NZ Bachelorette with Samoan connections...

It's been interesting to read the media information and watch the first couple of programs for the first NZ Bachelorette, who is a 32-year-old doctor, that debuted this week. My initial interest was the tag that the Bachelorette had Samoan connections i.e. her dad being Samoan/German married to a prominent Auckland Uni lecturer who researches Pasifika topics. In the program, that's where it ends.

However, as the program continued I've started losing interest as although she has Samoan roots and background, the publicity franchise wheels continue to turn with more spotlight on the guys' antics, with spins and controversy to keep the viewers' interest at bay with no connections to culture.

I wish her the best in finding love from that group of guys and it's interesting to see what USA would term 'women of color' putting themselves out there (whether you agree or not) and the comments that the European or Western men say about her.

It's definitely something that doesn't sit well with me i.e. objectifying women through this type of program with some of the comments that are spoken, expectations etc. but at the same time it comes with the territory of accepting the rules of engagement for this program.

Predictably, towards the end, there'll be a lot of heartbreak (for those who don't get a rose and want one), tears shed as she makes heart-wrenching decisions about the 'one/s' to keep with twists and turns along the way as the producers and camera people see fit to film and edit.

But that's the problem with 'reality TV' in that it's really carefully edited TV programming that spins a particular view and story about real people, making real decisions that have cause and affect on others i.e. those with power and those who are powerless. I just hope it's worth it, for her, in the end...

Summer days and at the beach...

Auckland Anniversary at Mission Bay with
Rangitoto Island in the background

It's been a busy week already with Auckland Anniversary holiday on Monday and then our middle child's birthday on Tuesday with the departure of my parents back to Samoa on yesterday.

The neat thing is about holidays is being able to spend time with family and enjoying food, music, sand, surf and a lot of laughs in between.

And pictured is a neat little lunch that our youngest made for me and her as a treat for taking her to the beach in which she spent most of the day between the park, the beach and the fountain.

The parking wasn't too bad either in that you just need a little bit of patience to be able to await a car leaving so that you can pull in close to the beach.

And not forgetting your beach chairs and mat so that you don't have to plant yourself on the beach with lots of sand encasing food, drink and clothes.

And now looking forward to next week with another beach trip planned for next week's Waitangi Day holiday for a family outing complete with lunch, music and lots of relaxation. Although, this time I might take a canopy just to ensure that we bounce those ultraviolet rays back into the stratosphere and not on our skin...

Samoan funeral rites...

'Ie Tonga' or fine mats at Mangere PIC

This has been a busy year so far regarding funerals in having been involved in various roles with at least 7 of friends, church and family.

This last week, tribute was paid to an elder lady within our Samoan EKLS (church congregation - family) whose family had been a part of the Mangere PIC church since the 1970s.

In different forums, I've been aware of discussions regarding the difficulties that are thwart with having traditional Samoan funerals rituals for their NZ born or raised children.

Whereby some children of an elderly Samoan parent who has passed away wish not to have the involvement of 'Ie Tonga' (fine mats) or any Samoan traditional practices i.e. matai (chiefs) or lauga (traditional oratory speeches) except for the acceptance of monetary gifts to help with funeral costs. As for them, it's about being able to meet the payments associated with the funeral and ending with a cup of tea for the reception after the burial. Cremation is still not accepted in many Samoan circles.

On the other side of this discussion, I've been in Samoan settings whereby there have been discussions about the sadness that some Samoan born Samoans have at attending various highly ranked Samoan elders whose funeral did not take into consideration funeral rites regarding the rank or position that the deceased person with their EKLS i.e. church community, extended family or that they had within Samoan society and they expressed that it was so sad to see as Samoans.

Since attending PIC and in being involved as an Elder, I recently (as of last week) witnessed the beauty but also the different stages that the family had to contend with in being involved with a funeral of an elder woman. The various stages that I was aware of at this Samoan traditional funeral (as with many funeral rites) directly after the announcement had been made public were:

1. Families visiting the bereaving family with gifts of money and/or Ie Tonga with cups of tea or food plates reciprocated often with gifts returned to the family which could involve tinned food/boxes of chicken, $ etc. (dependent on the gifts received).
2. Elders from the church visit the family with gifts of $ and having a church service with the family. This is reciprocated with food and $ gifts.
3. The family service whereby different groups will come and sometimes sing at the service with $ gifts and special flower tributes and a special cloth to be presented and laid over the tomb.
4. After the family service, a cup of tea will be set out for attendees and gifts will be reciprocated between the groups who attended and the family representatives often of money to the family and tins of food and or monetary gifts.
5. At the funeral service, all of the cloths and flower tributes are taken to the gravesite after the service and laid at the grave with the cloths taken into the grave to be buried, often with a large tapa cloth wrapping everything with the coffin. They will then attend a reception.
6. After the reception, the family representatives gift the church with Ie Tonga, cans of food and monetary gifts often given to the Ministers, church Secretaries and important representatives on the head table and this is followed by general gifts to the church as stated.
7. The final event for the church would be the distribution of these gifts to the various families registered in the church as with their policies and for the family it's about coming together to discuss the financial position of the event regarding bills - if there any any $ left etc.

