Polynesian Voices Polynesian Respect
Upon really feeling this group as well as album which I have posted before by the name of, Last Voices, I will utilize it to speak on the Polynesian, Oceanic, Melanesian, etc experience.
I was speaking with a loved one the other day about the traditional core values of Polynesian peoples. Being it’s typically the first go to in peoples guessing who I am being as a matter of fact I am Polynesian (well Chamorro people of originally Mariana Islands before migrating to Guam which technically falls under the category of Melanesian to be more specific) among a slew of other peoples of similar principals. One of the major aspects our cultures are respect for our Women and Girls. Matter of fact Women traditionally took the leading roles in society and families. The next is Ohana (Family) so much so many times we will actually live multi-generationally together not so unlike some other Indigenous, Nomadic, or Asiatic cultures. Some are more observant about it than others but either way Ohana is a very sacred aspect of our cultures. The more inward to the Islands you go the more so this is followed most often. Following of course with respect for our Ohana particularly not only our Elders but Elders in general. Respect for authority particularly Chiefs, Leaders, etc. 0 tolerance for disrespect either for self, our people, or others this is to the extent for those who have never visited one of our Islands even Hawaii DO NOT disrespect it or the locals in anyway… because you may not live to tell it or be severely beaten by a rightfully offended local it’s our Island not yours..and the police may not always take your side if you provoked the reaction. In vocations such as hospitality it’s granted they’ll put up with disrespect and entitlement from tourists only to a point but even the highest end hotel will ask an issue to leave if it crosses a certain line. I’ve seen it occur before when I was a kid. They don’t play and shouldn’t you’re a guest nothing more. We are more than willing to share our cultures and lifestyles but don’t be an a$$hole. In non vocations IE giving someone the finger in traffic, stink eye (intimidating looks), reckless mouth, being disrespectful to one of our Girls or Women let alone anything more, any of that to a local will get you beat or even killed in some cases depends who you offended. There’s just lines not to be crossed we are very traditional often Protestant or Catholic based we take all of that very seriously. If you visit our Islands basically don’t be an ignorant idiot that’s all there is to it. On the other hand we are raised generally and expected to carry ourselves a certain way with respect and self respect to not shame who we are or our peoples.
