Unveiling of Papa's Memorial stone, NZ...

 

A couple of days ago, on Christmas Eve a year after we buried my father, my family was able to host a memorial service, at his beloved local Pacific Islanders Presbyterian church and then hosted the unveiling at our local cemetery followed by food packs to take home.

It was a real blessing to have been able to open restrictions after a whole year of mourning (more of a process) and now I'm able to blog more regularly and also write and publish more regular in having somewhat fasted during this period.

We had our Reverend Ministers attend with our family representatives, church family and friends. It was a beautiful service with my sister and youngest making a video picture montage of many special memories that we had together.

We were also gifted during this time and pray that God will bless those who gave as we also gifted during this time. It's definitely been a very special time of reflection and contemplation of the many things that my father did that defined who he was but also how we learned so many life lessons from him.

I've already started a book of some of his memoirs so that future generations are aware of how this pioneering forefather was able to accomplish so much during this 84 years on earth and how he still inspires, through God's presence in his lifetime, a spirit of tenacity, honesty, courage over adversity and a hardworking ethic.

I miss his presence but I believe that he remains in my heart and through his God inspiration encourages me to continue in the gifts and talents that I've been given to write and to share some 'gold' in the world that we live through my writings etc.

At the family service, I was able to share of how it was a privilege to be his daughter and that although he wasn't a perfect father (no one ever is) but h was a perfect father for me. We did have a mutually respectful and loving relationship that continues to inspire me beyond the veil...

Attending a Samaga or final ceremony for traditional Samoan tattoo...

 

Today, I had the privilege of attending my faiaoga (teacher) of Gagana Samoa (Samoan language) samaga or final ritual or ceremony of completing a traditional Samoan male tatau or tattoo.

The process involves a prayer and lifting the tapu or sā (restriction) off the tattooing. An egg is cracked and then with tumeric and oil is rubbed all over the tattooed person's body.

The traditional male tattoo is known as a malofie or pe'a and it was such an important and special occasion for my class to be invited to support and attend with him during his tattoo which took around 5+ days. 

In the pic, our teacher is lying on the floor whilst the tufuga or Master tattooist is using the traditional method of tapping the markings on him. The pain must have been excruciating but he handled it well.

The completed tattoo is also known as a "la'ei" or garment and that is worn as a symbol of serving ones village, church, family, Samoan traditions etc. and our teacher already does this well.

It was particularly important for me to also attend as I am currently finishing a picture book on traditional Samoa tattooing that I first started writing the text in Melbourne in 2016 but at that time did not feel quite ready for the illustrations or finalize.

However, upon attending and watching the tattooing process with my class, I felt that the time was right to complete and launch in Samoa in the new year of 2023, Lord willing. As it was also mentioned that this is a measina a Samoa or another treasure of Samoa that is so important to be aware and participate in.

It was even more special to be able to share it with my classmates in support of our teacher who has been a very keen in sharing this journey of his family with us and deepening our understandings of the fa'aSamoa. Not only theoretically in class but also practically in an opportunity such as this...

New Published book since the 2020 global pandemic...

This last weekend, I celebrated the 50th Golden Jubilee Anniversary celebration of my birth-church with a book blessing of a book that I had the privilege of editing on behalf of our church the PIPC (Pacific Islands Presbyterian Church) of Mangere. A church that my father was blessed to have been one of the founders of.

It is the first book that I have self-published since the global COVID-19 Pandemic that hit NZ in March of 2020. During that time I thought of it as a "sā" or sacred phenomenon that needed my attention. As a result, I felt the importance to take heed and to listen, observe and be watchful for the next chapter of my writing.

It caused me to refrain from publishing any books during that time and it also coincided with the passing of my beloved father in December of 2021. Here too I refrained from blogging and writing much until a year has passed as part of my grieving process and in giving space for a deeper spiritual understanding of life as I live it here in Auckland, New Zealand in the year 2022.

In the new year, I will return to my blogging and publishing, with more exciting book on the horizon to publish. I feel refreshed and I see some new outcomes for my writing and publishing projects with this first book giving me much pleasure and in sharing it with a community of believers.

The book itself received contributions from our two reverend ministers as well as four groups within our church of a) the Session clerk & Combined church b) the Cook Islands Secretary & groups c) the Samoan Secretary & groups d) the Niue Secretary & group.

Within each group there are youth groups, ladies or mother's groups, men's groups, and many other committees that assist in providing opportunities and information to the church. I had the privilege of editing, formatting pics and the document and designing the cover page. I also had the opportunity to write the Foreword and Afterword which was a real blessing.

May the New Year of 2023, hold many new promises for each and every one of us for a refreshed and blessed year with much potential for a breath of fresh air in each of our lives. I'm really looking forward to what 2023 holds...
 

Measina Showcase & Toa Samoa...

Wow! This November we've finished 2 years of Measina (Treasures of Samoa) workshops with our A'oga (school) community and had lots of fun along the way.

On the left is a collage of some of the pics that were taken during our final Measina Showcase, however, it did coincide with the same day of the pre-World Rugby League cup finals celebrations on Saturday 19th of November.

That's with the knowledge of the current world cup holders - Australia, playing Toa Samoa who have never made it into any World cup finals. So this was big!

It was a crazy day with back logs of cars trying to get to Fan bases all around the city and with Samoans (and their supporters) flying the Samoa flags proudly on the cars and beeping, beeping and more beeping constantly around town.

It was an epic celebration even before the finals game between Samoa and Australia with Samoa being the underdog as a second tier nation playing against a first World nation. Plus the fact that we now that Australis is a seasonal and well oiled machine in playing Rugby League at the top of the table for many, many years.

