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...
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