Here Are 14 Cultural Details I Absolutely Loved In “Moana 2” As A Samoan Woman

Warning: This post contains massive spoilers for Moana 2.

Moana 2 is breaking records left and right! It brought in a whopping $225 million in its opening weekend. As a Samoan woman, I’m so proud to see a Pacific Islander film performing well at the box office. The way it uplifts and honors our cultures genuinely makes me emotional.

Since so many people saw the movie, I thought folks might be interested in some of the cultural details in the film:

Note: Other Pacific Islanders might view these details differently depending on their island. While we’re all people of the Pacific, each island has its own culture and traditions.

1. While exploring an island, Moana finds some pottery that confirms there are other people out there. This reminds me of Lapita pottery.

While there are many theories about dates and what exactly happened, we know that Lapita pottery has been found across the Pacific. From New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands in Melanesia to Tonga and Samoa in Polynesia, the ceramics prove navigation between the islands. This image features Lapita pottery, which is apparently more than 3,000 years old and was found in Vanuatu.

2. Moana blowing the conch shell made me so happy. It holds many meanings across the Pacific. In Hawai’i, this includes marking the arrival of canoes or chiefs, a blessing during ceremonies and weddings, and communication across the water.

3. Here, Moana participates in an ‘ava ceremony. The drink is made from ‘ava roots and drunk from a coconut cup. In Samoa, it’s customary to tip out a little before drinking, just like Moana does.

There’s a detailed protocol surrounding the ceremony, including where to sit, how to serve the ‘ava, and even the position of your hands when you do so.

4. The scene takes place after Moana decides to accept a title. In Samoa, the Fa’amatai system passes down chief and orator titles. The ceremony is called a saofa’i, where people gather in the fale tele or fale afolau (open-air meeting houses) to give speeches, recite genealogy, and drink ‘ava.

This is my family’s fale that I got to see when I visited Samoa last year. It’s smaller than the one in the movie, but it shows you how cool these are!

5. The tattoos of the male characters like Chief Tui (Moana’s father) and Kele (the grumpy farmer) are called the pe’a.

They wrap around the waist and cover all the way down to the knees. For thousands of years, men have undergone the pain of these tattoos, which are a sacred manifestation of their dedication to Samoa and the culture. Every symbol and even the location of every symbol holds meaning. They often convey lineage, demonstrate courage, and represent this man forever being of service to his family, villages, and island.

6. In the first movie, it looks like Moana sails on a single-hull canoe while she upgrades to a double-hull one in the sequel, thanks to Loto. Real-life navigators created these to venture farther out into the sea with supplies, domesticated animals, and even a portable agricultural system, just like in the film.

7. Fabric reminiscent of tapa cloth shows up throughout the movie. You can find it across the Pacific, but I believe it’s most common in Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji.

In Samoa, we call this siapo, and it holds a lot of significance as it’s considered a measina (treasure) of the culture. Made by beating and softening tree bark, it’s used to make clothing as well as fine mats in important ceremonies, funerals, and gifts.

8. Characters in Moana 2 wear necklaces made of teeth, bone, and shells, which was common for Pacific Islanders. In the old days, some islands considered whale teeth necklaces especially significant as they conveyed the status of chiefs and powerful people.

9. Matangi is definitely my favorite new character. Her name means wind in several Pacific languages, which is fitting because she seems to control bats.

I believe they aren’t normal bats either. They seem similar to Samoan fruit bats, which are often called flying foxes due to their large eyes and orangeish collar of fur. Funnily enough, the Samoan word for flying fox is pe’a (the same word for the traditional tattoo).

10. Gramma Tala coming back in the beginning as a manta ray and Moana’s ancestor Tautai Vasa appearing as a whale remind me of the Native Hawaiian aumakua. They are deceased family members and ancestors who sometimes assume the physical form of animals to guide and protect their descendants.

Aumakua can offer strength and support in times of sorrow or emotional distress. They also have the power to send messages through dreams and visions, and they can pass on prayers to the gods.

11. After they escape Matangi’s cave, Maui’s goal is to lift the island of Motofetū up with his hook. This was inspired by the real mythology of the demigod Maui. Pulling up islands with his hook is a legend that spans from Native Hawaiians to the Māori people of Aotearoa (New Zealand) and probably many more islands.

12. Moana comes back to life with a tattoo on her hand. In Samoa, it’s called a tualima, and it includes the same markings used in the malu, which is the women’s equivalent of the pe’a. I only saw the movie once in theaters, so I don’t recall her full tattoo, but I drew what I remembered.

I’m not much of an artist, but this should give you an idea. The markings trailing up her fingers remind me of vaetuli (tuli bird footprints), which can signify the path you take. At the top of her fingers are what look like fetū (stars). So, the way I interpret this is Moana’s path is to follow the stars. Since she navigates by the stars to fulfill her destiny and connect the people of the ocean, it’s perfect for her!

13. When Moana finally reuintes the people of the ocean, I was so happy to see Melanesians and Micronesians represented! It’s so important that people realize Pacific Islanders are not just Polynesians. Their unique canoes were shown, emphasizing their cultures and contributions to navigation. Disney hasn’t released any images of the ending yet, but here are some pictures of real-life Melanesian clothing:

And Micronesian clothing:

14. And finally, in the first Moana movie, we learn that her people were voyagers, but they stopped traveling between the islands. This is based on what we call the Long Pause. Scientists believe that people landed on the shores of West Polynesia (islands including Samoa and Tonga) around 3,000 years ago. But there was at least a 1,000 year pause until they ventured out to many other islands, including Hawai’i, Rapa Nui, and Aotearoa. The second movie offers an explanation for this: the storm god Nalo cursed humans by submerging Motofetū, preventing them from traveling between the islands and connecting.

Nalo might’ve been inspired by Tāwhirimātea, the god of weather in Māori mythology with power over storms. But there were likely similar deities across the Pacific, so I hope we learn more about his character influences soon. We only spotted Nalo in a post-credits scene, but I’d love to see much more of him in the third movie if they make one! A showdown with Maui and Moana versus Nalo would be epic.

What did you think about the movie? Any cultural details you loved? LMK in the comments below!