Captions by Alana Cruikshank. Edited by Ingrid Lauder. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2015 SOFT ELECTRONICA MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUES Glen Eden, my old hood. Right up until the 1940s, this place was still mostly orchards and fields. But the 1950s was a golden age of the subdivision, and soon Glen Eden was well on its way to becoming the sprawling suburb it is today. Roads were sealed. Schools and churches and sports clubs sprang up. The Maori community and the Dalmatian orchardists were soon joined by other Palagi, Asians, Islanders, and more recently, a growing number of Africans, which makes West Auckland a true melting pot. Now, this place was the scene of formative memories for me, so let me introduce you to other people who have come from the far-flung corners of the globe to make Glen Eden home. We'll meet a woman who has been keeping the Dalmatian community fed for 21 years. 'I do cook the dinners every Friday night, and there was fun. It was really fun.' It's not very fun at 10 o'clock, washing the dishes and putting things back. (LAUGHS) But we do it. We do it. Local twins Shalina and Shantini share their fusion of traditional Indian instruments with modern folk music. Yeah, we love performing together. It's fun. It comes naturally to us. It's always nice, because we're siblings, like, there's that other` that extra bond you have with someone on stage, which is, um, important. A woman born in Japan demonstrates the art of making miso from scratch. Slightly, each time, different, so it's very exciting to taste the first time. Nice. We meet a local who has made it her life's work to celebrate the treasures of the Pacific. The Pacific Sisters waistcoat is one of our` one of our treasures. When you, sort of, became a Pacific Sister, you were allowed to make the waistcoat, but in your own material, so it was a way to identify yourself as a Pacific Sister, but still showing your individuality as an artist and a creative person. I'm Fasitua Amosa, and this is my neighbourhood. MELLOW GUITAR MUSIC Mum and Dad came to NZ in the '70s, which wasn't exactly a fun time for Pacific Islanders. The dawn raids were happening. That wasn't fun. Language was a huge barrier. That wasn't much fun either. The big challenge for my parents was maintaining our cultural identity at home, while at the same time accepting that their kids had to grow up in the Palagi context of NZ. So growing up, we were only allowed to speak Samoan at home, just to counter the outside influences. Sometimes the contrast between your home culture and the outside world can fuel your creativity. I mean, I'm actor, and it certainly provided me with some material for the stage. Shalina and Shantini are studying classical Indian music in order to connect with their dad's culture, and now they've combined it with Western styles to create something that's utterly unique. GENTLE ELECTRONICA MUSIC We were born here. Our mum is a Kiwi and our dad is a Malaysian Indian. We're also identical twins, and we're one minute apart. We moved to Malaysia just a bit after our first birthday, I think. Um, yeah, so we lived there for five years and went to a local school there. Which one's me? Which one's me? That's you, eh? Um, no, that's you. Um, no, that's you. Is it? Um, no, that's you. Is it? Yep. No. Is it? No. Is it? Can't you tell? It's so obvious. Yeah, but that` Oh, yeah, yeah, nah, nah, nah. We have a huge family in Malaysia, so it was really cool to be able to grow up with them, and, like, I'm really happy my parents made the decision to move back there so we could grow up with the culture and, you know, learn about Hinduism, practise it, be with all the family, yeah. I actually don't know how we would have turned out if we didn't go to Malaysia. LILTING MARIMBA MUSIC We have always been musical. Our dad, he was always singing and playing his guitar, and we used to sing with him. I guess that's where it all started. We've been brought up with Hinduism and Christianity. There came a point` As we got older, we started to become more interested in Hinduism. And with Hinduism comes the music, and because the music is largely related to, like, the, the Hindu mythology and stories and, um, the gods. You know, there's, like, a different devotional song for each god, that kind of thing. We just said, like, to our parents, 'Can we please learn the sitar and the tabla?' And our parents were, like, 'This can't be a phase. 