But even though Samoa came second it was a big win for the nation with small nation of Samoa on the lips of many international and I saw many of our measina on display through Social media that showed off the culture of Samoa. May this continue to grow world-wide and prosper...

New book "Intergenerational Echoes: COVID-19..."

Finally, we are back on track with the launching, last weekend, of our latest offering from the Mana Māngere writers' collective and guests with a collection called "Intergenerational Echoes: COVID-19 Experiences in Māngere and Otāhuhu".

This is the fourth book in our collection with the beautiful cover by my sister and artist Anna-Maria Tauau (we just call her Maria) and she just graduated with her Master of Applied Indigenous Knowledge degree this year and was one of the writers as well.

The collection is similar to the others of having writers write on the theme of sharing their COVID-19 experiences from within their communities through poetry or short stories.

There are some poems/short stories that are angry, happy and also some that are sad but hope was encouraged as we each navigated our space through the pandemic.

It was also fitting to have our book launch on that weekend as the mask restrictions as well as the COVID-19 Traffic light system had been lifted earlier and we could once again move freely without wearing masks at the book launch.

I'd like to now share one of the acrostic poems that my sister wrote called "CORONA VIRUS CRISIS". It's an interesting poem because with the global pandemic came new vocabulary, some of which we had not used or heard of before, or words were used in new ways...

Contract tracing

Outbreak

Recovery

Oxford Astrazeneca Vaccine

N95 (masks)

Asymptomatic

Ventilators

Incubation period

Respiratory symptoms

Infectious

Sanitizer and soap

Conferencing with Zoom

Restricted movement

Infodemic

Social distance

Immunization

Self-isolation

 by Anna-Maria Tauau

New book "COVID-19..." weekend launch...

This past weekend had been so busy that I hadn't gotten the chance to blog about it until now with the launch of our latest contribution since 2019 pre-pandemic called "Intergenerational Echoes: COVID-19 Experiences in Māngere & Otāhuhu"

 It's a collection of short stories and poetry from the Mana Mangere writers' collective and guest writers. The theme of the collection was for each writer to write about their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic that affected so many people since 2020 when it first appeared on our shores.

The book was dedicated to those who had passed away during that time of which also includes a short story about the passing of my father during that time as well as 3 other people that I had been aware of who had also died during the time but not of COVID-19 itself but through other factors.

It's was a bittersweet time in having the writers come together as I had purposefully waited until the pandemic numbers had significantly decreased before having a book launch. Interestingly enough, the last book launch was about the 1918 epidemic in Samoa.

I'll share some of the short poems in another blog but to suffice to say that it was an event (book launch) that was enjoyed by all and the first of more books to be launched in coming weeks and months as we look forward to what the new year brings...

Happy Springtime with "Master Blaster"...

 

This week I've been jamming with my lil' sister and in our travels one of my all time favourite Stevie Wonder songs came up in our conversation as I think she was sharing about a Hollywood tribute to the iconic star with Beyonce singing a medley of some of his hit songs.

I watched the tribute but in my opinion it doesn't really come close to Stevie Wonder's original hits. So I've been playing his "Master Blaster" hit song and dancing to it whilst completing my 10K steps for September.

Yes, it has a Reggae beat and a real pick up now that Springtime is officially on the cards for our NZ seasons. Plus with my busy schedule, this song just reminds me to take it easy, one day, one step at a time and to just enjoy!...

Weaving workshop for Ie Toga...

This weekend was quite a busy one for me with an amazing weaving workshop where I learned to start an Ie Toga (fine mat) that is revered in Samoa.

It also reminded me of the stories that my mother told me of the weaving that my namesake, Eleni, my paternal great grandmother would demonstrate for my mother and how she learned to weave from her grandmother.

It was such a privilege to feel that now that that knowledge has now been passed on and I'm looking forward to learning more.

I first started to learn weaving, in my adult years, through learning by watching Maori teachers demonstrate and teach by using harakeke or native NZ flax fronds that are easily found around local parks, schools and planted on some family properties.

It's a real blessing with so much more to still learn. We also learned new vocabulary and about the origin story of how Samoa's important fine mat came from Tonga and has now become a very important part of Samoan custom and still retains the name "Ie Toga".

It's also seen as being the very first measina or the most important measina of all the treasures of Samoa due to it's important use in many faaSamoa rituals. From weddings and birthdays to funerals and blessing ceremonies.

It's also important in the ceremony of the 'ifoga' whereby one or a family is able to use the Ie Toga to ask for forgiveness for transgressions if the offended party accepts it. So that the Ie Toga can preserve life too. Something that I've since learned from my studies with more to learn as well...

 

Happy National Poetry day today!...

Happy National Poetry Day! This day usually falls on the last Friday of the month of August and it's a day that I've been celebrating in various ways for a number of years as a creative writer / poet.

This year, I'm going to be sharing a poem that I wrote a number of years ago from my second poetry and short stories collection called "Frangipani whispers" that I self-published in May of 2018.

I've working on another poetry and short stories collection which is a community anthology that was funded by our local board last year but thought to launch in this year once the COVID numbers had decreased which it seems to be happening now.

The title of the poem is called "Birth of a Poem".

Placing pen on paper

an attempt to express

the sudden urge to write

Lost in thought

of myriad sensations

an idea

explodes in the mind

An apprehensive feeling

what happens now?

will it work?

The world rushes around

as words take on shape

choosing their own form

then...

birth pains

Life breathes on the page

read - inhale

Measina workshop - Tala o le vavau (ancient Samoan stories)...

