Samoa Language Week - with Tuiloma Gayle Lafaiali’i
Left to right: Meritiana Spandow (Academic Programmes & Tutor Lead); Alfie Prasad (Office Manager); Alex Tychinskii (Registrar) and Tuiloma Gayle Lafaiali’i (CEO)
In May we are celebrating Samoa Language Week. With 3.9%* of New Zealand’s population identifying as Samoan it is the largest group of Pacific people, and one of the top five ethnic groups in number, coming in fourth behind NZ European, Maori and Chinese.
With the first wave of Pasifika arriving in New Zealand in the early 1970’s, centres were established to provide welfare and safe spaces where culture and language could continue to be valued.
One of these centres was Pacific Islands Education Resource Centre (PIERC Education), established in 1976. PIERC continues to thrive under its updated brand Pasifika Education Centre (PEC).
We spoke with Tuiloma Gayle Lafaiali’i, CEO of PEC about the importance of keeping Pacific languages alive – especially with the lens of Samoan Language Week, this month.
In New Zealand, a large proportion of Pacific people are in the younger demographic with many being born here. Why is it important for them to keep Pacific languages alive?
With 65%+ of Pacific people in Aotearoa NZ being NZ-born (Statistics NZ, 2018), we are seeing greater levels of disconnection from our heritage languages by families raised here in the diaspora. Our parents’ generation were encouraged to teach their kids only English to be “successful” and so my generation do not have the language capacity nor capability to pass on to our own children. If we don’t act now, the language (and authentic participation in the culture where we actually understand the nuances of the language and activities that reflect back to ancient practices and faia (relationships)) then we are creating a generation who question their identity.
It takes one generation to lose a language, and three generation to revitalise the language.
My own experience testifies to this; my mother is fluent, I have limited understanding and can’t have a fluent conversation, and my daughter has no understanding. She can sing the pese (songs), read text, do the necessary activities to serve, but she doesn’t understand what is being said, so she is not fully participating in a way that she can embody all that it means to be a tama’ita’i Samoa. It saddens me that she now is experiencing the same level of disengagement that I had growing up.
How can the work you’re doing help?
The Centre for Pacific Languages plays a really important role as a first step for those seeking to re-engage in their language and culture – we offer short courses (20 hours with a tutor) so these are a quick way to reacquaint yourself with the language in a safe space; and with our more advanced courses (ie Samoan Fa’amatai and Oratory courses) seeing the language thriving and being passed on to up and coming young matai raised in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Is it just about learning the language?
Heritage languages are resiliency factors; knowing who we are, where we come from and how to articulate ourselves in that language, enables us to authentically engage in the cultural protocols; with a deeper understanding of our values, believe systems and cultural practices we showcase who we are here in Aotearoa.
Why is language and culture so intertwined?
Ministry for Pacific Peoples Lalanga Fou has a beautiful quote from someone who responded during their community consultation:
“WHEN THE LANGUAGE DIES, A CULTURE DIES, WHEN CULTURE DIES, OUR STORIES DIE, WHEN OUR STORIES DIE, OUR CONNECTIONS DIE, WHEN OUR CONNECTIONS DIE, OUR IDENTITIES DIE, WHEN OUR IDENTITIES DIE, WE WILL TRULY BE LOST PEOPLE”
What would you say to someone who doesn't know their language, but wants to learn?
Like Nike says, “Just do it”.
Start doing a course; get a book; learn songs; force yourself to be in the uncomfortableness of not understanding – and then do something about it. The CPL Fa’amatai classes are too hard for me, but I attend anyway, because regardless I still learn something, I’m just slower than other more fluent class members – and that’s ok!
Try one of our courses which are free and delivered online. See if you can find someone who you can talanoa with on a daily basis; most people tell me that they struggle with finding someone to talk to and practice with. Immersion is the ideal, but in the meantime, you can create a group of friends, cousins, visit your relatives etc and force yourself out of your comfort zone and just practice, practice, practice.
I think it’s really important for us non-speakers as a first step to get over being embarrassed. I used to be so embarrassed that I’d hide in the kitchen because I felt “less-than” and dread if anyone asked me a question. Now I’m ok to acknowledge that my journey was one where the language was actively denied (our parents were told to teach us only English), that learning a ‘pepa’ once a year for lotu tamaiti is not “fluency” nor is rote learning, without actually understanding what is being said. Our students tell us that our classes feel really safe, and they’re so glad to meet other students with similar journey’s. The revitalisation of our language here in Aotearoa needs to start with us!
Where can we find out more about the courses that your offer?
Website: https://centreforpacificlanguages.co.nz/
Shopify: https://pasifika-education-centre.myshopify.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PacificEducation
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/centreforpacificlanguages/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/centreforpacificlanguages
* 2018 New Zealand Census