'You can't just buy those instruments and give up on them.' But, yeah, we've just been quite dedicated to our instruments and to practice. One, two, three, go. TRADITIONAL HINDUSTANI MUSIC PLAYS In, lik, Hinduism, and, like, with the music thing, your guru, or your teacher, is, like, higher than God, because knowledge is a sacred thing, so passing on knowledge is, like, a, kind of, um... Cos they learned from their gurus, whose gurus learned from theirs. Cos they learned from their gurus, whose gurus learned from theirs. So it's quite, like, holy, so... Yeah. Yeah. We didn't, like` We kind of knew we'd have to take it seriously. Good. So that's how you can end it up, make it more exciting by putting that variation at the end. They're very talented. (SNAPS FINGERS) Picks up like this. You tell them; they pick it up. It is so` I` I love teaching them. One, two, three, four. TRADITIONAL HINDUSTANI MUSIC PLAYS TRADITIONAL HINDUSTANI MUSIC PLAYS (SINGS BEAT) MUSIC CONTINUES PLAYING Hindustani music is very different to Western music, where the music is given to you on sheets. Very good. Hindustani music, a lot of it is improvisation, so, yeah. It's a lot more challenging than Western music. We're very lucky to have him as a teacher, especially living in NZ, you know, so far away from India. # All you wanted was a ticket for a free plane ride # and a hand to hold and a mind to roam. # All you wanted was a ticket... # We were in 2013's Rockquest. Rockquest is, like, a high school music competition. We entered in the solo/duo category. We thought it would be cool to put, like, the whole fusion thing in, and,... yeah, like, introduce that sort of Indian music to, like, the young people. # They emerged from the darkness. # Oh, but they latched on to you again. # We, um, came second... Yep. Yep. ...in our` Yep. ...in our` The Auckland regional finals. Yep. And then from there, the next stage was picking the top 10 in the country, and we made that. So that was the furthest we went, but we were stoked, because we didn't have any expectation whatsoever. We love performing together. It's fun. It comes naturally to us. It's always nice, because we're siblings. Like, there's, like, that other` that extra bond you have with someone on stage, which is important. As long as we're together, whatever we do in the future, we'll be happy, and, like, if it could be music, then that'll be so cool. MID-TEMPO ELECTRONIC MUSIC I didn't spend my childhood in Glen Eden. I grew up in Pleasant Point, near Timaru, population 1200. Definitely not a multicultural Mecca. Pretty sure my mum cried for a week when we got there. I was 13 when Dad took a job in Glen Eden, and I ended up here at Kelston Boys High School. The other kids didn't know how to take me. While I'm brown, I sound really white. Going from being the only brown face in town to smack bang in the middle of a long-established Pacific community was kind of a reverse culture shock. Now, for some new residents, it's the food they miss the most. Glen Eden local Akemi Nakamura has found the best way to get the fresh, additive-free miso she loves so much is to make her own. LOUNGE MUSIC I'm Akemi. I was born in Japan in Hokkaido. It's very cold place in Japan, and I came here 15 years ago. The reason I came here ` for my sons' education. In those days, my sons were 5 years old and 6 years old, so, uh, from kindergarten through high school, I want them to be educated in NZ. We found a good place in Glen Eden, so we are very happy to be living here. I really miss Japanese food. I can buy Japanese food now in NZ, but it's so expensive, and, uh, it contains lots of chemicals and additives, so preferably, ideally, it's grown by myself and it from my garden. MELLOW GUITAR MUSIC I'm very proud of making my own made things. Miso is one of them. Firstly, I need to cook rice and then, um, the rice need to be fermented for three days. This is koji. It need to be keep, uh, same temperature at 40 or 45 degrees Celsius in the box. It's very nice this time. It's very good koji. Miso is very traditional food in Japan, and, uh, from when I was young, um, children, I always eat miso soup every day. So I put in salt. It's very good quality salt. Very important ingredient. My friend who live in NZ taught me how to make miso 10 years ago. And then, um, from three years ago, I regularly make miso. BLENDER WHIRRS This is cooked soy beans. Just the three ingredients, but making process is so long. Traditionally, people make miso much much big amount. Japanese people` long long time ago, people make miso once a year. But I make it every two or three months, so not so huge amount. So, I make a ball like this. GUITAR MUSIC CONTINUES Then put in container. Then put in container. SPLAT! If there is any air in it, bacteria, it grow in miso, so it need to be avoided. I keep, uh, three or four containers all the time, so we can enjoy the different taste. Um, packed miso need` need to be fermented for three months` more than three months in cool and good ventilation and dark place. GENTLE PIANO MUSIC I always make beautiful miso, but slightly, each time, different, so it's very exciting to taste the first time. When I cook miso soup, the miso need not` uh, shouldn't boiled, because the miso is active, so just heat up. I'm tasting it. Just take a taste. Nice. My family eat miso soup every day. Every day changing. Sometimes it's very gorgeous miso soup with pork and tofu and many kinds of vegetable in it. It's very delicious. Oh, wonderful, yes. Miso is, uh, yeah, one of our, um, soul food, yeah. And our miso is so beautiful and lovely, so I really love... (CHUCKLES) miso. My miso so delicious, and I gave some