When they weren’t juggling homework, part-time jobs, church activities, and social lives, five BYU-Hawaii students devoted significant efforts recently to participate in the Polynesian Cultural Center’s 16th annual World Fireknife Championships.
The five included three women: Dolly Fuifatu, a senior IT major, and Tinei Pili, a junior international business major — both from Samoa; Janine Rothmund, a junior English major from Switzerland; Daniel Long, a junior in political science from California, and Madigan Fuimaono, a senior in English from Hawaii. While the men didn’t place, Rothmund came in a surprising second and Pili third for the women.
The PCC held the opening rounds of its annual competition from May 14-16 in Hale Aloha amphitheater after regular guests finished their Alii Luau dinner. The women competed in the Teine Toa O Samoa — “women warriors” category; and the men among the preliminary seniors category. Three senior men eventually went on to the finals on May 17 that were held as part of the PCC’s renowned evening show. The competition also included children, junior and men’s duet categories.
Long before the competition began, BYUH student participants began gearing up for the tough competition. What allured these students to dare the adrenaline of a weapon emblazed with fire spinning around them? “I had seen the videos online of the competition, and I knew that it was something that I wanted to do. I knew that it would take time to learn, and so I practiced nearly every day for two years straight in order to bring myself to the point where I felt I could compete,” said Long.
For Pili, her friend and fellow-contestant Fuifatu encouraged her compete. “It’s special to me because it’s part of my Samoan culture. I signed on and joined because I really wanted to do something different in my life and different from school and something fun,” she said.
The surprise contender hails from the Swiss Alps where fireknife dancing is uncommon. Rothmund certainly could have faced a disadvantage because many competitors begin learning fireknife skills early in life. “I had to go to the PCC every day to practice,” she said. “I was carrying a practice stick, and took it around with me at all times and practiced whenever I could.”
Combined with the fear of fire swirling around her, nerves also become a factor. Rothmund explains, “This was my first fireknife competition; my first time spinning the fireknife in the dark. I was really nervous just before the competition and thought it was a mistake to enter. I was so nervous that I forgot my double knives from practice side and when I was called to enter Hale Aloha, I had to run back to get them.” On stage, however, competitors quickly soothe into the ebb and flow of the routine. Rothmund recalls, “Most of the anxiety got dulled by the concetration I needed for the task.”
Fireknife dancing has evolved tremendously over the years, dating far beyond its existence in Hawaii. “It's special because the fireknife dance allows Samoans to show their appreciation to fire and their culture while demonstrating their courage and skill,” Rothmund says. “Fire was only added to the original dance knife as entertainment and to better see the ‘nifo oti’ [‘knife of death’] by night.”
To many, the thought of fire hurling around one’s body seems terrifying and anything but comfortable. On the stage, however, the feeling was quite different. “Spinning the fireknife is almost therapeutic,” Long explains, “If you have a strong desire to perform it, you must literally force yourself to overcome your fears. You will get cut, bruised, burned, or a combination of all three. This happens with all levels of warriors, even up to those who could be considered world-class fireknife dancers. If you spin with a fearful mentality, however, you'll never get any good at it.”
While the BYU-Hawaii competitors may not have felt their student status strongly impacted their ability to compete, it actually did because of “the size of my cheering section in the crowd at the competition,” Long says. Months of dedication culminated in a fiery display of incredible skill, poise, and confidence. And as each BYU-H contestant stood up to perform, cheers ricocheted throughout the theater.
The memories will indeed live on long after the torches are put out. “There are so many unforgettable memories of meeting different peoples and families that I never would have noticed otherwise,” says Pili; and Rothmund can tell some great tales when she returns home. “I was sad to see the end of the competition,” she says. “Everyone supported me so much as not just a white girl from Switzerland dancing with fire, but as a Samoan fireknife champion competing as well as I could. My memory is one of many friends preparing to share their talents and culture and becoming one with it in the process.”
During the closing ceremonies, PCC President Von Orgil reminded the crowned champions cannot compete in any other competitions for a year, when they defend their titles at the Polynesian Cultural Center.
“I take the competition seriously, and I tell myself that I will compete again in the future,” Pili says. Long, too, plans to continue. “My main focus this year was to participate,” he says, “I knew coming in that I would not be at the same level as the warriors from Florida or Tahiti. That said, I fulfilled all of my personal ambitions regarding this year's competition, and I look forward to competing next year rather than just being a participant.”
Among them are sure to be more aspiring world-class fireknife dancers from BYU-Hawaii.