No. 706 Amy Tolutau, 2008

File — Box: 71, Folder: 5

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Amy Tolutau, daughter of a Hawaiian and Filipino man and a white woman from Alaska, was born in Arizona and grew up in a small town, Wickenburg. The youngest of seven children, she remembers being the only Polynesian family in town, a matter of some novelty in a town whose ethnic makeup was almost exclusively Hispanic and white. Her father's family did not approve of his marriage, and Ms. Tolutau grew up far from Hawaii and Polynesian influence. She describes her father, who initially shunned all things from his previous life, gradually returning to some of his Pacific roots, but only later in her childhood. He was in Vietnam, but never speaks of it. After high school Ms. Tolutau attended BYU-Hawaii, and later married a Polynesian man. At the time of the interview she had two children, lived in Orem, Utah, and was attending Utah Valley University. She remembers her childhood in some detail, and describes her mother, an educator, and her possibly exaggerated tales of Alaskan life. The interview explores domestic roles and family life, including a strong expectation on her parents’ part that the children would attend college, somewhat of an anomaly in Wickenburg. Ms. Tolutau also discusses her position as a Polynesian person raised outside that culture and her relationship with it.
Project: Pacific Islanders.
Interviewer: Savani Aupiu

Dates

2008

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.