Last weekend, I had the honour and the privilege of offering a Measina workshop with the topic of "Tala o le vavau" or ancient Samoan stories.

It was an opportunity for me to share some of the knowledge and resources that I have been blessed with and able to learn and create resources along the way to share with local families and teachers in our Samoan bilingual Early childhood education centre.

It started at 10am with a few families who had attended an earlier Ministry of Education initiative of a 3 day (Saturdays) workshops in learning how to share in reading of parents with their youngsters.

Our centre decided to kickstart our Measina workshops off the momentum of those programmes and after a weeks break we began. We started with a prayer blessing for the workshop and then we started with short introduction about the topic.

I was able to share about my background and particularly my father being a foundation of the Samoan EKLS (church membership) and of my grandmother not being particularly interested in the topic as with our Christian upbringing but still supported me in finding the right people to help me in my endeavours.

I was also able to talk about my Korean "professor" who encouraged me to consider studying a topic that was from my own cultural understandings as in being one of the first Samoan post-graduate students in the Geography faculty at Auckland University at that time.

I was able to talk about the matai (chief) of that time, the late A'eau Taulupoo Lafaiali'i who shared with me the many stories but cautioned that there were a lot of different understandings or perspectives of the stories and to be aware of this in not sharing.

However, in turning a half century, I thought it was time to write them for next generations in case I passed away with stories that brought me to the resources in that there were five tables in which families were encouraged to gather around and to read the one Tala o le vavau storybook either in English or Samoan that had been placed on the table before them.

Each group started the read their story with the theme to consider what important things they learned in reading each story. As each group was encouraged beforehand to have a speaker to share back with the bigger group on their findings.

The group sharing was phenomenal and I was so encouraged it what I heard. It's confirmed the reasons for why I share these stories in giving diaspora Samoans confirmation of the knowledge culture that was there way before colonization began for Samoa.

It also confirms that there are important stories for Samoa that explain the origins of place names, terms used in speeches, important names or titles that have been passed down from generations. These were just some of the feedback comments that encouraged me for another workshop which won't be until next year, Lord willing, as there are other workshops to be share yet.

Suffice to say that I was again very privileged to be able to share this gift of our ancient stories, a measina a Samoa or cultural treasure that was passed down to me and that I am now able to share with many others. A tribute to 'A'eau Taulupoo Lafaialii, who first made it possible for me. Lest I forget...

 

Blessings of cultural knowledge...

It has been a very busy past few weeks in working on my exegesis for my PhD, teaching, family, chairing our ECE (Early childhood education) pre-school, Elder church duties etc. with so many things to do and write about that I haven't had the time to write so much in this blog.

Suffice to say that there is never a dull moment and it seems that things are coming together in such a way that I wouldn't have been able to do it all myself and in a very special way, it feels that my late father is there with me support and guiding in so many things that I otherwise would not have been able to think about or do in my own strength.

In faith, it also means that I feel blessed in upholding that there is a greater power as in a God who cares and is immeasurably more able answer prayers in ways that otherwise one would not be able to pursue in their own strength. I can definitely testify to that.

There is a Samoan muagaga (phrase) that goes 'o le aso ma le taeao' which translates as a day and a morning which means to me that there is a time and a place when things will happen and that there is no need to stress or panic but to walk in such a way that when things happen that it was meant to be.

I think about how I came about the topic of 'measina a Samoa' that it 'fits' with what I have been brought up as a diaspora Samoan living away from the homeland in that I've met many people who were born in Samoa but have not been afforded the information that I have been gifted with even though I was not born or lived in Samoa for long periods of time. 

There are so many unexplained pieces of the puzzle that are beginning to 'fit' that I had otherwise would not or could not have known were even things that I would have considered to write about in the exegesis but they have become important as I continue to walk out the journey.

And this weekend, I'll be facilitating a workshop on the 'tala o le vavau' (ancient Samoan stories) or books that I have re-written to an audience of our Aoga (pre-school) parents to talk about the stories and important meanings that they draw from each story. 

I am so thankful, in that this is a project has been funded by the Ministry of Education through its Pacific Innovation Funding in being able to fund our Aoga to have such workshops that support our parents to share their cultural knowledge inter-generationally.

 

COVID-19 2nd Booster shots...

 

It's been interesting to listen to people discussing the COVID vaccinations with the 2nd Booster now being rolled out for those who are in the vulnerable category particularly those over 50s with underlying health conditions and especially targeting Maori and Pasifika peoples over 50 too.

There are many who have caught the COVID virus and are deciding not to get more shots because of the antibodies that they believe that now have. Some have even contracted COVID variants on more than two occasions and have said that catching the flu or cold was worse.

Despite the different feedback and conversations I've been aware of, I'd decided to continue with my shots, in being on the cautious side, but am still aware that it's not everyone's cup-of-tea.

This artwork on the left was one that I found really interesting when I visited a COVID vaccination clinic. It has various New Zealand iconic birdlife that one is to try and find but I forgot to include the caption as I was more interested in the beautiful artwork that doesn't credit who the artist was.

Suffice to say that it kept me occupied in having to wait the usual 15 minutes in case of an allergic reaction after getting the booster and I think I found most, if not all, of the said birdlife. It was quite relaxing and fun but they really should credit the artist.

I also took along my youngest to get the flu shot as that's been a real difficulty last year when getting sick with the cold or flu from attending school on multiple occasions. That's the first time too that flu shots have been encouraged for pre-teens.

All of this before the school holidays...

Dame "Whina" Cooper - the movie...

