Kaua’i’s cultural connection to Tahiti is growing stronger as you read this. A 95-person delegation that included Mayor Maryanne Kusaka and other Kauaians are in Tahiti to start an 11-day cultural and government exchange aimed at tightening the long-standing ties
Kaua’i’s cultural connection to Tahiti is growing stronger as you read this.
A 95-person delegation that included Mayor Maryanne Kusaka and other Kauaians are in Tahiti to start an 11-day cultural and government exchange aimed at tightening the long-standing ties between the islands’ people.
The bond dates back 800 years, to when Tahitians made their first recorded appearance in Hawai’i via Wailua Bay on Kaua’i’s east shore. Over the ensuing centuries, despite some cultural differences that have grown up over time, Kaua’i and Tahiti have remained irrevocably linked. For that reason, the approximately $10,000 that Kaua’i County is paying for the trip by the Kaua’i entourage of Kusaka and other local government and cultural officials is money well-spent.
Cynics might say the county is using public money to send a select few on an exotic trip. But that’s not the view from here. In a world that can can make people living on the same street feel disconnected from neighbors, let alone from other nations, any reasonable effort to preserve and enhance relationships between cultures should be pursued.
The Kaua’i government officials could return from Tahiti with a bonus, too. They will tour hydroelectric and recycling plants there to learn about Tahiti’s efforts to produce electricity and dispose garbage—two vital utility services that are of keen interest to Kaua’i.
This new exchange between Kaua’i and Tahiti is not only reasonable, it’s to be applauded for its potential benefits to all Kauaians.
