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Get to know Maine Kuki Airani (Miss Cook Islands) 2017 - Lydia Simonis Tariu

Russia and Polynesia are on opposite sides of the map and are pretty unlikely crossing of cultures. You would think .... until the chance meeting of the parents of Lydia SImonis Tariu, who brought together the cultural elements of these two cultures together in the wonderful way that produced a lineage of proud Russian Kuki Airani children.
Lydia modelling TAV Pacific
Lydia modelling TAV Pacific
Lydia is one of the three children of this union who is passionate about coming from the small Island of Atiu - the island she recently represented on stage as a dancer at the recent Te Maeva Nui festival.
Lydia spent a couple of months recently in Rarotonga during the festival, rehearsing for the highly competitive  dance showcase, and also appearing in the popular Rakei Manava wearable arts show. 
Lydia with Atiu Enua waiting backstage to perform their Kapa Rima at Te Maeva Nui 2017
Her unusual heritage has also been a hot topic as she took out the top tiara in a Miss Cook Islands pageant, putting Aitu on the map and also highlighting the many cultural mixes that goes into what makes a Kuki Airani person in todays' cosmopolitan Pacific.  
Lydia being crowned Miss Cook Islands 2017
Its been a heritage not without its challgenges as she tells the Coconet - particularly in the often racist and restrictive small towns of Australia where she grew up
"Growing up in Australia I used to get teased because of my skin colour and I guess because I looked different.  The kids'd be like 'Whats the colour of poo?  It's YOU!' 

Miss Cook Islands photo shoot with Jenna Tere

My Mother is of Russian heritage and my father is from the island of Atiu.

My father went to Australia for dancing and my Mum is a first generation Australian born Russian.  Her parents went to Australia in World War 2.  So they met in Australia. 

Lydia showing her dancing skills in the Miss Cook Islands pageant

Being raised in a mixed heritage household, both cultures are similar in a few areas like discipline, our morals & respect for elders.  It was a really rewarding thing because I've always had a lot of family around me and I felt really enriched with who I was.

Both my parents are Catholic but other than that the cultures are quite different.  Russian culture is such an old culture and Cook Island culture is old as well but I'd say the Russian culture is a bit more advanced.

Lydia

Our food would be mostly different but we do have a couple of things that are similar.  Cook Islanders have Mayonese and Russians do a potato salad but they don't include beetroot with it, it's definitely just sour cream, chives, spring onions & a lot of it is the same pretty much.  I think if Cook Islanders were to try Russian food they would fall in love.  Russians have a meal called Piroshki which is exactly like the Cook Islands doughnut but it has meat in the middle and I think if Cook Islanders were to try it they'd love it so much!"

Russian Piroshki
Cook Islands mayonnaise (potato salad)

#ICYMI Lydia was also featured in last years 'Pacific Runway' in Sydney, Australia

Enjoy this video of her dancing in the Logtronix 'Aso' video with her sister Tiare and former Miss Pacific Islands Latafale Auva'a