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Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in Cleveland


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According to the 2010 Census, there are more than 2,200 Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) in the 7 county Cleveland area.


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Out & About - Photos and Event Recaps

2023

Pacific Paradise Entertainment at World on Stage

The Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation presented a series of World on Stage events during the summer of 2023 at the Centennial Peace Plaza in the Gardens. The September 9, 2023 event celebrated Asian heritage and culture. Pacific Paradise Entertainment performed Polynesian dances from Hawaii, New Zealand, Samoa and Tahiti.

Pacific Paradise Entertainment Dancers

Pacific Paradise Entertainment Dancers


Photos and Videos of Pacific Paradise's performance


2022

Pacific Paradise Entertainment at One World Day

Pacific Paradise Entertainment is a group of friends and family who love to showcase the Polynesian culture through Hula, Tahitian and Polynesian dancing. They performed in varios Cultural Gardens (Syrian, Czech, Serbian, etc.) on One Wolrd Day on August 28, 2022.

Pacific Paradise dancers in front of Syrian Garden

Pacific Paradise dancers in front of Syrian Garden

Pacific Paradise dancers in front of Czech Garden

Pacific Paradise dancers in front of Czech Garden

Pacific Paradise dancers at One World Day 2022

Pacific Paradise dancers at One World Day 2022

See more of One World Day 2022.


Pacific Paradise Entertainment at Cleveland Asian Festival

Pacific Paradise Entertainment is a group of friends and family who love to showcase the Polynesian culture through Hula, Tahitian and Polynesian dancing. They performed at the 2022 Cleveland Asian Festival.

Pacific Paradise Entertainment at Cleveland Asian Festival

Pacific Paradise Entertainment at Cleveland Asian Festival


Pacific Paradise Entertainment at Cleveland Asian Festival


Pacific Paradise Entertainment at Cleveland Asian Festival


Pacific Paradise Entertainment at Cleveland Asian Festival


Pacific Paradise Entertainment at Cleveland Asian Festival


Pacific Paradise Entertainment at Cleveland Asian Festival


Watch the video of a song that uses sticks on the ground to keep the beat.




Cleveland Asian Festival 2022

The annual Cleveland Asian Festival was back live after being virtual during Covid and over 30,000 people came to AsiaTown to enjoy it.

The Cleveland Asian Festival (CAF) is a grassroots festival that highlights Cleveland's AsiaTown, Diversity, and Asian Culture in Northeast Ohio. It was organized in 2010 by volunteer community leaders to celebrate Cleveland's diversity and Asian Pacific American Heritage month (May).

CAF Volunteer with book


The mission of CAF has remained the same over the years:
  • Strengthening the identity of AsiaTown and supporting its economic growth
  • Educating and promoting Asian culture and traditions
  • Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and Cleveland's Diversity
  • Uniting Cleveland's Asian Community

See photos and videos from the 2022 Cleveland Asian Festival.

CAF Co-founder Lisa Wong and friend

CAF Co-founder Lisa Wong and friend


Don't miss the Cleveland Asian Festival Photo Page too


2019

10th annual Cleveland Asian Festival

The 10th annual Cleveland Asian Festival was held on the weekend of May 18 and 19 in Cleveland's AsiaTown neighborhood on Payne Avenue. It has become a not-to-miss annual event with great entertainment, food, shopping and fun.

MC Jennifer Luu with Hawaiian dancers

MC Jennifer Luu with Hawaiian dancers

See photos and videos from the 2019 Cleveland Asian Festival

John Cosma and OCA Dragon Team

OCA Cleveland Dragon Team at CAF


2019 CAF Photo Page - who do you recognize?


2018

Cleveland Asian Festival 2018

The 2018 Cleveland Asian Festival was another huge success. The 9th annual Cleveland Asian Festival was held on the weekend of May 19 and 20 in Cleveland's AsiaTown neighborhood on Payne Avenue. It has become a not-to-miss annual event with great entertainment, food, shopping and fun.

Posing at the Cleveland Asian Festival

Posing at the Cleveland Asian Festival


See many pages full of photos and videos from the 2018 Cleveland Asian Festival


2017

Fashions from Polynesian Islands at Cleveland multicultural party

A highlight of the 8th Annual ICC-WIN Cleveland Multicultural Holiday Celebration on Wednesday, December 6, 2017 at the Global Center for Health Innovation in Cleveland was the International Fashion Show featuring almost 100 models from about 30 countries.