 During the weekend, I got to watch the movie "Whina" with my youngest in celebration of Matariki and acknowledging the tangata whenua (indigenous peoples) of this land. It was a very interesting and moving story about Dame Whina Cooper and some of her trials and tribulations during her 98 years.

Afterwards, I watched "This is you Life" which was a 1980s NZ TV programme that honoured well known NZers for their contribution to the nation. Dame Whina Cooper was featured and many of her family and friends were able to pay tribute to her for the many things that she had done to inspire them.

One of the things that I learned about her was that she was very staunch in her ways that were not always popular with Pākeha (Europeans) and Maori alike. She was brought up Catholic and was able to keep stay true to her Maori upbringing and beliefs as well.

In NZ history, she was the leader of the first of many Maori land marches in the 1970s that implored the government to not sell anymore Maori land that today stands at only owning some 5% with non-Maori owning around 95%.

Her motto was about loosing "not one more acre" and I remember taking my students, pre-COVID to an exhibition at the Auckland Museum that displayed some of the iconic photos that were taken during that march with many memories on those who had passed away some 50 years ago.

Her legacy stands still to this day of one who stood strong for her people but also for the unity of NZ'ers. She is an inspiration for wanting to have a peaceable march that was about uniting people and sharing the burden of her people and one that all NZ'ers need to learn about or watch through this movie...

Celebrating our 1st national Matariki...

 

Today (24 June 2022), marks the first day in the history of NZ of celebrating an indigenous marker of the Maori new year through a holiday named Matariki.

Over the last few years, I've taught about Matariki in my tikanga (Maori protocols and customs) classes and it's been such a joy in watching the developing interest in Matariki to now be celebrated nationally throughout NZ.

Although many mainstream NZ'ers won't know of it's origin, it's really interesting to note that the Pacific people who first immigrated to Aotearoa, NZ those my centuries ago (circa 1100s?) upon vast voyaging canoes were highly observant sky watchers and were masterful navigators and star watchers. 

The Matariki stars cluster is known throughout the world by the name 'Pleiades' as with Greek mythology and the story of the 7 sisters. It's interesting to note that when Matariki was first discussed in education circles, in NZ, that stories circulated around about Matariki being the 7 sisters but we've since known that that story was not of the Maori creation stories but instead brought about through the Greek version.

In fact, the early Maori were well observant in viewing star clusters and Matariki which is a 7 star or 9 star (depending on where you are viewing them from) is one such star cluster that the early Maori were able to use to assist them with their planting and harvesting annual cycles.

To add to that, each of the whetū (stars) were named and had associated eco-system links i.e.

1. Matariki - is known as the guardian of all the stars or mother star. It is also the name given to the star cluster. For some there is an emphasis on healing.
2. Waiti - bodies of fresh water and the life sources that they sustain i.e. fresh water lakes, drinking waters, eels etc.
3. waitā - bodies of salt water the the life sources that they sustain in the oceans and seas teeming with fish and sealife
4. Tipu-a-nuku - cultivated soils teeming with foods
5. Tupu-a-rangi - lush and bountiful forests and life sources they sustain 
6. Ururangi - great winds and passive winds
7. Waipuna-a-rangi - rains that falls from the sky including drizzles etc.
8. Pohutakawa - a star that is associated with the passing away of dearly beloved ones during the year. A journey into the stars.
9. Hiwa-i-te-rangi - also known as the wishing star for the future.

Last year there was a debate that was started by comments of so-called European academics, at a University, questioning whether the 'science' of matauranga Maori (indigenous Maori knowledge systems) if it could sustain scientific thinking.

I found the debate quite interesting because it told me of the ignorance of the academics of knowing so little of a knowledge system that spans far deeper and wider than they could ever imagine. Suffice to say that they were shut down by many who were indeed aware but the arrogance of their not knowing was not acceptable before making their comments.

It made me realise that indeed as a nation we had come so far in knowing my own predominantly hegemonic educational background of being brought up in the western social science discipline but then discover since that we have got so much more to learn about the indigenous sciences systems that our Pasifika ancestors learned and traversed the expanse of the Pacific oceans way before the Americas or Europeans had crafted their sailing vessels. 

We do indeed hail from traditions of scientific thought and experiences of our early Pasifika ancestors with knowledge systems that have long since been forgotten by many but still sheds a light on the symbiotic relationships between those ancestors and the environments that they discovered those many centuries ago and are only just coming to light for many...

Author's hope for writing and reading...

 

One of my favourite things to do with the books that I've been privileged to be able to self-publish, is to share those books with the children that I wrote them for.

The main purpose for writing, especially the ancient Samoan stories series or tala o le vavau (stories of the ancient times) or tala mai anamua (stories from ancient times), was about passing those important stories and knowledge onto the next generations so that they would learn about the culture of their ancestors as I had as a Samoan growing up in Aotearoa, NZ.

When I visited our local Samoan bilingual Early childhood centre, it was neat to see a write up of the event that I was honoured to read to them the story of "Sina and the Tuna" and "The footprint of Moso".

From one of the teachers, I was able to get feedback that the stories excited the students and that they were able to re-tell the stories in their own words back to the class and their teacher.

I've since gifted the whole 7 book series to the centre in order to support their childrens' learnings and to give the teacher resources to support the good works that are happening there. I definitely have more books to come in the series of historical and ancient stories but with my current studies underway, there will be a delay before publishing.

Still, it gives me a great feeling of hope and honour to be able to share these stories that were shared so easily with me back with my studies in the late 1980s in Samoa and then continued as I delved in to indigenously research the stories of my ancestral culture.

To see our next generations learning and being excited about these stories, gives me hope that the important knowledge contained within will continued to be shared and that gives impetus to work on more to come...

