Left: Viliami Tolutau explains the significance of each sculpture in Honolulu at the International Marketplace. Center: A monument erected to display the significance of the LDS Church in Tonga and the missionary efforts in the area. Photo courtesy of Viliami Tolutau. Right: Tolutau’s grandson, Toa Aupiu, was the model for the statue of young Hawaiian Prince Albert and stands next to the statue in the same pose. Photos by Monique Saenz
Tongan students attending BYUH and associated with the Polynesian Cultural Center, who performed the dances of other cultures of the South Pacific. A seven-stake dance festival, held in the Teufaiva Outdoor Stadium, was held on Aug. 15. Nearly 3,000 young performers streamed onto the field in a seemingly endless procession, each attired in a brilliant hand-sewn costume. They formed a giant “LDS,” and then a “100” and released balloons. As they performed, their collective wholesomeness was touching to many, reported the LDS Church News. Feasting followed the performances. As Elder Douglas J. Martin, a member of the Quorum of the Seventy, observed, “It is not a good year to be a pig in Tonga.” Elder Groberg said, “In most of the world, people love others if they are loved. But here in Tonga, they love everybody.”
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Tolutau’s wife, Sheila Tolutau, from Alaska and a nurse at Kahuku Medical Center, said her husband was asked to make a sculpture for the “re-envisioned International Marketplace” in downtown Honolulu. Some might remember this part of downtown as a mini swap meet. “They gutted it and built a three-floor structure for high-end shopping and dining catering to tourists,” said Sheila Tolutau. Business Wire stated it now holds a world-class lineup of restaurants and retailers. “A percentage of the profits made from the businesses that occupy that space goes to the Queen’s Medical Center,” said Sheila Tolutau. She said there is an area on the ground floor called the Queen’s Court where her husband’s sculptures of Queen Emma, King Kamehameha IV and their little son,Prince Albert, are found. Viliami Tolutau said he made the king without a beard to portray how young he was when he passed away. “The quality of
healthcare in Hawaii was so poor and the king pressed this issue until he died at an early age,” said Sheila Tolutau. Viliami Tolutau said the king is depicted petitioning passersby to support advancement in healthcare in Hawaii. Viliami Tolutau said since Queen Emma’s husband and son died before she did, he installed them in different places in the Queen’s Court. The king and the prince are located next to each other on one side of the stage while Queen Emma stands on the opposite side. He said the queen appears to be more serious because she was the one who took responsibility for pressing the issue for better healthcare in Hawaii. A part of her efforts resulted in the establishment of the Queen’s Medical Center. Viliami Tolutau made the ceramic sculptures for each of his bronze forms at BYUH, and his grandson,Toa Aupiu, was the model for Prince Albert.
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