This is only a general events calender of what often happens at Samoan funerals whereby the family chooses to continue with Samoan funeral rituals involving a church. Although each congregation is different and each family is different but the general principles prevail.

What I've learned from these past few weeks is that having a large family base to support this effort is very important with extended family members who are very aware of the various rituals that need to be completed in a timely manner as they play a significant role.

Having skilled and orators who know how to manage the finances carefully with reciprocity is another important effort as the goal is to ensure that the bills are all paid and that there may be $ left over to support the family with a headstone for the anniversary service.

These are just some of my reflections regarding the things that I've learnt over the past few weeks...

Local Ihumatao expected resolution announcement on Waitangi day...

In this third week of the new year and decade, it's so pleasing to hear, in our local area, about a final resolution that looks positive for mana whenua (indigenous peoples who are guardians of a local area) who have been fighting to keep what was formerly their lands from being developed into a residential area for 400+ housing estate.

The positive outcome of their six-year protest i.e. occupying the land or rather guardianship has been to ensure that the sacred places that were forcibly taken from them by the then government in the 1800s has been negotiated through the Maori King with the legal owners, a multi-national company known as Fletcher Building.

The standoff started in the middle of last year with the company issuing trespass notices and forcibly removing the local guardians from the place, at Ihumatao, that they were occupying. In fact, if you were to go for a walk there. It's a beautiful and peaceful area, right next to the coast a 5-minute drive from the airport and now being overtaken by large multinational companies with their large storage spaces.

The small village that remains there are remnants of what used to be a thriving community before the 1860s eviction notice came for all Maori to leave the area and for the new immigrants i.e. Europeans from England to take over the lands to be used for sheep and dairy farming. Those immigrants lend most of their names to the roads that are spotted around the area.

The date for the big announcement is planned for around Waitangi Day. Although many do not know the details of the negotiations, through reading media reports it sounds like the Auckland Council has been a part of it as well as Fletcher Buildings accepting the terms. So much so that the paraphernalia has all been taken away and the Kingitanga flag has been deployed this week.

Pania Newton, one of the co-leaders of the SOUL (Save our unique landscape) local mana whenua movement, will be pleased as she's now hapu (pregnant) and expecting a child very soon. This will be a blessing for her and she anticipates her next move in becoming a new mother having done such a neat job as kaitiaki (guardian) as the whole movement has been of maintaining the sacredness of their whenua (land/s)...

Buy 'Made in Samoa' products in Samoa...

Products made in Samoa

Last week, my beloved and father returned safely from Samoa from a family funeral that they attended and brought back some food and beauty products made in Samoa (as pictured here).

Included in the pic are beauty products and foods gifted from various families (although we discourage them) as most products can be bought in NZ, to save their resources.

The products use Samoan based natural resources i.e. coconut oil, sugar cane, different herbs etc.; Taro chips in the brown packet, Tumeric based cleansing drink (mustard coloured bottle), coconut with spices jam (small bottle); koko Samoa which I describe as Samoa's unadulterated cocoa drink and 'flower biscuits' as I describe them as.

These are often brought over as a gift or 'oso' from Samoa to their families in NZ or overseas. What's so neat is seeing the entrepreneurial side of many Samoans families beginning to consider ways to trade and use the resources around them for local and overseas consumers which in turn also helps families at home.

I definitely encourage tourists and our overseas-born Samoans to buy Samoan made products when visiting Samoa rather than imported foodstuffs, products etc. because it usually directly supports families who have set up small to medium businesses in finding ways to supplement their incomes with Samoa having a very low minimum hourly rate of pay.

I enjoy visiting the markets in Samoa when visiting there and also enjoy the different foods that are made traditionally made there as they never taste the same when made overseas as nothing quite makes up for the umu (smoking earth oven) and BBQ. Looking forward to our next visit to sunny Samoa...

Pacific soul song/s...

This is one of my fave songs in the early 2000s by the girl group Pacific Soul. They formed in the early 2000s and released a couple of albums but then after a few tours, they disbanded and pursued other interests.