Ihumātao - protest resolution...

 

This weekend has been quite busy with a Zoom Wānanga (high learning/teaching space) with my class and cautious with the COVID environment that our nation finds itself in.

As a usual part of my class, I would take them on fieldtrips to local whenua (land/s) to discuss Maori and Indigenous principles regarding land, waters and skies.

However, as we still have high daily case numbers (4,000 - 5,000+) of COVID in our communities, the tertiary institution that I work for has encouraged us as kaiako (tutors/teachers) to take a cautious approach.

Therefore, instead of my class going out on the fieldtrip, I took my phone/camera and Zoomed them in after I drove to a couple of places on the weekend for my class to still experience these important spaces.

One of the places was Ihumātao, where there was a pre-COVID a stand off between local manawhenua (indigenous Maori people with generation pre-colonial territory rights) and their supporters weighing in and occupied land that had been sold by a European landowner to a big property development company. 

The development company wanted to cash in with the looming building crisis of a house shortages in Auckland and they wanted to build 480 houses right next to the Otuataua stonefields which is a NZ protected heritage site that still has archaeological sites of interests of the early occupation of that area in the 1200s. 

People came to support the kaupapa (issue or topic) from all over New Zealand, both locally and nationally and many were non-Maori. Some even came from overseas indigenous nations i.e. Hawaii and First nations peoples from Canada and USA. There was such a ground swell of people support that the government really had no choice but to address the issue of such a delicate and complex nature.

The big problem was that the lands were formerly confiscated by the then NZ government of the 1860s and then redistributed and sold to European landowners who had come from England to find new lands. In fact, Maori now only own 5% of NZ lands than what they had formerly owned back in the early 1800s.

The problem was further complicated by some Maori manawhenua representatives of the area signing a deal that was not accepted by those living on the area thus dividing many with strong opinions on both sides. I am so glad that now there has been a concerted effort to reach a resolution.

Since that time, with the COVID environment intervening in all national states of affairs, it was announced last year, in December, that a settlement had been reached with the government buying the said land for around $30 million and that there was now a consortium (of sorts) of stakeholders, including manawhenua, to discuss the use of the land.

It was also expressed that the Maori King, King Tuheitea and his supporters and the Maori caucus (in parliament) were pivotal in the negotiations that took place and now there is an interesting resolution to the peaceful protest (or rights to protection) that would otherwise have been developed for housing with local manawhenua looking on...

Netflix movie recommended called "Hustle"...

 Lately, I've been so busy with so many things on the go that I often don't get much time to sit down and relax. This week, I decided I needed some well deserved R & R (rest & relaxation) and thought to see what might be interesting to watch on Netflix i.e. something that I could enjoy and relate to.

Adam Sandler's latest Netflix movie called "Hustle" was an interesting pick as it was recently released and as I don't enjoy watching sports on TV but do enjoy watching movies about sports heroes, the rise of the underdog etc. This movie was certainly a surprise for me.

I must say that I haven't been a big fan of the main actor, Adam Sandler, especially in some of this comedies that I thought were OTT "over the top" but this movie, I thought, was thoughtfully directed and Adam Sandler was a believable character with Queen Latifah as his onscreen wife.

I won't spoil the movie for you except to say that Basketball fans might recognize a lot of the famous basketball players that are featured on the movie and that it's a good story that encourages hard work and consistent effort to win the day. 

So if you do get a chanced for some R & R and decide to watch this movie. Enjoy...

Pentecost Sunday in Hamilton...

 

This Pentecost Sunday, my family is spending the long weekend (Monday is the Queen's birthday holiday) in Hamilton and thoroughly enjoying it in a home away from home R & R holiday. So woke up this morning to join in with two live morning church services (back to back) that were livestreamed with the 9am service at Life Church and 10am with Mangere PIC (Presbyterian).

During the services it was neat to reflect back in how the COVID environment sped up the need for people to be able to connect remotely via digital media when whole countries and communities were in lockdown. Now we are able to connect to church services digitally without having to attend physically in services particularly if we can't be there in person.

We are now learning to live with the virus but still in NZ with daily averages of approximately 11 people dying per day and a daily average of 6,000 - 7,000+ people reported as catching the COVID virus.

It is scary to think that this is now our norm in having such a pervasive virus living within our communities despite various attempts to stamp out the virus. It seems even more difficult as there are predictions that with the winter flu onset that there will be more people presenting to hospitals with complications from both and this will add to the pressures of our Health systems.

Despite this, we are grateful for the various interventions that are at present trying to combat the spread of the virus through mask wearing, vaccinations, isolations and general keeping as healthy as possible. This Pentecost Sunday, I'm just thankful to have my family together enjoying each others company and counting out blessings...

Celebrating Samoan language...

Yesterday was quite busy with a quick run to the bank in readiness for our afternoon sojourn to Hamilton for the long weekend. It was also the last school day of the week for the celebration of Samoan language week for 2022 and it was neat to have been able to celebrate it with two other schools. The first was a local primary school where I was able to read to a group of students at the school library. The books that I read from were: 'Sina and the Tuna'(Sina ma le Tuna) which is always a favourite with the schools that I read at. The second book was 'The footprint of Moso' (O le Tulaga va o Moso). The second time reading was at the local Samoan bilingual Aoga (Early childhood centre - school) that I am a chairperson at. It's always neat to see the reactions of children and what they think of the story. When leaving the centre gifted to me a plate of Samoan food that we ended up taking with us on our trip out of Auckland and added to our evening meal i.e. taro, green bananas in coconut sauce with fried pisupo (corned beef) and greens. A nice way to end a week of celebrations...