Gideon Lorete and Phola Sade Adu represented the Polynesian Islands. The Polynesians are the original inhabitants of a vast string of islands in the Pacific Ocean, from New Zealand in the south to Hawaii in the north. The cultures of the region share many traits with each other. Their differences are often subtle and not readily perceived by outsiders.

(Click on the white arrow to watch the video)



Gideon Lorete and Phola Sade Adu representing the Polynesian Islands

Representing the Polynesian Islands


Gideon Lorete and Phola Sade Adu representing the Polynesian Islands

See more from the Cleveland Multicultural Holiday Celebration


A Taste of Polynesia

Mana from Hula Fusion gave a taste of Polynesia at the 8th Annual ICC-WIN Cleveland Multicultural Holiday Celebration. Mana is from the Island of Saipan and performed a Hawaiian war dance.



Mana from Hula Fusion

Mana from Hula Fusion


Next was the Tewe Tewe dance.



Mana from Hula Fusion


The grand finale was a New Zealand dance with poi balls that Mana calls Electric Poi.



Mana from Hula Fusion poi balls dance


See more from the Cleveland Multicultural Holiday Celebration


Hula Fusion at Global Cleveland InterCLE

International students from around the world who are attending school in Cleveland attended InterCLE 2017, a grand welcome for international students hosted by Global Cleveland and Friends of Global Cleveland a new, international young professionals group and with the support of the City of Cleveland. Hula Fusion performed for the 400 attendees.



Hula Fusion dancers from the Pacific Islands

Hula Fusion dancers


See photos and videos of Hula Fusion at InterCLE


Fire Dance and Hula at Cleveland Asian Festival

Hula Fusion performed at the 8th annual Cleveland Asian Festival. Their grand finale was a fire dance and then a hula.




2016

Hula Fusion Polynesian Ensemble

One of the highlights of the 7th annual Cleveland Multicultural Holiday Celebration put on by the International Community Council Worldwide Intercultural Network (ICC-WIN) in Cleveland at the Global Center for Health Innovation was the performance of the Hula Fusion Polynesian Ensemble.

Dancers from the Hula Fusion Polynesian Ensemble

Photos and Videos from Hula Fusion Polynesian Ensemble


Traditional Hawaiian Clothing

A highlight of the 7th annual Holiday Celebration of Cleveland's Diversity held in the atrium of the Global Center for Health Innovation in the Cleveland Convention Center by the International Community Council-Worldwide Intercultural Network (ICC-WIN) was the multicultural fashion show.



Fashions from Hawaii - Jona Santo Domingo and Jaydel Santo Domingo

Jona Santo Domingo and Jaydel Santo Domingo


More from the 2016 ICC-WIN Multicultural Party


2015

Traditional Hawaiian Clothing

A highlight of the 6th annual Holiday Celebration of Cleveland's Diversity held in the atrium of the Global Center for Health Innovation in the Cleveland Convention Center by the International Community Council-Worldwide Intercultural Network (ICC-WIN) was the multicultural fashion show.

A classic part of Hawaii's wardrobe having similar patterns and colors are the Muumuu and Aloha shirt representing the traditional wear of men and women of Hawaii as both pieces are descendants from the missionary design to which was forced upon the native people. The best quality of shirts and muumuus are made of natural cotton and silk imprinting the beautiful feature of floral patterns native to Hawaii. The haku and lei are key pieces too.

Fashion of Hawaii

Models Christina Yee and Jaime Juarez Jr.

Fashion of Hawaii

Fashion of Hawaii

Videos and photos of the International Fashion Show


Hula Fusion Polynesian Dancers

The closing performance at the ICC-WIN event was by the Hula Fusion Polynesian Dancers.

Hula Fusion Polynesian Dancers

Hula Fusion Polynesian Dancers


This is a dance from Bora Bora with the ladies wearing grass skirts.

See more photos and videos from the Hula Fusion Polynesian Dancers


Hula Fusion Pacific Islands dancers at Cleveland One World Day

Hula Fusion, under the direction of Audrey Godoy, performed dances from the Pacific Islands at the 70th annual One World Day in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens. Their performance was part of the annual Cleveland International Folk Festival and this is the ending part.

