Polynesian Awareness Week boasts full slate of events

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From Polynesian Awareness week, to a University Theater production, to a Battle of the Bands, there are a wide variety of things to do around campus this week.

This week, the ALANA Cultural Center, Native American Studies Department, Office of Residential Life, and Hawai’i Club have teamed up to host Colgate’s first Polynesian Awareness Week. Come learn about the culture of places located within the Polynesian Triangle, such as Samoa, Tonga, Aotearoa, Tahiti, and Hawai’i.

The kick-off event takes place in the Coop on Monday, November 10, at 11 a.m. On Tuesday at 5 p.m., head to the ALANA kitchen for a Tongan cooking demonstration. On Wednesday, Lokelani Cummings will teach a Hula/Tahitian dance workshop in ALANA at 5 p.m., and snacks will be provided as well.

On Thursday, head over to ALANA for the “Hawaiian as a Culture” dinner discussion that begins at 7 p.m.  The dinner will foster conversation about cultural appropriation and its relation to people of Native Hawaiian descent. Finally, Aloha Friday Pāʻina will conclude Polynesian Awareness Week with music, dancing, and food. That event will be in ALANA at 5 p.m.

This week, the University Theater production of Seeing the Beast will be happening Wednesday through Sunday at 7 p.m. in Brehmer Theater, Dana Arts Center.

Seeing the Beast is an original production by Colgate students and visiting artist Scott Sheppard that challenges you to “re-wild Planet Earth.”

The play addresses the idea that humans are causing extinction for animals like polar bears and Bengal tigers head on, raising the question of what humans can do to reverse those effects.

On Friday night, CAB and the CAC will be sponsoring Battle of the Bands! Both student and faculty bands will be competing, and the winning band will be awarded with a cash prize. Battle of the Bands will be taking place in Donovan’s Pub at 7 p.m.

These are just three of the many events happening this week at Colgate. For a full listing of events, check out the Colgate calendar.