02/06/2022
Last night we launched our Pi Faitau book to a beautiful community of Pacific Lanugage Supporters. Enjoy these images and the background to making this collective community book. Available for sale for $5 only at www.flyinggeesepro.nz.
E muamua e fia fa’atalofa atu i lotou paia ma lotou mamalu.
Ua fa’amalo le soifua maua ma le lagi mama. Talofa lava.
Fa’afetai i le Atua. Ua ta’ita’i ai lotou soifua ma so matou ola e tatou le fa’ataunu’uina ai lenei fa’amoemoe.
E rere ana te mihi maioha ki te mana whenua o Ngai Tuahuriri, Ngai Tahu hoki mo to koutou manaakitanga i o matou tangata o te Moana-nui-a-kiwa me era atu motu o tenei ao.
Fa’afetai. Afifio mai. Ma tala mai ‘a’ao. Ua maua luga ai lou tatou a*o.
O le autu o tatou vaia*o o le Gagana Samoa o Fa’aauau le Folauga i le va’a o Tautai.
Ma isi autu o le a*o fa’amanatuina o le ono-sefulu tausaga o te Tuto’atasi o si o tatou atunu’u o Samoa.
The themes of this day as part of Samoan Language Week are: Continue the voyage with competent Wayfinders of the ocean. And of course, for our Samoan Independence 60th anniversary to: Sail with Faith.
And it is thinking about these themes, that I ask myself. Who are these wayfinders? Where shall we place our faith?
Currently less than half of Samoans living in NZ can speak Samoan. My own Samoan language often lies trapped in my mind, where I can understand what is being said, but as I try to reply the wind catches my words and scatters them without order and sense.
However, it does not mean I should give up but push myself to speak Samoan. Just as my parents and their generation did with the English language when they arrived in Aotearoa. It also means I should work with those who have the language and are patient and generous enough to share their knowledge.
For me, our wayfinders are our community, our families. It is the collective tatou. Together we have the solutions to create and share Samoan language resources that reflect our stories, our lives and our people.
Tonight we are launching Pi Faitau – a Samoan alphabet colouring book. It came from an idea I had called Tusia – a collective of Pacific language supporters who come together to work with illustrators, facilitators, writers and graphic designers to produce books.
I saw our Samoan children colouring in Alsa from Frozen and Barbie doll books and I thought, where are our colouring books? Where are the colouring books that reflect our culture? And so, because I could not find any, I put out a call to the community to see if we could produce our own books.
Another part of this Tusia vision, was the have the books priced in a way that was affordable for as many families as possible. We have also invited people, especially our a’oga amata, to photocopy the books. Everyone here will receive a book for the price of having a photo taken by our team.
In the future, I want to make more than alphabet books and publish a series of books written by Samoan parent, grandparents, children, and grandchildren.
I have faith that we are wayfinding a new course on the ocean – and that soon – our Samoan children will have shelved filled with stories that connect us to each other and to our beloved Samoa. And that these stories will become part of the tools we use to teach our language to our people.
We have members of the first Tusia collective here tonight. Iliui Wilson, Iva Hitila, Fa’amanu Mauafu, Mamaitaloa Sagapolutele, May Crichton, Malaea Veu, Palepa Letiu, Sala Saili Aukuso, Sulia Tuatau, Talia Steiner, and Terence Slade. Faumuina Felolini Maria Tafuna’i (Editor), Silivelio Fasi (Illustrator), Sam Totten (Sub-editor), facilitators Selau Mau'u, Lopeti Sumner, Tayla Sumner, and Mau'u Sio Ifopo.
I want to acknowledge Silivelio Fasi and his enormous talent, dedication and faith in creating this book. Lio hand-drew all these illustrations. This book is as much a celebration of our culture as it is a celebration of his artistic talent.
I also want to thank the: Ministry of Pacific People’s for their ;assistance in the printing of Pi Faitau; My Uncle Tauiliili Mau'u for his welcome and prayer; and the Minsitry's Regional Adviser Gaseilevao Faletolu-Toiva.
We hope you enjoy Pi Faitau. We hope that this is just the beginning of a wonderful collective journey. Tatou e folau fa’atasi.
Fa’afetai, fa’afetai lava.
- Faumuina Felolini Maria Tafuna'i
