No. 741 Leslie Unufe, 2008

File — Box: 72, Folder: 14

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Leslie Unufe (b. 1968) was born in Kahuku, Hawaii. She grew up in Laie, Hawaii. She is part Hawaiian, part Samoan. Her family moved to Utah in 1981 so that she and her siblings could have a better education. Leslie describes what she expected Utah to be like and then her first impressions when she arrived. She talks about feeling a big culture shock when she arrived because she was not used to being around white people. Leslie wondered what it would be like to be white and spoiled, and not have people stare at her and treat her differently. She describes an incident when she was in junior high of being discriminated against because of the color of her skin.
She discusses her life growing up in Hawaii. She lived near a lot of the white people who were teaching or working at BYU Hawaii, and tried to make friends with them. Her first impression of white people was that they were snotty, but she soon realized that it was only individuals who were snotty, not every white person. Leslie talks about the Hawaiian and Samoan culture that her parents exposed her to growing up. She learned a lot about her culture from her extended family. She remembers participating in Samoan cultural activities with her dad’s side of the family most. Education was very important growing up. Her mom encouraged her in her studies and enforced study habits, and her dad punished her if she didn’t do well in school. Leslie discusses her education as well and compares school in Utah to school in Hawaii. She talks about spending her time with the other Polynesians at school and at church. Leslie talks about her relationship with her siblings. She was very close to her sisters. She feels that her parents favored her brother more than her and her sisters. She describes her husband and talks about how they met and her parents’ reaction to marrying so quickly. She has been married for eighteen years. Her husband was deported to Tonga. Leslie does not want to live in Tonga so they are trying to get him back to the states. She talks about a gathering in Tooele, Utah on Memorial weekend that her family has attended every year since coming to Utah. The event is to remember Hawaiians who were shipped to Utah to build the temple. They were sent to Utah because they had leprosy. People from all over come to reunite with family and remember those who died. Leslie talks about her religious background. She was raised Mormon and continues to participate in the Mormon Church. Leslie worries that the Polynesian culture is weakened when Polynesians don’t pursue their educations. She thinks that it is very important to encourage her children’s educations because she wants them to strengthen the Polynesian culture.
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.