Queen's Birthdays celebrations with long weekend...

This week has been a particularly busy week of birthdays in my family starting with my beloved and my nephew sharing the same birth date on the 31st of May.

We had a special lunch for my beloved with a cake and blowing out candles and then for my nephew's celebration, my family went out to a restaurant and had an enjoyable experience with him. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend as I had to teach my class and then attend a meeting but the pics that were shared on Messenger and the stories shared were neat to see and hear.

On the 1st of June, my mum was blessed with another year added in turning 83 years old. It's the first year that we celebrated her birthday without our father (who passed away before Christmas last year) but we were still able to have an enjoyable time with her as we took her to a Vietnamese Restaurant and had her favourite meal there.

This long Queen's birthday weekend, my beloved suggested that we take the family on a road trip out of Auckland to celebrate the birthdays but also to have some R & R meaning Rest & Relaxation. I have so much work to do but agreed and now the whole family is looking forward to relaxing in the Waikato as we travel, by car, to Hamilton which is only an hour car drive away.

We'll be relaxing at a Holiday home that is more rural and looking forward to getting lots of work done but also taking the time to relax, explore the natural surroundings and to get out of urbania (urban area) and perhaps soak up some sun too. Although it is getting colder as autumn moves over to allow winter to set in with Winter official starting on the 1st of June.

So looking forward to also coming back with some more family stories and making memories of times together as well as celebrating birthdays with the ones that we love the most. May you also have an enjoyable Queen's birthday long weekend...

Samoa Language week 2022...

 

Sunday 29th of May marks the first day of a week of celebrations for Samoa Language week that is being encouraged all over New Zealand with many schools, families, churches and organizations joining in the celebrations.

This year's theme is: "Fa'aāuāu le folauga i le va'a o tautai" translates as continue the voyage with competent Way finders of the ocean.

It's an interesting theme as it follows the United Nations of 17 Sustainable Development goals that includes quality education and sustaining knowledge that brings about positive community outcomes.

I'll be speaking at one of my local schools as a guest speaker to talk about some of the success that I've been blessed with in being bilingual with Samoan as my first language and English as my adopted language in living in New Zealand. Te Reo Maori is my third language that I'm currently learning in the space that I teach in Te Whānanga o Aotearoa.

It will be an exciting week as many Samoans will be celebrating through song and dance, important conversations, watching films, dressing in contemporary Samoan clothing i.e. ie faitaga (male formal wrap), puletasi (two piece of long wrap skirt and top with Pacific print designs) etc.

I thank my parents, and particularly my late father, who taught me about the importance of my Samoan language and encouraged us as children to speak Samoan at home and to learn English at school. It's these memories that I will treasure for ever.

Ia manuia le vaiaso mo le fa'atāuaina o le gagana Samoa i Aotearoa, Niu Sila. May the week go well for demonstrating the importance of the Samoan language in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Ia soifua ma ia manuia. Good bye and may all go well.

Stat's with Pacer's Virtual adventures...

Since last year in September, I thought to start some fitness and exercise goals that would keep me fit during the COVID-19 Nationwide lockdown.

Since then I've been able to keep to my goals (on most days) of trying to take 10,000 steps daily which I'm told is the average steps that adults should be aiming for and it's assisted in my fitness goals too.

The neat thing about joining Pacer's Virtual Worldwide adventures (as shared in earlier blogs) is that it allows me to go on virtual tours to various nations and have a look at some of the features of each country.

So far, I've been able to virtually and successfully keep 13+ worldwide virtual challenges to at least 11 different countries and regions. Have also covered around 1,350+ kilometres which equates to finishing 32+ full marathons and a 1.7 round trip to an International Space station (as stated in the graphic to the left).

I'd highly recommend this challenge to any with fitness goals, as it keeps me motivated and enthusiastic to get up each morning and crush my fitness goals, especially during this time of the COVID pandemic and all of the variant problems that its posed.

So one of the decisions that I made was to dance the steps (I know it sounds crazy) but to put on some fast paced music on my 'Wonderboom' speaker and it's worked wonders.

I have different play lists ranging from Samoan music, to fast paced Latino music, Zumba music, Disco music and my daughter's and younger sister's music which is more contemporary with their fast beats as well.

That way, I don't have to always go outside for walks, although I do go outside for the occasion walk on public holidays and early morning weekends when not so many people are out and about and I can walk around without a mask (although I do put it on when I'm approaching others).

 I have managed, at times, to rope along one of my family members to go for a walk with me, but it's far to early for them on a weekend and I often like to walk and enjoy the crisp morning air with little traffic accompanied by my thoughts and things to consider for the day.

So definitely, encouraging you to five this a go and see where it takes you. I know that it's not everyone's cup of tea (or coffee) but it certainly works for me and I'll continue to post my progress through out the year.

With one more continent to work on i.e. Antarctica and then I will have completed my goals to virtually visit each of the seven continents. So all the best for your fitness goals to keep crushing it!...

Siapo (tapa cloth) patterns in PhD study...

 

My creative PhD studies allows me to create artworks and study various patterns of Samoan culture that was created hundreds of years ago and are still being continued in today's Samoan societies.

In this study pictured left, I've painted my favourite Samoan siapo (tapa cloth) pattern using acrylics on small canvases and in using the colours of i.e. bronze, gold, silver and black to replicate some of the colours that would used through the natural plants of Samoa.

I wanted to capture the rich vibrancy of Samoan culture but also keeping with earthy tones that are associated with siapo as siapo as seen as another measina (treasure/s) of Samoan material culture.

