Sat Nam Grounding

Cultural Days happen every other year at Xavier High School. I am fortunate enough to be here during. Cultural Days are about displaying and celebrating the many heritages present on campus; the very breadth that brings us together is our differences.

There is SO much to say about this experience. The entire event is put-on by students. Everyone else is an observer. Families come from surrounding islands and territories to join in the celebration and to watch their children display their culture in dance, items created, housing/huts, and other memorabilia. The events last two days (a Thursday and Friday) and families spend the following weekend with their children and host families. People also come up from the surrounding villages to celebrate and observe cultural differences.

Students spent weeks perfecting their dances, outfits, making their huts, and gathering/creating memorabilia for observers to purchase.

Day 1

Cultural Days began with an assembly to welcome everyone and introduce the schedule of events. After the assembly, observers were welcome to walk about and take-in the festival. The cultural huts were adapted to mirror traditional huts of their cultures: each laid out differently. Each hut was made differently from the weave of the banana leaves as roofs to the size and shape of the structure.

I tried a Pohnpei cultural ritual of drinking sakau: a plant-based “social drink” cultivated by squeezing the sap out with shredded roots.

Each culture had its own area on campus where their flag was flown and traditional island tools and props were displayed. Students sold items to chumps like myself to raise money for their field trips and class.

Day 2

We began Friday with dances and rituals. Participating cultures include: Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Palau, Marshall Islands, and Yap. There was one individual this year representing Polynesia as well. As ignorant as this sounds, I had no idea these cultures were so different!

There are no words to describe these dances and rituals. They’re mesmerizing. I often found myself distraught at my lack of culture aside from burgers, fries, and beer. These children have incredible heritage.

By Friday night, students, families, staff, and other locals gathered outside the student center to watch students perform other practiced dances and “show-off” their individual skills and talents. Some teachers even put on skits (my stage-fright prevented me).

So many students cannot wait to get to America to see the sights and be a part of the media and culture.

As I reflect on these incredible memories I am gifted to be given, I cannot help but wonder what growing up in this wild life must have been like. These children are told stories of the US, ENgland, Australia, Japan, and China. They know nothing of the truth; that they are the sacred ones and their cultures are what will enrich their lives.