Miss South Pacific Pageant 2008
Pride in our Pacific Culture…a Heritage & Legacy
Pacific Island cultures are similar in many aspects but do vary greatly. Great importance is placed on the intangible cultural heritage that recognizes the value and relevance of a system of traditions. Pacific islanders, are experts in fishing and farming and are well known for the care and pride they have for their lands, this is a key value to culture’s survival.
Overall, societies in the Pacific islands found balance between human needs and limited resources. Those who resided near the coasts fished and supplied the products of the sea and shared with those living inland, who in turn supplied land products. This reflects the unique characteristics of Pacific people…sharing and caring. Working together as part of an extended family…is a common thread among Pacific people, everyone works together and receives a share of each others fruits of labor. Researchers of Pacific Island cultures agree that preservation of customs and culture is attributed to the “concept of reciprocity, or mutual sharing for mutual benefit...a basic tenet of social interaction.”
Pacific islanders place great importance on cultural heritage and recognize the value and relevance of a system of traditional knowledge and customary law. These dynamics are suitable to their social, cultural, and natural environment. Using traditional knowledge and continuing to practice and pass it on to the younger generation is a shared concern among Pacific islanders to preserve our heritage and legacy for years to come. It is what makes our societies unique and known for as being sustainable. Pacific islanders knew of sustainability even before the modern cultures and practices came around the islands. Numerous studies focus on human development among Pacific islanders because as diverse as they are, their “traditions and practices” is the common thread that Pacific islanders share. Traditions are practiced in common through customary laws, like kapu (taboo), or “tapu a fanua” etc., that carries on traditions for centuries.
The Pacific Services Center cautioned that cash economies and environmental degradation is affected by major development projects and western modernization which result in diminishment andeven loss of customs and cultural practices. This year’s Miss South Pacific pageant theme is a reminder that if we value our culture which makes up our heritage and legacy…we must continue to preserve what is left in our traditional culture for the sake of our environment and economic sustainability. We stand together with renewed interest in conserving, preserving, and protecting our traditional cultures, our heritage and our legacy.
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