I've had so much fun making these up as I'm also giving them away to participants in my study as a token of my appreciation for the time, effort and knowledge that they've shared with me.

In fact, I find it a real privilege to be able to learn and share my understandings gained in learning more about the history behind what entails being 'measina a Samoa'. I also see that there are some changes that have happened over the years and some of these findings I'll be sharing on this blog but also with the participants after writing up my exegesis/thesis with accompanying artworks etc...

'Measina' mugs for PhD studies participants...

 

My Measina PhD fieldwork has been moving along slowly with the sharing of stories from various participants. It's been a very interesting journey so far with lots of rich information and also a lot to consider going forward.

As part of the recognition of the time, efforts and knowledge that has been passed onto me, I've reciprocated with a Koko Samoa pack that includes 'Measina' mugs with the word imprinted on foil on the mugs as a sovereign for participating in the study.

I've had some neat feedback as I've wanted to keep the conversations casual in not expecting to have fully researched answers but more of a 'slice of life' or a discussion on their experiences of what measina means to them but also their observations.

I have also reflected on my own observations of measina over time and it's been interesting to see the similarities but also differences of people's thoughts on measina.

Needless to say, that many of my participants on women both young and old but I also have privileged to also have been able to discuss the idea of measina with men in my village group which brought about their interesting observations as well.

Suffice to say, that there is a lot to write about and as I've asked for it to be a 'Creative PhD' in that I will be producing some artworks, poetry and a few books during this time, I feel that it is the right time and place for me to right about this important phenomenon i.e. an understanding of Measina for diaspora Samoans...

A+ Bloods call-out...

It's been awhile since I gave blood as a blood donor back in 2017, however, whilst I was watching the TV news on Monday, there was a call out for those who have A+ as there was a shortage with only 4 days left nationwide.

Of course I then phoned for an appointment and found that the local blood donor place was full until next week and so was re-diverted to the Epsom (Auckland central clinic) where there was only a next day wait to make an appointment.

So today I was able to support my community in giving blood. However, whilst I was there, the nurse told me that there was still a short supply so I'll be calling in my family, those who like me are A+, to also consider donating their blood.

I know that for some religious faiths and personal decisions, not everyone agrees with donating blood. But since I attended Uni in my late teens and into my 40s, I was still given the opportunity to do this and in being to support my community.

After the 30 minute donation, I had a juice, as donors are supplied with food etc. afterwards and it gave me time to catch up with the Blood services' annual report. There I was able to read that very few Samoans donate blood (because of their beliefs?) and that NZ Europeans gave more blood as an ethnic group.

If you haven't already, it might be something to consider as the majority of peoples needing blood are for operations with some due to accidents, those with cancer, and many of these include children as well...

'West Side Story' 21st century movie...

 

Watching last year's 2021 Steven Spielberg (co-producer and director) movie brought back lots of memories as a high school teacher in South Auckland (in the last century) in the early 1990s where I'd read the script in book format with my senior English classes and then watched and studied the 1961 movie production.

Having also taught Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' in high school with senior English students was also interesting as the themes were very similar having been based on similar conflicts of love between two people from different cultures i.e. white American and Hispanic (Puerto Rico). I thought it was very important to expose students to a variety of literature.

I would definitely recommend this movie to watch and study as it keeps very close to the original 1961 movie, in fact, one of the actresses who play the Puerto Rico female lead in the origin movie plays the shop keeper (originally male) in the 2021 production, some 50 years later. Simply amazing!

Is it a sad love story, just like the Romeo and Juliet story, but it reminds us of the prejudices and stereotypes that we often have of other cultures, often perpetuated by the media and that we often don't know much detail about. 

This movie reminds me that often there's a lot at stake and when prejudice and stereotyping leads to hate crimes and violence then inevitably it will often lead to the death of loved ones. Perhaps it's a reminder to always teach about diversity through understanding, respect and humility otherwise someone or people get hurt...

Keeping fit whilst walking virtually...

 

One of the things that assisted me during the time of my father's passing in December of last year was a virtual challenge that I started in November of 2021.

It's the Pacer virtual adventure/s that I started last year and when I chose the Jordan Trail of 650 km, I didn't know that it would take me till mid March before I would be able to finish it. 

For more information and other challenges information please view on: https://adventure.mypacer.com At the moment I'm currently walking the Easter Island track and it's quite fascinating to learn more about this most isolated island that I've read about.

I would highly recommend this and other challenges as it's assisted in my keeping motivated to keep fit and also learning about the country as I walk it virtually. 

I've currently finished over a dozen challenges and the medals are so well designed with free shipping all over the world (yes, unfortunately you do have to pay for the medals) but good to also pay for the discounted price whenever they have new or discounted challenges.

I must say that it allows me to combine my interest in travel, keeping fit, learning about the geography and often histories of countries and keeps me motivated to choose what the next challenge is based on what I want to accomplish i.e. long walks over 500 kms (over months) or short walks around 50 - 100 kms (over days or weeks).

There's even a merch (merchandise) that includes buying Tshirts of the favourite walks that you've done and accessories with which to hang your medals on. I've chosen to keep my medals displayed in a recycled Subway catering pack plastic container (I'll try and remember to take a pic and post).

So if you would like to join in a virtual challenge and want to combine the interests that I've posted about here then why not give it a go and if it's something that works for you then congratulations on trying something new or developing something that you've already started on. You'll never know where it takes you to...

Pasifika patterns on pavement...

 

In trying to walk a 5km route around my neighbour last week, I spied some Pasifika patterns that had been painted on the pavement outside a local high school with accompanying bus stop.