However, you can still hear their songs at weddings as dance items, at 21st birthday parties and other special occasions where Samoans will be dancing. At the moment, I'm enjoying this particular song for my morning exercise as I'm sure other Samoans are on their earphones.

They also have another popular song that I often hear which is called 'Mamalu o Samoa' both songs are not their original songs but their renditions are nice especially with the ukelele in the background.

For another generation of Samoans, songs like these continue to remind us of how unique and blessed we are in our unique culture, dance, songs, solos, language, tattoos, custom, cultural protocols, foods, jokes etc. Enjoy - ma ia manuia...

Recruiting for 'Indigenous Research' Rangahau course...

It's that time of the year again and have started recruiting for another season of 'Te Kunenga o te Ao Tikanga' (level 4) which loosely translates as an understanding of the growth of world protocols.

With my focus on 'rangahau' which is a Maori equivalent to indigenous research similar to Samoan 'tofa sa'ili', it's a year long class that allows participants to begin to look at their own individual understanding of cultural protocols in their lives and how things have changed and are changing over time.

It also allows space for understanding leadership from an indigenous perspective/s and asking the question/s about who are the leaders in your own hapu, iwi, whanau or family, extended family, ancestors, legends etc.

I've witnessed amazing stories about many of my past tauira or students being able to trace their family lineages which had been lost in time in having been given the opportunity and tools to research and search in various archives, digital databases (although not always reliable) and through discussions and asking questions within families and senior family members who hold the knowledge with prior forgotten questions to ask.

Again, it's a privilege to be able to share this knowledge, skills and tools, for the third year, with students and am looking forward to another year of learnings and field trips to various destinations and combining with my colleagues' class to learn Maori protocols, important words and worldviews.

If you are interested or know of any who would like to attend this Fees Free course that starts in March and finishes in November or early December with 8 weekend noho (overnight stays - optional) with free accommodation and meals with field trips that take us to Marae and destinations all over Auckland then please contact me on this blog or via my email: helentauaufilisi@gmail.com ...

New Board member of a Samoan Aoga Amata...

Aoga Amata PIC Mangere (Samoan Early childhood centre) back fenced section

I have been blessed to have been brought up in Mangere PIC (Pacific Islanders Presbyterian church) as my village growing up although I didn't really understand the true difference it made until I had my own children.

Through the legacy of the late Rev. Bob Challis, a then retired minister and LMS (London Missionary Society) missionary, Rev Challis  had a vision for Pacific peoples in the 1960s and 1970s, in Auckland, he helped to establish this church to be a beacon of support for fledging families moving into Auckland from the Pacific Islands, and I'm sure he prayed over the church many times before his passing.

The church was established in the mid 1970s with a congregation of three ethnic groups including: Cook Islands, Samoa and Niuean, and over the years we have grown old together, celebrated, mourned and danced together and shared many unique memories that have made us strong over the years. It is also one church that has much unity and respect for one another's ethnic diversity.

This church was also blessed with additional land adjacent to the church that was purchased in the late 1990s - early 2000s to now house three Early childhood centres for: Cook Islands, Samoan and Niuean speaking language nests (as they were formerly called). A true blessing for our congregation.

Our eldest child and youngest child were blessed to have attended (as our middle child was home raised with playgroups) and our youngest especially has fond memories of the Samoan Aoga Amata that she enjoyed from ages 2 - 5 years before attending primary school.

So when I was asked to consider becoming a Board member, it was with some difficulty as I am already swamped with so much to do but as my daughter's experiences were so positive of her overall time there I thought to assist in whatever I could do in support of the teachers, parents, children and board for this important opportunity for children to learn initially Samoan language with English.

It's been discussed that the first three years of a child's formative learning is compacted into pathway imprints and so it is important that an Early childhood education centre that is ethnic-specific is supported to ensure that a child leaves feeling confident and armed with transferable skills to take on their compulsory education journey for all 5 year olds and that's what I hope to support in my new role...

Health and fitness goals for 2020...

Whilst my beloved is away in Samoa with my dad, I've had the chance, with the help of my sister and middle child to finally clear a space in our garage for a workout station. Pictured here is a weights station that I bought many years ago but didn't quite get around to assembling.

When I finally opened the box I was surprised to see the amount of assembling that I would have to do and a couple of hours later it was fully assembled and it even folds up which is another bonus that I wasn't expecting.

This is a blessing as in the readings and research that I've done on fitness for those getting older in life, that a combination of cardio, healthy food and some weights workouts can go a long way to supporting my health goals for 2020 and beyond.

