A steady drumbeat thumped in the background as Nampa resident Christopher Lafoai and his wife and kids took in the Idaho Island Festival at Kleiner Park in Meridian.
Lafoai grew up in Samoa and lived in Hawaii before moving to Idaho in 2019.
“I just want to get that feeling again of being surrounded by a bunch of Polynesians.” Lafoai said, standing near the entrance with his family. “Just to be myself.”
Polynesia is a cultural region in the Pacific Ocean, encompassing islands and countries such as Samoa, Tonga, Hawaii, New Zealand (known as Aotearoa) and Easter Island (known as Rapa Nui.)
Pacific Islanders have history and cultural influence in the Gem State. Perhaps the most famous example, as the festival’s emcee told the crowd, is the Owyhee Mountains. Owyhee and Hawaii are the same word, just spelled differently, according to the Idaho State Historical Society.
“There’s a little connection there between Hawaii and the state of Idaho,” the emcee told the audience around the amphitheater, in between traditional dance performances.