Our Commitment
We have all witnessed how community activities and events can bring people together and enhance everyone's quality of life. Here at Te Mau, we recognize the value these events have for the community spirit and the sense of interconnectedness that is so essential to American society.
Te Mau Ta’ata Anuanua is a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting the degradation of our community through Polynesian dance, music, culture, family values, and by providing empowerment to the youth and disadvantaged through our cultural programs and events.
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I have been involved in the dance troupe since 2002. As I became a volunteer and more involved with helping backstage or in the dressing rooms, I started to attend many meetings regarding the Fete, fundraising ideas, or other concerns of our troupe. This is how I came to be a board member. My hope is that being part of our Board will help us to contunie in the endeavor of seeding and cultivating aloha in our community, because I truly believe hula embraces and nurtures the mind, body, and spirit.
~BOARD MEMBER: VENUS MEZA
I've been with the our local dance troupe almost twenty years. I have watched multiple generations of children learn to dance and experience the cultures of Polynesia, broadening their outlook on life and helping them become the best possible versions of themselves.
~Asst. TREASURER: Louise Palmer
Our Roots Go Deep...
The origin of the Polynesian people can be traced back thousands of years when East Asians began the exploration of the South Pacific. The Polynesians, as we know them today, are the descendants of these same explorers. Over thousands of years, the Polynesian race continued this exploration their Asian ancestors had begun, spreading out and colonizing almost every habitable island found within the Polynesian Triangle. As they explored the vast distances between islands, using their "wayfinding" prowess to discover new islands, their
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cultures took on new values, values they retain to this day. Isolated completely from the outside world and global influences, the Polynesians learned to rely on each other, and to the precious little land they could find among the vast ocean, developing an almost innate understanding of how to be truly responsible for the land that sustained them-something Western Society has only recently begun to appreciate. For generations they lived, loved, fought, and raised families using only that which their island homes provided to them-the plants from the land and fish from the sea. The Polynesians developed deep connections both to the environment and the people of their community, forming incredibly strong ideas about family and the land-two things they depended on for survival.
In all of our events and programs we attempt to share these insights as we seek to build up our communities, families, and neighborhoods, and ensure that our use of natural resources is as responsible and thoughtful as the ancient Polynesians, which has become as ingrained as their traditions of song and dance.
~Te Mau Ta'ata Anuanua
I have danced for our local dance troupe since 2000 and I presently dance in the ladies' class. Now that I am retired, I felt inspired to become a part of the TMTA Board. I am hoping that, as a board member, I can help Te Mau to grow and thrive into the organization I know it can be, supporting, improving and strengthing our community ties.
~Secretary: Debbie Allen
Our Inspiritation
Rebecca Pi'ilaniokamoku'aina Manandic was born and raised on the island of 'Oahu in Hawai'i. She has performed professionally throughout Hawaii and also toured on the mainland. She moved to Merced in 1974 and started teaching and sharing Polynesian culture and family values, starting the Kikiraina Tahithi fete in 1979, which has been running annually ever since. Te Mau strongly promotes this event in our community, which brings dance troupes and spectators from all over the world to compete in the longest-running, annually held Tahiti Fete outside of French Polynesia.
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I have a great love for tradition. I will always try to teach my students mana’o (thought),
Mahalo (respect), and ‘Ike (knowledge), along with the movements of hula.
I believe in leading by example, and I believe in stewardship of the earth.
~Kumu Hula Rebecca Pi'ilaniokamoku'aina Manandic, Director of Culture
After completing her uniki (studies) with Loea Naomi Kalama, the only Loea (Master) living on the mainland, she became a Kumu Hula (Teacher of Hula) in 2018. When asked about her experiences learning from Loea Kalama, she has said that Loea Naomi Kalama taught her a great appreciation for ancient knowledge and the importance of supporting and perpetuating the culture of Hawai'i with accuracy and care. In 2019, as our inspiration for sharing Polynesian Culture with the community, we named her our Director of Culture to advise us in all our programs and events on how best to embrace the values of the Polynesian peoples.
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