For the past seven years, Utah has celebrated Pacific Island Heritage Month every August. The goal is to educate the community-at-large about Pacific Island culture, bring positivity to Pacific Island youth, and preserve and showcase traditions. It’s also a chance to honor the pioneers who traveled across the ocean to settle in Utah as early as 1873.
Pacific Islander is a broad term that encompasses many different unique cultures and heritages, including — but certainly not limited to — Fiji, Hawaii, New Zealand, Samoa, and Tonga. According to the 2010 census, Utah is home to about 40,000 self-identified persons of Pacific Island heritage, accounting for 1.3% of Utah’s population. That’s by far the largest percentage of any state in the continental U.S.