friends, and they says it is best miso in NZ. (LAUGHS) ELECTRONICA MUSIC BIRDS TWITTER, INSECTS HUM Now, this whole area used to be called Waikumete, but the residents felt so sensitive about being sandwiched between the cemetery and an old mental institution on the other side that at a public meeting in 1922, they decided to change the name to Glen Eden. My dad was the minister here in Glen Eden, and he has laid a number of his congregation to rest here in Waikumete. I liked how people from all walks of life looked up to my dad, and I saw that he was excellent at what he did. I mean, he was a bit of a showman, but you have to be when you're a minister, so I guess I get that side from him. So, in a way, you could say I was always destined for the stage. But, uh, my mum, she didn't really care what I did. She said as long as I do a good job of it to the best of my ability and make an honest job of it. Well, local woman Vojna Pavlovich has a work ethic that's hard to beat, and that's made her a valuable member of the Dalmatian community here in Glen Eden for 47 years. EASY-GOING GUITAR MUSIC My name is Vojna Pavlovich. I was born in Zivogosce, Yugoslavia. I'm born 1944, and, uh, sort of end of the Second World War. I was, um, 18` 19 when I met my husband, when we met. I'd just known him for about two weeks, and then... (CHUCKLES) then he` he says, 'I'm going to NZ,' and I said, 'Oh God.' So... (LAUGHS) then I have to wait. He left 1963 in, uh, Sept` uh, August, and I got here in 1965 in September. That's right. We bought a house in Glen Eden in 1967. It's actually in here at the back, which is now my garden. Mate and I have been married for 49 years, 50 years coming. There used to be a Yugoslav club. That's when we got involved in, straight when we come from home, because you look in, you can pick your own language, laugh, joke, that sort of things, you know, with somebody who can share it with you, so we went straight in the club every Sunday. There used to be dance and getting together every Sunday night. And when Yugoslavia broke, they want to change name, so that's how they come, you know, the Dalmatian Cultural Society. This is the oldest and biggest cultural club in NZ, with about 800 members. I got on committee 21 year ago now, and I help everywhere that I could with the culture, with food. Anything that's need down there, I was there. And I'm still there, yes. WOMEN SING IN CROATIAN Yes, I do cook the dinners every Friday night with the help of my, um, friends there. It is really fun. Um, they helping. It's not very fun at 10 o'clock, washing the dishes and putting things back. (LAUGHS) But we do it. We do it. (SINGS LOUDLY IN CROATIAN) WOMEN CONTINUE SINGING UPBEAT ELECTRONICA MUSIC Dalmatian Cultural Society is here mostly for culture. We got the classes for dancing, singing, language` Croatian language classes, getting geared up, you know, on social nights and that ` that's what it stands for. That` That's my... passion. I wanna keep this culture going. That's what I'm here for. I don't know how long still, but yes, that` that's what we're here for ` to keep culture going, to keep, you know, people together. Yeah, Vojna is capo, meaning in English ` boss. She's a lovely woman, and we listen. No muck around with her, I can tell you. My English not very good, but you understand what I'm talking, eh? Yeah, she's a good boss. We good workers, you know. We're working all together. The overall running of the society is solely based on volunteers so if we don't have the support and the help of the committee members, the volunteers and the members, you know, we wouldn't be able to offer the kind of facilities and services we offer to our membership. Vojna is an extremely hard working, dedicated and passionate individual. She just gives back to the society and just keeps giving back, so from that perspective she certainly goes beyond the call of duty. I think it's a lovely meal, yeah. Everybody gets well fed. I think Vojna is an absolute star. She is the best, yeah. She's an amazing person, and there's no one cooks fish better than those ladies. Very important to preserve culture and that where you come from. That's very very important for us, for me. And I love it. I love it, yes. UPBEAT TECHNO MUSIC Being Samoan in a Palagi world definitely has its challenges, but it's also fun. When Inga the Winger stormed up that pitch for that individual 70m try, suddenly, being Samoan was pretty cool. And thanks to church, we're always being told how well we can sing or how well we can dance. At school it is always,'Oh, you're so good at art.' There aren't many people who have contributed as much to the recognition of Pacific arts and crafts both here and abroad as Glen Eden local Rosanna Raymond. GENTLE ELECTRONICA MUSIC This museum's always special to me. My mum used to bring me here since I was a kid, so I think one of my first memories, probably when I was 7, walking up these big stairs, but seeing the big goddess from Nukuoro. I've just always been amazed by her. My mother was born in Omapere in the Hokianga and ended