ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Hundreds of members of Anchorage\u2019s Polynesian community gathered at Dave Rose Park Saturday for a day filled with music, food, community and Samoan cricket.<\/p>\n
The league is held yearly, but was organized by the Polynesian Association of Alaska (PAOA) this summer for the first time since 2006. The games also changed venues, taking advantage of Dave Rose Park\u2019s permanent cricket pitch.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes them feel like they\u2019re home,\u201d said PAOA CEO Lusiana Tuga Hansen. \u201cIt\u2019s a game that they bring their family in and share a spot, share the space, meet friends and meet other families.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though the grounds at Dave Rose Park are solid, the space the community has to share is small by cricket standards. Hansen said she and her organization have begun talks with Anchorage city officials about the possibility of building a more permanent and dedicated grounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have so many baseball fields in Anchorage, and we have this little tiny park for our cricket that we\u2019re all squeezed in here,\u201d she said. \u201cWe could have a better park just like those baseball fields.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samoan cricket, also known as kilikiti, is a variant of English cricket that was introduced to the South Pacific islands in the 19th century, principally in Samoa, where it is the national sport.<\/p>\n
The field dimensions weren\u2019t enough to stop the community from coming out in droves, filling up the sides of the field with chairs and tents. Island music blared from one tent, and another sold food for those spending the day, as cricket games can exceed four hours.<\/p>\n
The PAOA, now in its 20th year of existence, adds the league to the list of initiatives it has undertaken to help the Polynesian and Pacific Islander communities in Alaska, which also includes scholarships for Polynesian students and other community events.<\/p>\n