Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month is a longstanding celebration in schools, libraries, and communities across the country. While Asian cultures are often prominently featured during this month, Pacific Islander cultures can sometimes receive less visibility. Elevating Pacific Islander stories, traditions, and voices is an important way to create a more inclusive celebration and deepen understanding of the rich diversity represented within AANHPI communities.
Pacific Island cultures offer unique Indigenous histories, powerful storytelling traditions, breathtaking art forms, and vibrant expressions of joy through music, dance, and community. These cultures enrich the broader cultural landscape and deserve opportunities to be celebrated, shared, and explored.
This past AANHPI Heritage Month, I had the privilege of coordinating the Voices of Pasifika Series at Cupertino Library, a series of programs highlighting the diverse cultures of Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia. Often referred to as Pasifika, these cultures encompass the vibrant traditions, languages, values, and beliefs of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Islands.
The series featured a variety of hands on and interactive programs for children, including Kahoa Tongan Ribbon Lei Making, Tapa Print Art Tote Bags, Floral Native Hawaiian Lei Making, Ukulele for Beginners, and Siva Samoa. Through these experiences, children and their families had the opportunity to engage with Pacific Island traditions in meaningful and accessible ways.
Tapa Print is a popular art form in the Pacific Islands that serves as a visual for language and stories. It requires immense labor and detail. Tapa prints play an essential role in major life events like weddings and funerals. At the Tapa Print Art Tote Bags event, children learned the significance of Tapa in different Pasifika cultures and created their own Tapa art onto a tote bag to keep.
Pasifika culture embraces the joy and storytelling of music and dance. Many may know of Hula but other dances in the Pacific islands exist such as Haka (Maori), Siva (Samoan) and Tau’olunga (Tongan). In addition, to events where children and families could watch performances, I also wanted children to learn how to play one of the most popular instruments in Pasifika culture, the ukulele. Kids learned how to tune their instrument as well as simple strumming.
Another important component when planning Pasifika programming for the community was sharing contemporary Pacific Islander voices; not just cultural traditions but modern artists. Samoan Children’s Author, Sophia Tupuola came to read her book, Oshun is a Liberated Kid, which tells the story of her daughter, their Samoan heritage, and includes Samoan language as well as calming breathing techniques.
Although the City of Cupertino is predominantly Asian, programs were well attended, enjoyed and appreciated. It was truly a joy to witness! It brought value to expose the community to other races and cultures in the Pacific Island spectrum. Representation can promote understanding and acceptance of differences. It can help develop empathy in children to appreciate and value cultures other than their own.
To bring these programs to life, I sought out financial support from the Cupertino Library Foundation and partnered with local nonprofit organizations such as Samoan Solutions, which promotes educational workshops and cultural learning opportunities centered on Pasifika heritage. These partnerships helped ensure that community voices and cultural knowledge remained at the heart of the programming.
I’m incredibly grateful to be a librarian, a career that allows me to continually grow and be a lifelong learner in various capacities. I’m able to learn more about my Pasifika culture and share it with others at the library. Like libraries, Pacific Island communities operate on collectivism rather than individualism. Through library programs like the Voices of Pasifika series, I hope to inspire curiosity, connection, and a deeper understanding of the rich cultures that continue to shape and strengthen our communities. Pacific Islander stories deserve dedicated space and visibility not simply inclusion within broader Asian American programming.
As you begin planning next year’s AANHPI programs and displays, be intentional about looking beyond the “A” and creating space to celebrate Pacific Island cultures and stories. The impact can be profound. It can enrich experiences of all children and families in your community and may give a Pacific Islander child the opportunity to feel seen, valued, and reflected in your library. Representation matters in even small efforts and can help foster a stronger sense of belonging for those who too often go unseen.
Pasifika Booklist for Children Link:
https://sccl.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/display/1491761189/3040210967
(Photos courtesy of Raina Tuakoi)
Raina Tuakoi is the Children’s Supervising Librarian at Cupertino Library with the Santa Clara
County Library District. She is a 2012 ALA Spectrum Scholar and 2018 ALA Emerging Leader.
Currently she serves as a member on the ALSC Library Services to Underserved Children and
Their Caregivers committee and as the California Library Association Begun Scholarship Chair.
Raina is committed to creating diverse programming, inclusive spaces, and accessible
collections that support children and their families in public libraries.