Kura Ora! In this episode, we hear from Malia Erena Tafua. Calling in from St. George, Utah, Malia currently resides there with her four sons and husband. She carries her family's legacy of directing the Polynesian dance group "Te Fano O Te Ra", passed on to her from her late father Uncle Alex Tekurio, great leader of the troupe "Hitiaa O Te Ra". Malia recounts her parent's love story, her upbringing in Southern California and the ways in which she does her best to put in heart and soul to make her ancestors proud.

Malia / St. George, UT.

'ia ora na te nuna'a! Our brave friend and aito vahine Ma'ohi Vehia Wheeler called in all the way from the beautiful island of Moorea! Like many other Tahitian Americans, Vehia comes from an American father and a Tahitian mother + was raised in Hawai'i. She has now relocated to her fenua 'ai'a of Moorea & is the President of her own Association Anavai, which focuses on the environmental sustainability of Ma'ohi Nui by using research & cultural knowledge from the Ma'ohi ancestors.

‘Ia ora na! On our 8th episode, we hear from the very talented Julie. Julie was born and raised in Tahiti & left French Polynesia to be with the love of her life, Kaniala in Las Vegas where they currently are raising their 3 beautiful daughters. Julie is the Fa’atere Pupu (Director) of Pupu ‘ori Te Nati where she is able to share the love of her Ma’ohi culture & dance traditions with her students. She is also one of the founding members of our rapidly growing groups on Facebook “Tahitian American Families and Couples”.

Julie / Las Vegas, NV (USA)

'ia ora na! On our 7th episode, we hear from the amazing Vaihere. Vaihere left Mahina (on the island of Tahiti) at a very young age and was back + fourth to the USA and Tahiti throughout her youth. In college she met her American husband Tim & they eventually settled in Florida for many years raising their 3 daughters Leilani, Hinanui and Anavai before picking up and going to Tahiti then to California. Vaihere's valuable insights on her culture, how her girls are being raised paints a vivid portrait of the Ma'ohi way of living: even outside of French Polynesia.

Vaihere Swider / Irvine, CA (USA)

'ia ora na! Happy Easter Sunday to all. As a special episode in between all our wonderful guests, your hosts (Ry and Vairea) share a little about Ma'ohi naming traditions for children and the relevance of embracing old traditions vs. abandoning them for our families. We hope you enjoy our discussion and some of the traditions that Vairea's family follows when it comes to naming their children in the family.

'ia ora na! On our 5th episode, we learn about Steve's amazing story. Steve was born and raised here in the U.S. and is partner/spouse to Moenau from Tahiti. Steve makes one half of this power couple who established Porinetia Adventures Travel Agency and Poly-Lingual: the 1st online learning platform for learning the Tahitian language outside of French Polynesia. Steve takes us on a journey through his years of involvement in the Polynesian dance community in Southern California, to spending time in Tahiti & finally to moving Moenau to California where they currently raise their two talented daughters Moehiti and Nanihi. Through life lessons & experiences we learn from Steve to dance & speak with LOVE.

Steve Rivera / Orange County, CA (USA)

Kura ora! On our 4th episode, we hear from Ty, whose mother is from the Tuamotu region in French Polynesia and his father was born & raised in Hawai'i. Ty is one of most supportive & actives members of our Tahitian American Families and Couples Group on Facebook. In this episode he shares a little about what it was like to be raised in Florida & how finally returning to his mother's homeland of French Polynesia filled a void in his life. From love to loss & back to love, here is Ty's story.

Tylon Buendia / Los Angeles, CA (USA)

'ia ora na! On our 3rd episode, we hear from our friend Heiani, who was born and raised in Tahiti and came to the U.S.A. on a K1 Visa to be with her husband Vinny from Hawai'i. Heiani is one of the Tahitians who helped to create the Tahitian American Families and Couples Group on Facebook. In this episode she shares a little about what it was like to file the K1 Visa (also known as the "90-Day Fiance" Visa) and how it was to go to Suva, Fiji - which is where the U.S. Embassy is for French Polynesia.

Heiani Bernabe / Honolulu, HI (USA)

'ia ora! On our 2nd episode, we hear from Ryan's wife/partner: Vairea, who came from French Polynesia to the United States in 2017. Vairea is founder of the 1st Tahitian Cultural Center in the U.S.A and also helped to create the Tahitian American Families and Couples Group on Facebook. In this episode she shares a little about what life has been like moving away from home and arriving in the U.S. as an immigrant with no family present.

Vairea Tupana Samn / San Francisco, CA.

'ia ora na! On our 1st episode, I will be sharing about ME (Ryan, the host and creator of this Podcast) and what led me to create this platform for us to share our stories.

Ryan Samn / San Francisco, CA.