Of course, this never happened when I was younger as it is a more recently created event but it is so neat to see how many schools and work places have embraced the understanding of having more than one language as being beneficial.
In this particular pic, I was invited to speak to two groups of classes with my husband, who is the translator of the English, and in both classes students were taking Samoan language as a subject in their Junior years. This was so exciting and encouraging as I know that this information will inform their identities as Samoans and I was able to share my journey of writing in wanting to share some of the ancient knowledge to this generation in knowing that a lot of information has not been passed down especially in living outside of the 'motherland'.
Another interesting topic that my beloved was able to share with the classes was to reject the idea of being called a 'plastic Samoan' and I carried it further by discussing how it was a recent idea and that no one has to accept someone else's perception of what it means to be Samoan i.e. that just because one doesn't speak Samoan, or has never been to Samoa, or doesn't know much about being Samoan that if their genealogy traces back to Samoan and of their intent is to learn to be Samoan, then they are despite what others say.
This is something that I was able to research about in my own understandings within the last couple of years of teaching indigenous research and what's so encouraging is to be able to share this information directly with students as they are forming opinions and understandings about their cultural identities.
What a privilege it was to be able to share this vital information with members of the next generation and looking forward to writing even more and sharing more through more books, speaking engagements, online and wherever the need is...
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