Being a Samoan in New Zealand
BEING A SMAOAN IN NEW ZEALAND
What is sustainability? It is when you keep something that we tresures. It is about sustaining our Samoan lifestyle, treasures, and our spiritual belief.
Samoan treasures like tatau (tattoo) and ietoga (fine mat) are unique to our culture. In Samoa there is a bellief which is, “Ka muamua lou gutu faatoa ka ia lou tino.” This means that someone should have the keep knowledge in our Faasamoa (Samoan way) before they are allowed to get a tattoo. This reflected in Ta tatau written by Emma Kruse Vaai where she says, “If something is important to you then you have to eduer all the pain that is necessary in order to get it and keep it.” This quote is also relates to ietoga (fine mat). Ietoga in Samoa takes more than a year to be produce and, also takes time for it to be design and that is why you have to endure all the pain in order for you to finish it. Ietoga has many uses in our tradidtional culture. When you ask for forgiveness from a different family for a wring doing you will kneel on the ground in front of the family’s house and cover yourself with the fine mat. In the Samoan belief it is called the ‘Ifoga’, and the fine mat or ietog is called the ‘pulou o le Ola’ (shade of forgiveness). We need to be proud of our treasures and sustain them for our future generations.
Samoan lifestyle is another one of the aspects of our Samoan traditions, and we mostly admire it in many ways. When we talk about lifestyle is not only referring to fashion but also connecting to our human emotions. Why are the majority of the Samoan children ashame of our lifestyle? This is shown in the poem “Ode to Da Life” by Tusitala Avia, where she says, “do anything you like, have da boyfren, drink da beer Anyfing even in front of your fada. An never ever get the hiding. Jst happy and lauughing evry time”. In the poem, the main point was about the attactions of the papalagi people about their way of living. This made this child change his physical life and
What is sustainability? It is when you keep something that we tresures. It is about sustaining our Samoan lifestyle, treasures, and our spiritual belief.
Samoan treasures like tatau (tattoo) and ietoga (fine mat) are unique to our culture. In Samoa there is a bellief which is, “Ka muamua lou gutu faatoa ka ia lou tino.” This means that someone should have the keep knowledge in our Faasamoa (Samoan way) before they are allowed to get a tattoo. This reflected in Ta tatau written by Emma Kruse Vaai where she says, “If something is important to you then you have to eduer all the pain that is necessary in order to get it and keep it.” This quote is also relates to ietoga (fine mat). Ietoga in Samoa takes more than a year to be produce and, also takes time for it to be design and that is why you have to endure all the pain in order for you to finish it. Ietoga has many uses in our tradidtional culture. When you ask for forgiveness from a different family for a wring doing you will kneel on the ground in front of the family’s house and cover yourself with the fine mat. In the Samoan belief it is called the ‘Ifoga’, and the fine mat or ietog is called the ‘pulou o le Ola’ (shade of forgiveness). We need to be proud of our treasures and sustain them for our future generations.
Samoan lifestyle is another one of the aspects of our Samoan traditions, and we mostly admire it in many ways. When we talk about lifestyle is not only referring to fashion but also connecting to our human emotions. Why are the majority of the Samoan children ashame of our lifestyle? This is shown in the poem “Ode to Da Life” by Tusitala Avia, where she says, “do anything you like, have da boyfren, drink da beer Anyfing even in front of your fada. An never ever get the hiding. Jst happy and lauughing evry time”. In the poem, the main point was about the attactions of the papalagi people about their way of living. This made this child change his physical life and