The Polynesian Cultural Center, Oahu, Hawaii
By Marisa Pjerrou
To be enjoyable, location-based entertainment requires a suspension
of belief on behalf of the participant. From the moment a ticket is
purchased and the participant steps into the re-created or simulated
environment, the pleasure from this experience is, for the most part,
derived from suspending one's knowledge of the fact that the entire
set-up is a fake one comprised of costumed actors, scenery and special
effects. At the Plymouth Plantation in Plymouth, Massachusetts,
visitors can experience a re-enactment of authentic Pilgrim life in
a re-creation of a 17th century Pilgrim village. At the Star Trek
Experience in the Las Vegas Hilton, ticket-holders get ushered
into a simulation of a Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise spaceship ride
with uniformed Enterprise crewmembers leading the way. A restaurant
chain called, I think, Medieval Times, re-creates a castle environment
of medieval entertainment, including a joust, while diners get to
eat giant portions of meat and "participate" as castle audience
members.
A good question is whether the audience similarly suspends belief
in seeing "authentic" cultural re-enactment experiences.
The Polynesian Cultural Center of Hawaii re-creates the seven Pacific
islands of the Polynesian people onto 42 acres of Oahu's northeast
shore. Owned and operated by the Mormon church in conjunction with
Brigham Young University-Hawaii, The Polynesian Cultural Center has
a website at http://www.polynesia.com/
which provides a good explanation of the purpose and function of what
the Cultural Center is all about. While driving along Kamehameha Highway
during my visits to Hawaii I have often passed this mysterious-looking
compound but never stopped at it: the mere sight of multitudes of
giant tour busses parked in front of the center were enough of a warning
to keep me far away. Described at the website as "Hawaii's favorite
visitor attraction," visitors are also told that while an actual
visit to all seven Polynesian islands can cost over $10,000, the Cultural
Center is the only place in the world where guests can experience
the simulation of all the islands for as little as $39. The Cultural
Center offers attractions such as an evening luau in a Polynesian-style
hut near a tropical lagoon; a canoe pageant with performers in traditional
costumes acting out Pacific history and myths; a 90-minute evening
show with a cast of over 100 islanders and special effects such as
fiery volcanoes; two IMAX films entitled Polynesian Odyssey and
The Living Sea; artisans at busily at work making hand-made
crafts for purchasing; and a specially designed and landscaped 42-acre
environment with seven Polynesian "islands" and a man-made
freshwater lagoon. The website explains that the Cultural Center helps
to highlight the dignity of the Polynesian people and the prestige
of their cultures; jobs and scholarships to BYU-Hawaii undergraduate
students are another important purpose of the center.
I'm sure there are aspects of the Cultural Center that are interesting,
and the evening show probably has really good performers. And while
I like the Hawaiian culture and people a lot, I would more than likely
never set foot in such a place for several reasons. The compartmentalizing
of a culture into a packaged entertainment experience on 42 neat little
acres is not only disturbing, but also totally non-authentic. And
the very idea of indigenous people performing shows for tourists just
sounds a bit too outdated. It is incredibly ironic to consider the
fact that a western, Christian religion is now what supports this
Polynesian culture center, when it was originally the invasion of
western, white people into Hawaii that led to the culture's destruction.
In Kowloon, Hong Kong a venue called Sung Dynasty Village
also re-creates culture into what sounds like an immersive "experience"
of typical Chinese village life from 960AD-1279. Again, my problems
with such places are a disbelief in cultures being presented as packaged
entertainment. For entertainment such as The Star Trek Experience,
it is easier to suspend one's disbelief for something that is obviously
fictional. Cultural re-enactment as entertainment, however, is problematic
in the possibility of visitors not suspending their disbelief, but
in truly thinking that they are witnessing an actual, linear cultural
experience.