up in Kaitaia, and my father was second-generation NZ-born Samoan. So I've always been a little bit of a gypsy, I think. My first memories are West Auckland, actually. And then we ended up England, then I ended up in Christchurch, then I went overseas and lived in England and Europe, and then I came back home after` yeah, after being away for 15 years, so it's been a while. When I got London, it was quite hard, cos, one, I wasn't actually physically allowed to work there. So I started researching in the museums. I knew that they had a lot of our beautiful treasures in there, and as a craftsperson, that's the next best thing. And then I started to realise I had this huge amount of knowledge, because the museums started to, kind of, go, 'How do you know all that?' So it became a really ongoing relationship that I still have today with museums, recontextualising the` the` the collections, talking about how they're valuable still in the modern world, so I did a lot of really important work over there, which I really enjoy and still carry on today. I'm always astounded when I see that` that the craftsmanship that is involved in making these beautiful treasures. I mean, they had, you know, a lot of time, stone tools or shark's teeth for drills, and the detail and the fineness is something that I aspire to, so really inspirational. ELECTRONICA MUSIC Well, my art practice probably started, sort of, in my early 20s, and I started to hang out with a group called the Pacific Sisters. Well, we were a bunch of... (LAUGHS) crazies by the looks of things. No, it was great. We were a bunch of different, sort of, artists, and dancers and storytellers and musicians, and we all were city kids. We all met on the streets of Auckland, and we all realised we were all NZ-born Pacific Islanders, and we had, um, lots of Maori with us as well, so we were really, um` a really diverse mix. We did a lot of fashion shows. We loved the frock. The frock was a huge part of the` of the Sisters and we` They weren't normal fashion shows. They were very performance-based. They were really a celebration of stories and culture. Pacific Island culture was still something that was associated with a lot of negativity back then, so it was really awesome to be part of a group that was really intent on bringing out the positive aspects of what Pacific Island culture could bring to NZ. MELLOW GUITAR MUSIC The Pacific Sisters waistcoat is one of our` one of our treasures, actually. When you, sort of, became a Pacific Sister, you were allowed to make the waistcoat, but in your own material, so it was really a way to identify yourself as a Pacific Sister, but still showing your individuality as an artist and a creative person. My waistcoat. We used to say that they looked like butterflies. (CLICKS TONGUE) Mind you, I think mine was more of a moth, cos it came out at night. (LAUGHS) But, yeah, the seeds are, uh, pu'a seeds, so you find them in the rainforests all in Samoa and all over the Pacific, actually. And then we've got these little beautiful pule with the little cowrie shells, so... And this` this beautiful nut in the middle too, this is the, um, the tupe o le vao ` the wild money of the jungle ` and all the chiefs used to wear it to, um` to wear them, or it was like money that they'd gamble with for these games. So, yeah, so, really, I suppose it's, like` you know, it's an item of prestige. I wouldn't just wear it down the shops, you know. (CHUCKLES) It's definitely special occasion wear. GENTLE GUITAR MUSIC When I went to London, I definitely took my Pacific Sisters waistcoat, especially as a way to keep connected with the Pacific Sisters and` and then, yeah, cos I didn't have them around me any more, so it hung on my wall for a long long time. So that I could, you know, walk by and go, 'Hi!' It really is a taonga, cos it builds up its own stories, and, 'Oh, I remember I remember when I wore it there.' Then there was the time that I actually couldn't fit it any more,... (LAUGHS) so then I had to remake it so I could fit it again. It feels wonderful. (LAUGHS) I love the weight of it. You feel like you've got something on. I think I might even stand up straighter when I've got it on. (LAUGHS) It` It's like, you know, all the stories that are in it is what makes it a treasure. So the more you wear it, the more stories it gets and the more` the more of a taonga it becomes. So, yeah, it's like, such a` It is ` it's just like an old friend. SMOOTH ELECTRONIC MUSIC MOTORCYCLE RUMBLES Dad's old church, Glen Eden PIC. Ah, a lot of memories in there. Long days on Sunday and late nights with youth group. My old house is literally just over there. We used to rollerblade up and down this busy as street and spend all our money at Georgie Pie. You know, Glen Eden's just awesome, you know? It's just so easy and honest. I always feel relaxed every time I cruise through here, and I'm just happy to see that it's having the same effect some of our new arrivals. Captions by Alana Cruikshank. Edited by Ingrid Lauder. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2015