OSU anthropologist consulted on Polynesian culture for Disney’s Moana 2

By Daniel Fuentes on Feb. 19, 2025
Image
OSU’s Patricia Fifita and Dionne Fonoti in Samoa

Patricia Fifita, assistant professor of ethnic studies, is a Tongan Indigenous anthropologist. She shared her academic expertise in medical and environmental anthropology and ethnobotany, advising Disney’s team on the types of plants long-distance navigators would have brought with them to help establish themselves on new islands.