I remember growing up and seeing many older Samoan woman in their 50s+ retired and living quite sedentary lives which is in some ways was an expectation as there were younger people to do many of the things that they used to do.

I have different ideas and have enjoyed showing and sharing a fitness weights programme with my lil sis and middle child with the idea of working together on our fitness goals for 2020. As those first 5 years at our Uni gym has gone a long way to keeping those healthy lifestyle choices alive...

Ah Siu Family Reunion Jan 2021 in Samoa...

Lobby at Return to Paradise resort. Venue for our Reunion 7 - 11 Jan, 2021

Today was our first family reunion meeting for my father's maternal grandfather's side i.e. the Ah Siu's which is my great, great grandfather's family name from somewhere in Southern China.

The family reunion is planned for 12 months from now in Samoa at my auntie and uncles, cousins Return to Paradise resort which is on the Eastern coast of Upolu.

We had a family trip to Samoa earlier last year and took a day trip to celebrate our middle child's 14th birthday, at the resort, and had an amazing day (earlier blog) and now looking forward to our 7 - 11 Jan 2021 family reunion.

The amazing thing for me was to have heard stories from my grandmother about her Chinese grandfather with the name Ah Siu when they lived in Matautu (Apia side) in Samoa. Although there isn't a picture of him, he emigrated to Samoa and settled there and married our Samoan great, great grandmother,built a family home in Matautu and had several children who are the 5 various branches of our family reunion.

We're now all so looking forward to it with lots of preparations with our Samoan families hosting and our Auckland organising komiti/committee in a support role. It's also a special time for all our cuzzies to get together and share new and old stories as well as to know their connections to Samoa and each other. 

We've also got a tentative programme that may include a fieldtrip to where our ancestors are buried, the various villages that our ancestors lived in, explaining our genealogy, a welcoming kava ceremony, a space for saofa'i for new matai or title holders and lots and lots of time together.

Definitely something to look forward to for the end of the year as the new year begins...

Last days of the holidays...

'Tasi ae Afe' (translated as 1 but 1000)

With the last couple of days before work commencing next week, I've been busy with family 'faalavelave' (Samoan word for important interruptions) i.e. a funeral in Samoa that my father and husband are attending to in Samoa.

I've also been busy decluttering our garage for a rumpus room type setting for our teens to hang out in to chill (relax) and with a small gym station with weights for fitness workouts (goals for 2020).

I have also been busy working on some art, with this piece (acrylics on canvas) which I painted a few years ago being made into a poster as one of many important proverbs that I hope to share with an interpretation or translation in the English language.

My aim for this year is to extend on writing books to also share important Samoan proverbs or proverbial expressions with some of the meanings in poster form, with artwork, to share with my communities.

The above artwork I've called 'Tasi ae afe' or literally translated as 'one but thousand'. It's the 'taupou' or female maiden title in my late paternal grandmother's village which relates to a story whereby one is worth a thousand.

I'm also considering to make into cards so that both are for sale for those who are interested in sharing our arts and the wisdom of old. Some of these artworks will be pinned in my Pinterest account that I'll be featuring in a blog next week but suffice to say that there is so much to keep me busy even before the working week begins...

Yellow haze from Australia...

Yesterday at about 2pm in Auckland, we witnessed a phenomenon that was unprecedented with its effect on the sky turning a dirty yellowy/orange colour which lasted for an hour or so.

I had been sitting in our Samoan evening service at the time and I asked my sister if she was aware of what it was all about whilst I tried to pay attention in the service.

She searched the weather news as I had found nothing and then she searched online and found out that had been plumes of smoke/smog that had blown all the way from Australia and was affecting our skies coming all the way from the fires that had been burning and was now hitting NZ in the South and North Islands.

It was so eerie that some members of the public even phoned the police in being concerned about what they were witnessing. The police issued a statement asking people to clear the lines in explaining that it was an aftereffect of the Australian fires.

I contacted some of our families in Australia to see if they had been affected and was happy to learn that they are all safe. It is so sad to learn of the millions of birdlife, animals and creatures that were killed in the blazing fires and especially people who were trying to save their family homes from burning down.

It is good to see that there has been some rain in parts of Australia that have really needed it. However, our Auckland weather has been so windy for this time of the year and this morning I noted a yellow moon that almost looked like the sun as it shone in the overcast sky.

Praying for all those people who have been caught in the blazes and also those families who have lost loved ones in trying to escape the fires but also in trying to save their own houses, properties and animals etc.

There are many places for making donations and to support and encourage our families who are out there who will be rebuilding much that has been devasted in the past few weeks. Our love and prayers go out the them...

