Classes link expats to their culture
Trust’s lessons on Samoan language and customs so popular they’ve expanded to Oz — and soon the US
‘Talofa lava” is the greeting of the moment for the next few days, as Samoan Language Week kicks off. Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa runs until Saturday and encourages everyone to give one or two Samoan phrases a go.
The Samoan population remains the largest among Pacific Islanders in New Zealand, with about 48.7 per cent of Pasifika people identifying as Samoan in 2013, according to Statistics New Zealand.
Figures also showed 86,403 people in New Zealand could speak gagana Samoa that year and Samoan remains the second-most spoken language in Auckland and the third most-spoken language in New Zealand; after English and te reo Maori.
In Auckland, the Epiphany Pacific Trust is one organisation doing its best to encourage young Samoans, particularly those who did not grow up in the motherland, to connect with their culture.
The Trust has been running its Aganu’u Fa’asamoa 101 classes for the past two years.
The free course, which runs for about six weeks, highlights not only the Samoan language, but also cultural customs and protocol, as well as the appropriate way of speaking in a particular setting.
Directors for the Trust, Apulu Uta’i Tu’u’u Mary Autagavaia and Tanoa’i Michael Tanoa’i, teach the courses in English in a bid to better connect with New Zealand-born Samoans.
Their courses have proven so popular they now also run them in Australia and are working to get courses organised in the US.
Autagavaia said many Samoans born overseas were reconnecting with their mother tongue and culture after years of growing up not really understanding or knowing how to speak Samoan.
“I think our older generation have the knowledge, the love and the experience and have lived the life [in Samoa].
“But somehow the different generations are not able to transpose that knowledge. That’s why we target New Zealand and Australian and overseas- born people and just trying to be a bridge. It’s about identity.”
Almost 2000 people have come through the Auckland-based courses.
Autagavaia said their youngest student to date was an 8-year-old and their oldest was 62.
She said seeing them grow in confidence and also finding a connection with their culture in the language they were now able to speak was a wonderful thing to see.
“You see them starting to understand the psyche of their parents and why their parents did what they did.
“Our message is not just around language and culture, it’s also about community development.”
There are activities and events happening throughout the country to mark Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa, including special storytime events at Auckland libraries.