Focus Hawaii Pioneers in the Pacific Opening Exercise Part 1

Authors

• Lance Chase

Files

Description

Hosted by Lance Chase, this episode of Focus Hawaii presents highlights from the opening exercises of the “Pioneers in the Pacific” sesquicentennial celebration, held on the Brigham Young University–Hawai‘i campus in November 1997. Blending scripture, Hawaiian chant, dramatic narration, music, and theatrical reenactment, the program reflects on spiritual signs, cultural traditions, and historical events linking Polynesian beliefs with the arrival of early missionaries in the Pacific. Lance Chase frames the presentation within both Hawaiian tradition—particularly stories associated with the god Lono—and Latter‑day Saint history, recounting the 1843–1844 mission of Addison Pratt, Benjamin Gruard, and Noah Rogers, whose labors led to the establishment of the first LDS branch in the South Pacific. The episode emphasizes remembrance, faith, cultural continuity, and historical perspective, illustrating President Gordon B. Hinckley’s call to look to the past to better understand the present and future.

Length of Video

00:32:50

File Size

403.7MB

Archives Call Number

22.FH

Air Date

11-25-1997

Keywords

Lance Chase, Focus Hawaii, Pioneers in the Pacific, BYU–Hawai‘i sesquicentennial, Pacific Island missionary history, Hawaiian chant and tradition, Lono, Addison Pratt, Benjamin Gruard, Noah Rogers, South Pacific LDS history, cultural performance, opening exercises, faith and heritage, Polynesian history, Gordon B. Hinckley quote.

Recommended Citation

Chase, Lance, "Focus Hawaii Pioneers in the Pacific Opening Exercise Part 1" (1997). Focus Hawaii. 36.
https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/focushawaii/36