No such thing as Plastic Samoans...

A new phenomenon has popped up over the last couple of years, that I've become very aware of, and yesterday I decided to do something about it having asked our eldest if she didn't mind parting with a recent drawing that I wanted to make into a poster to tell an important message.

The phenomenon is the idea of a 'plastic Samoan'. Whoever created this idea may have started it as a joke but it has now become an insult and a derogatory term that is noted for particularly those who may not speak the Samoan language or who may identify as being Samoan but may not know much about Samoa.

I've discussed this in an earlier blog but it pains me to still hear people discuss themselves in terms of being a plastic Samoan and being apologetic for being one.

I totally reject this negative label that is deemed to make someone feel less of value, as a Samoan, it seems to me to be similar to the oppressive terms of racism that Europeans and even us as Samoans, termed those coming from Samoa as 'FOBS' in the 1970s - 1980s (Fresh off the boat) and even the racial slur 'Bunga' which has gone out of fashion.

Therefore, I've decided to start sharing some 'wisdom' thoughts through 'tofa sa'ili' from my research in poster form of beginning to counter some of the attacks that we see on Samoan cultural evolution, those with multicultural identities that include being Samoa and Samoan diaspora (those living away from the homeland) communities in NZ, Australia, USA, Hawaii, Alaska etc.

If you agree with the poster then please share it. I've discussed the copyright with our eldest and we are happy for it to be distributed far and wide without reserving any rights as this is an important term to be refuted and to not continue the demeaning of our own people who have not the voice to counter such attacks.

I've also written a poem that I'll be publishing later on in the year but to suffice to say that often a poster can sum up thoughts in a pithy way that can then be shared for others' considerations so that the perpetrators can STOP!...

New 2020 blog look...

'Navigating Journeys' (2019)
by Helen Tau'au Filisi
(Media: Acrylics on canvas)

This new year and decade brings about ideas for featuring various works of art that I'm working on in this blog on a monthly basis that capture some of the designs that I am incorporating into my doctoral creative works that are currently in development.

This particular month I'm featuring the 'Navigating Journeys' art piece to tie in with last year's works (acrylics on canvas) that I've used for the front cover page of our latest community anthology with the same title. 

It incorporates designs from the malu (Samoan traditional female tattoo) with new renderings of the colour palette as I explore various treatments of designs for a contemporary feel.

I'll be continuing to study the malu and pe'a/malofie (Samoan male traditional tattoo) patterns, designs and meanings for reinterpretation within a contemporary context as a diaspora Samoan women living in Auckland.

I'll also be sharing some poetry and short stories that I've written or ideas that I am currently working on within my thesis which happens to be much overdue with so many spaces that I work at that I'm having to prioritize what I can and cannot do within my limited time frame.

Today, I'm going to share a short story that is featured in my 'Frangipani whispers' (2018) poetry and prose collection. It was actually about an incident that my little brother and I experienced in the 1990s when he had long hair and he was getting teased by another student.

Long Hair

The sun shines blindly today as I sit quietly with my little brother waiting for the bag bell to ring.

A figure looms overhead casting its shadow upon us. He is an older boy. He jumps onto the bench where we are seated. He throws up and catches a ball with a menacing smile.

- He's a girl! He's got long hair!

A finger points accusingly at my little brother. I look up into the shadow.

- He's a boy! 'cause I've got short hair and you've got short hair, so we're girls!

He jumps off the bench with a startled look of puzzlement then runs away.

I turn to my little brother and see the twinkling in his eyes as the sun smiles brightly.

I'd be interested in your comments if you or someone close to you has experienced this type of teasing or bullying. This just happened to be my response to the situation. I know that others have responded differently. How would you have responded to this situation?...

Happy New Year for 2020...

This morning, I woke up early to attend our first prayer breakfast meeting of the year for 2020 at 6am with my church family.

It was a special time to meet together having prayed in the new year with my home family (three generations) and wishing each other a New year ahead.

And then upon returning home straight onto my new year's resolution (more about goals for the new year) for starting back on my fitness trail and a healthy lifestyle for 2020.

Only to learn through social media that another work colleague has passed away overnight and awaiting funeral details.

Although somber in thought, it's also a timely reminder to number our days as we make New Year's resolutions and plans for this new year, it's also about fulfilling the work that we've been called to do with the talents that we have, with the strength that we have and the influence that we have.

Wishing to all who read this blog a very special new year and decade ahead of us and an encouragement to seek out what your special talents are and the specific influence that you have and the positive messages/testimony/demonstration that you can give in changing someone's world for good. God bless you...