The celebrations took the better part of a day with each department paying tribute and singing songs or doing items etc. I thought it best to leave the speech making to more senior colleagues but was able to join in on our Pasifika groups dances and songs.
This youtube clip illustrates a Samoan song that we (the Pasifika group) sang, although only a few of us knew the words. "Lo'u sei Oriana" is a song that I remember growing up with and it has a lovely tune. It's about a flower that is often used for adorning behind the ears of young woman (and men). Here it is sung by one of my favourite Samoan Christian groups "The Katinas" who are American Samoan brothers who are now based in the United States. I'd been to a couple of their concerts when Fritz and I first got married and it was neat to hear that they also have a cover of this special song.
I must say that I think we were the most entertaining group with a Samoan taualuga i.e. a young woman dancing centre stage with surrounded by other woman and men dancing around her and giving her money that was then given to Nan. The men also did a 'haka' of sorts which turned out hilarious as each man did his own to the Cook Island drum beat whilst we sang the Samoan song "Faleula e".
We then ended with the famous 'Around the world' Cook Islands drum dance where we had to go to the front table and ask one of them for a dance and then to get our partner to dance while we try not to laugh too much. I asked one of the Matua (mature men) that I had met last week at Te Awamutu and I could see that he was pretty good and had done Cook Islands men dancing before as he knew how to shake his knees :)
Anyway, it was good to be able to share our Pasifika culture with other staff members and I know that our Nan enjoyed it too. Tofa Soifua Nan, ia manuia lou malaga Goodbye Nan, may your journey be blessed...
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