See more from the 2015 Cleveland One World Day


2013

2013 Cleveland Asian Festival

The 4th annual Cleveland Asian Festival attracted 38,380 attendees over the weekend of May 18-19, 2013. They spent over $2 million in the AsiaTown neighborhood. There were dozens of performances from local, regional, and national performing groups including headliner Cheesa from NBC's The Voice.

People enjoyed Asian cuisine from over 20 different restaurants and shopping in the World Market which was filled with merchants of Asian themed products while sponsors had informational displays at their tent.

Polynesian Hula Fusion at the 2013 Cleveland Asian Festival

Hula dances from the Polynesian and Hawaiian Islands peformed by Polynesian Hula Fusion

Polynesian Hula Fusion

10 pages of photos and videos of the Cleveland Asian Festival


2012

Report on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders

Asian Services In Action, Inc. (ASIA), in partnership with APIAVote, presented key findings from A Community of Contrasts: Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the Midwest, 2012 on October 29, 2012 at the Ariel International Center in Cleveland.

Marita Etcubanez, Director of Programs, Asian American Justice Center

Marita Etcubanez, Director of Programs, Asian American Justice Center

More on the Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders event


Ohana Aloha Polynesian Dancers

The Ohana Aloha Polynesian Dancers performed traditional Hawaiian Island dances at the ClevelandPeople.Com International Pavilion at Ohio's Celtic and International Festival in September 2012.

Ohana Aloha Hawaiian Dancers

Ohana Aloha Hawaiian Dancers


Photos and videos of the Ohana Aloha Polynesian Dancers


2007

Asian Pacific American Heritage Celebration

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month was celebrated at Sai Gon Plaza in Cleveland.

Proud Asian-American Family

Cleveland Asian/Pacific Island Heritage Celebration sign 2007

More of the 2007 Asian Pacific American Heritage Celebration


Organizations and Resources for Pacific Islanders in Cleveland

According to Wikipedia, the Pacific Ocean contains an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 islands (the exact number has yet to be precisely determined). Those islands lying south of the tropic of Cancer but excluding Australia are traditionally grouped into three divisions: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Inhabitants are sometimes referred to as Pacific Islanders.

Melanesia means black islands. These include New Guinea (the largest Pacific island, which is divided into the sovereign nation of Papua New Guinea and the Indonesian provinces of Maluku, Papua and West Papua), New Caledonia, Zenadh Kes (Torres Strait Islands),Vanuatu, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands.

Micronesia means small islands. These include the Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, and the Federated States of Micronesia. Most of these lie north of the equator.

Polynesia means many islands. These include New Zealand, the Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, the Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, the Cook Islands, French Polynesia, and Easter Island. It is the largest of the three zones.


Bronze statue of Chief Gadao, Inarajan, Guam.

Bronze statue of Chief Gadao, Inarajan, Guam.


Submit your Cleveland Pacific Islander organizations and resources.

Business, Education and Employment Information



Map of Polynesia

Map of Polynesia

Map of Micronesia

Map of Micronesia




Submit your Cleveland Pacific Islanders jobs, classes and other opportunities.


Cleveland Pacific Islanders Feedback and Memories

Tahitian Women on the Beach by Paul Gauguin

Tahitian Women on the Beach by Paul Gauguin



Pacific Islanders History and Culture


Micronesia

In 1979 the Federated States of Micronesia, a UN Trust Territory under US administration, adopted a constitution. In 1986 independence was attained under a Compact of Free Association with the US, which was amended and renewed in 2004.

Present concerns include large-scale unemployment, overfishing, and overdependence on US aid.

(facts courtesy of CIA World Fact Book)


Map of Micronesia




French Polynesia

The French annexed various Polynesian island groups during the 19th century. In September 1995, France stirred up widespread protests by resuming nuclear testing on the Mururoa atoll after a three-year moratorium. The tests were suspended in January 1996.

In recent years, French Polynesia's autonomy has been considerably expanded.

(facts courtesy of CIA World Fact Book)


Map of French Polynesia


Easter Island

Easter Island



Tell us about the music, food, holidays, traditions, costumes, language and other qualities that make Pacific Islanders so special.

Submit your Cleveland Pacific Islander cultural items.




Profiles of Pacific Islanders in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio

If you know of a Cleveland Pacific Islander who should be profiled,
please let us know.


ClevelandPeople.Com - Pacific Islander Ambassadors

If you are interested in being considered to be an official ClevelandPeople.com Ambassador to the Cleveland Pacific Islander community, please contact us.




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