Year's party - 2015 

...at ... somewhere i le malo o Meleke

All Blacks scared the US Eagles

It was Halloween weekend and the All Blacks scared the tricks and treats out of the US Eagles.
The final score was 74-6, All Blacks.  Yes, that was certainly scary!   What may have been  scarier to most rugby novices, I think, was the provocative haka (war dance) which may have intimidated and scared the US team as well, even before battle.....Hahahahiiihooaaa (scary laugh).

... the Haka

But the score was to be expected though, considering the unfamiliarity of rugby in the US. Want proof?  Well a Chicago newspaper reported that the All Blacks are Aussies (re: pic) - yep, an Australian team.  The paper apologized afterwards for the mistake.  But wait.  If rugby is unpopular in the US, why was the  61,500 capacity Soldier Field stadium (versus 50,000 Eden Park stadium in Auckland) sold out?  Apparently the majority of the spectators were rugby fans especially of the All Blacks, who, by the way, were not “all blacks” since they donned conspicuously red cleats! Ha! They did however put on a typical All Blacks rugby show and clinic for the Americans.

Some of our children, and family, tuned in to the game which was on national TV- and prime time - and were cheering for (guess?), well, SBW and the Kiwis. True!  They even opted for All Blacks rugby over BYU (football), playing in the same time slot on another channel.  They only switched, momentarily, when I told them to check the score of the BYU game. Interestingly however, back at the rugby game, the commentators were mentioning BYU as a rugby powerhouse at the collegiate/uni level, having won consecutive national titles.  As mentioned in my other previous posts, BYU rugby has benefited mostly from NZ and other Pacific connections.

The lopsided nature of all aspects of the weekend game would be similar, I guess, to an American professional team playing a NZ team in basketball, though the gap between America and other countries, including NZ, in basketball has narrowed rapidly in the last decade.  Not true for rugby, at least in the level of  international play.  The inclusion of rugby now, in the Olympics, may eventually change that.

The evolution of rugby (to football in America) represents a prototype in the cultural shift between the so-called Old and New Worlds.  Though rugby is the forerunner of American football, the latter has become more of a science while the former remains an art form, generally speaking.  Football is replete with data, statistics, strategies, analyses, logistics, etc.,   Teams even have some of their staff taking pictures during the game (from high up in the stadium boxes) of opponents’ defense and other formations which are fed down to the sidelines for strategic play-calling.  It’s like modern warfare, in a sense.  Rugby, on the other hand, remains largely a sport of finesse, flair and style.

The question is, will the Americans compromise their scientific mentality and approach in favor of finesse and "fitnesse" and finally score their first touchdown try against the All Blacks in my lifetime?  Now there's a scary thought!

Michelangelo and Venus

Two of our grandchildren dressed up as Mutant Ninja Turtles and came to trick-or-treat at my work today.
Kade, as Michelangelo and Kora as Venus de Milo (the female turtle). They had the most awesome costumes, all homemade by their Dad who is a Halloween costume enthusiast. (Remember the Minions from last year?)  I think the turtles had the most admirers at my work especially of their shells. Wow.  And that’s Halloween 2014 in a “turtle shell” - cause tonight is the bigger bash. The annual family Halloween party!  Some pictures of the turtles’ visit at my work today....

... hey Venus, is that Shredder?

... we better hurry up and find him

... hmmm I think we're close

... forget Shredder, let's go get more candies

... let's start over there in that corner office

... ok, think hard ...what our next step is

... I got it! .. here, magic ....

... let's prepare some magic concoction

... I know this will work

... Mike, I think I see him down there

... Venus, wait, be careful he's in the elevator 

... Oh, it's not Shredder, it's Papa ....LOL!