How have Polynesian communities worked to revive languages, arts, dance, and traditional navigation?

Polynesian communities have undertaken significant efforts to revive and maintain their cultural heritage, which faced disruption due to colonial history and migration.1

Language and Literature

Since the 1970s, there has been a concerted focus on language fluency. Immersion schools for children have been particularly successful in New Zealand and Hawaii, where traditional languages had been largely lost, leading to a resurgence in the health of the Māori and Hawaiian languages. Additionally, an efflorescence of indigenous literature has emerged since the 1960s, emphasizing oral history and storytelling.1

Arts and Dance

Festival activity serves as a vital vehicle for expressing contemporary identity and perpetuating arts, music, and dance. The Festival of Pacific Arts, founded in 1972, aims to revive traditions in danger of being lost. Local events, such as the annual Heiva in Tahiti, the Teuila Festival in Samoa, and the Merrie Monarch Hula Competition in Hawaii, further support these efforts.1

Traditional Navigation

Once nearly lost, traditional navigation has been revived through the Polynesian Voyaging Society. By reconstructing double-hulled canoes like the Hokule‘a and testing non-instrumental seafaring methods, practitioners train students in ancient shipbuilding and navigation, providing youth with a renewed sense of cultural identity.1