Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson posted heartwarming videos on Instagram of his family visiting the Polynesian islands on a tour led by the Polynesian Cultural Center.
In the first video, Johnson, born in Hayward California, visited Samoa, Aotearoa, Hawai’i, Fiji and Tonga with his mother and two young daughters. The Polynesian Cultural Center welcomed them with colorful leis – symbols of greetings.
Throughout the tour, the 49-year-old actor and his family joined the Polynesian community in powerful drumming, singing and dancing. During the family’s visit to Samoa, dancers whipped fire knives in illuminating swirls, and a group of men carried a kalua pig on banana leaves, the star dish in the luau.
The footage of their visit to Aotearoa shows men dancing and performing the Haka, a Maori warrior dance, with Johnson. This dance, with its intimidating facials and loud movements, was traditionally intended to scare off enemies.
The Polynesian Cultural Center curates tours for visitors to learn and experience Polynesian traditions “as a means to preserve and portray the cultures, art and crafts of the people of Polynesia.” In their tour, Johnson appears to glow with cultural pride, passionately learning how to carve, drum and even shake a grass skirt.
Not only does Johnson, who comes from a family of proud Polynesian pro wrestlers, show off his appreciation for his heritage in his videos, but he also reveals his fatherly side. Johnson lifts and carries his daughter Jasmine, or “Jazzy,” in his arms or holds her hand as they walk around and explore.
In another video, Johnson is seen tying Jasmine’s hair in a ponytail and putting a white-flowered lei on her, showing off his “pizony tizzails” skills.
In the final video from the family’s trip, Johnson shares some touching words with the Polynesian community who invited them, saying, “That’s our culture. It’s a feeling. A pride. A love. A power. A mana.”
Johnson has a long history of publicly embracing his Samoan culture, including voicing Maui in Disney’s 2016 animated “Moana,” which is set in a fictitious world influenced by Polynesian cultures.