What I thought very interesting about this is that I incorporate some of these patterns into my books and to see it on the pavement was quite a surprise.

To me it shows that there is now an appreciation of Pasifika art publicly that wasn't understood some 20 years ago if not 10.

It also goes to show that within this multicultural society of South Auckland that there now a better appreciation of Pasifika culture allbeit still on the surface for many who are still learning about the various ethnic diversities i.e. Samoan, Cook Islands, Niuean, Tongan, Tuvaluan etc. but we have come a long way from where we used to be.

Valentines day at Denny's...

 

Earlier this week my beloved and I went to Denny's for our Valentines day lunch and saw our elder two children then decided to have pick up our youngest to join in too.

With the whole change in having to wear masks, social distancing and showing our COVID vaccine passes at restaurants, it does make one want to sit well away from others - just in case.

However, it was a pleasant day and we enjoyed the meals and time together whilst reminiscing on past events and how fast time flies past.

A big thank to my beloved for the neat time we had together and it was a timely reminder that we need to make time to enjoy these special occasions and take a moment to be grateful and thankful for our health and what we have at this time and moment...

Studying Indigenous Research (level 4) a game changer...

It's another new year with new learning opportunities for prospective students with the Indigenous courses that are offered at Te Wananga o Aotearoa. There is still availability for those who are interested in an introduction to indigenous research with my online fees free 'Te Kunenga o te Ao Tikanga' level 4 course that I am currently teaching.

It's a course that I've been teaching for the past few years and it is a game changer. Not only has it been useful and helpful for many professionals and community learners who have taken this course and engaged better with students as a whole but it's also informed and solidified my understandings and practices as being brought up by my Samoan indigenous parents who passed on a lot of important teachings that I carry with me today and informing many others as a PhD candidate and tertiary educator in Aotearoa, NZ today.

In teaching and learning from this introductory course on tikanga (Maori protocols and practices) it has allowed the space for indigenous research to grow with many of my Maori and non-Maori tauira or students to also reflect on their own cultural protocols and practices as well as their personal and nuclear family's practices.

I would definitely encourage teacher practioners to take this course as I wished that I had done so when I was teaching in high school as when you have a better grasp of te Ao Maori (Maori worldviews) and have had the time and space to consider your own cultural principles as well as others in the class then you are in a better position to work with students from multi-faceted cultures and engage with mutual respect.

If you are interested to know more information about this course and how to enrol for the class of 2022 then you can email me on: helen.filisi@twoa.ac.nz or if you are interested in having a similar course in your country then you can contact me on my personal email at: helentauaufilisi@gmail.com

 

Pacer App & healing...

 

It's been over a month since my dear father passed away and one of the greatest supports that I've had in helping me, during this time, has been the Pacer App and Virtual challenges with locations around the world.

My own personal target is for at least 10,000 steps per day and this is completed through dancing to my own beat i.e. YouTube playlists or my own or daughter/sister's playlists, TV Zumba sessions or walking around local streets as well as local parks and walkways.

This has also assisted me in being more fit and healthy with my family's 8 week challenge of losing weight and eating more healthy.

As a family we've talked about it and reflected that somehow my father's passing brought us together by sharing daily evening devotions through Messenger and including my brother's family in Melbourne, Australia. We were also able to support family members who caught COVID-19 whilst they were isolating at home which was a real bonus.

Now each family (there's five family groups) takes a day to lead our evening devotionals with Catholic, Presbyterian, Samoan, English, Maori etc. prayers, songs, scriptures, discussions, with lots of laughs along the way.

It's been a real blessing and although I miss my dear dad very much, his passing brought about the opportunity for us to come together, unite and be closer in the knowledge that the passing of a loved one within our family is a natural part of life as taught through our faith.

There's been so much that's happened that I'll get back to blogging more, in having had some time off to reflect on life and to take the time to mourn the loss of my father who had such a great impact on my life. I miss him much and believe that he's legacy will live on through what he taught us...

A tribute to my father and friend...

 

This new year of 2022, I would like to pay tribute to my father, my dad and faith-filled friend who passed away at the blessed age of 84 on 19th of December of last year to spend his first Christmas in Paradise. 

I know that many daughters don't have the relationship that I grew to love having with my Papa that started instructionally and then ended in having his full trust in me and I in him.

I write this with tears as I have lost a man who was my rock and in whom I esteemed and loved greatly.  He is deeply missed as a father and grandfather. I certainly miss his presence but am reminded of him in other ways.

Still, I thank God for choosing him to be my father, my role model and supporter, like my mum, as they both encouraged me to keep the faith and to work well to do good in our community and within our church and family.

He probably has had the most profound affect in my life, in his guidance and words of wisdom in ensuring that I keep strong in my faith and fight the good fight as he did so greatly. He's also probably the greatest male influencer, for good, in my life and reminded me of the importance of humility, respect and honouring God.

I miss him so much but know that he is in a better place and resting in peace. I so want to thank all the people who contributed in many ways to his life and also the outpouring of many love gifts in his passing with tributes from Samoa, Australia, NZ etc.

Before his passing, my father and I had started a book of his memoirs. He lovingly shared with me insights of his growing up in Samoa, leaving Samoa to find a 'better' future in NZ and then meeting my mum and starting his family. I hope to finish the book for him and launch it at the end of this year at his memorial stone unveiling.

I echo the words and sentiments of our elder daughter in wishing that the world would pause for a moment to commemorate the passing of one who loved so dearly and who was committed to his family, his church, his faith and God. Thank you God giving me such a blessed opportunity to have a hero like my father in my life. He is gone but will never be forgotten...