Latest news with #Samoans
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Tattoo was ‘extra special'
Getting a traditional Samoan tātāu (tattoo) really does bring a tear to the eye — in more ways than one. Dunedin-born Samoan Vicky Fitiao, who got a Tualima (a traditional hand tattoo) yesterday, said she was fine until she could feel the Au (tattoo comb) hitting the bones in her fingers. "It was extremely painful, only in certain areas — mainly my fingers, in the lower parts of my fingers — they were the worst. "I think it was more [that] I could feel it hitting my bone." Most Samoans get one hand done at a time, but Mrs Fitiao had both done. She said she had had two sons, and it was not quite as painful as childbirth, but pretty close. Yet, the thing that really brought a tear to her eye was the fact her tātāu was done by world-renowned tufuga tā tātāu (master tattooist) Su'a Sulu'ape Peter, during a live public demonstration at Tūhura Otago Museum yesterday. She said it was an honour to have her tātāu done by Mr Peter. Dunedin-born Samoan Vicky Fitiao proudly shows her Tualima (traditional Samoan hand tattoo), done by tufuga tā tātāu (master tattooist) Su'a Sulu'ape Peter (below) yesterday. Photos: Peter McIntosh "It just gives it that extra special meaning. "It makes me proud of my heritage and my culture. "And just hearing all the people in there, with their words of encouragement, got me through it. "It certainly brings a tear to the eye, in more ways than one. "These are tears of joy and happiness, that I've been through it now." The public event was historic because Tūhura Otago Museum was the first museum in the world to show how the sacred art form was created. Museum Pasifika engagement co-ordinator Leota Meredith said the museum was honoured to host such a significant event. "This is an incredible opportunity for our Pasifika communities and the wider public to witness and gain insight into this powerful, unique and historic traditional art form." The work was done in front of a live audience at Tūhura Otago Museum. She said it offered a rare and respectful window into the resilience, beauty and cultural importance of Samoan tattooing. The event included an 'ava, or kava ceremony, and a public talk about the culture behind the practice, followed by the live tātāu demonstration. The art form has endured through generations, resisting the forces of colonisation and Western religious ideologies that sought to suppress it. Mr Peter is a direct descendant of Samoa's principal tattooing lineage and he continues in his forebears' footsteps, upholding and protecting the sacred tradition entrusted to his family. He will be in Dunedin for the next two weeks, performing Pe'a and Malu — traditional Samoan tattoos for men and women — along with his Mea nā'itaua (wife of the tufuga tā tātāu) and au koso (essential assistants). The tattooing is a deeply spiritual process that honours the recipient's ancestors and family, creating a powerful connection between past and present. During his time in Dunedin, Mr Peter will perform a traditional Pe'a for a Dunedin man, which is expected to take up to a week to complete.
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Celebrating connection with homeland
Cleo Cole, 4, performs during the Samoan Independence Day celebrations in the South Dunedin Community Hall yesterday. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH Providing a space for Samoans living in Dunedin to connect with their homeland is the goal for the community when celebrating Samoan Independence Day. Yesterday, the Samoan community came together in the South Dunedin Community Hall to celebrate Samoa's independence. Fono Faufautua Samoan Advisory Council Dunedin chairman Afamasaga Pavihi said he was happy to see about 300 people attend the celebrations. "It's a forum to bring our people together ... and also to benefit the people who aren't able to go to the actual celebrations in Samoa." The day started with devotions, before the many performances began. There was also plenty of food, "almost too much", Mr Pavihi said. Most of the different church denominations were also present and had a performance. "This celebration is [about] singing together, eating together and dancing together." For the first time, Su'a Sulu'ape Peter, a traditional Samoan tattoo artist, made the trip straight to Dunedin from a visit to Hawaii, to attend the event. "He has come down to do some tattoo for the young men and young women in the Dunedin community this week," Mr Pavihi said. Samoan Independence Day is celebrated at the very start of Samoan Language Week, which runs from June 1 to 7. Having Mr Peter in town, and celebrating Samoan tattooing, was part of Independence Day celebrations and Samoa Language Week. Today, Mr Peter will be at Tūhura Otago Museum to give a talk on the process, history and significance of Pe'a and Malu — traditional tattoos worn by Samoan men and women. Tomorrow, he will be tattooing members of the Samoan community in Dunedin, including Mr Pavihi's daughter. "We are fortunate to have the celebrating of our independence this year and to have the privilege to have the presence of these artists to mark this celebration," Mr Pavihi said. Samoa achieved independence from New Zealand on January 1, 1962, and entered into a Treaty of Friendship. Since then, it has been celebrated on June 1 to avoid having the special celebration fall on New Year's Day. This year, it landed on a Sunday, so the day was observed in Samoa yesterday as an official public holiday.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
King's Birthday Honours – ‘This Belongs To The Samoan Community'
Article – RNZ Anae Arthur Anae has been honoured for services to the Samoan community. , RNZ Pacific Journalist Former National MP Anae Lupematasila Lima Arthur John Anae has received a King's Service Medal in the King's Birthday Honours. Anae Arthur Anae has been honoured for services to the Samoan community. 'On behalf of our community, I'm thrilled for it, because this isn't me. This is not mine,' Anae said. 'This belongs to the Samoan community who stood behind and joined the battle to get justice that belonged to us, and the recognition belongs to all of us, because we've all had to hold hands and and fight this for a long time.' Anae has been part of the push for the Samoa Citizenship Bill, which restores a pathway for citizenship for a group of Samoans who had their right to it removed. He led the Mau o Samoa I le Sitiseni committee from 1997, keeping awareness of the issue alive and supporting the activism of transitional Samoans, which culminated in 24,500 Select Committee submissions on the Bill before its passing. Anae was a list MP from 1996 to 2002, initiating several Pacific initiatives during this time. He was a Manukau city councillor from 2004 to 2010 and an Auckland councillor from 2010 to 2016, chairing the Economic Forum for both councils. Besides politics, Anae is an elder of the Pacific Islanders Presbyterian Church and has chaired its development committee. Hailing from the villages of Falelatai, Apia, Si'umu, and Safotulafai in Samoa, Anae reflects on his parents' journey and their challenges after moving to Aotearoa from Samoa. He said he dedicates the King's Service Medal to his parents, who moved to New Zealand in 1951 when he was five years old. 'All our parents, not just my parents… came out here in the 50s for one reason, to give their children an education, an opportunity. 'We tend to overlook, these days, the people who paved the way for us, and our parents had to sacrifice themselves on factory floors to give their children opportunities for tomorrow, and those opportunities are what we're reaping today. 'I was asked the question the other day, well, who's going to run the mantle after you're gone? I said, there's an army of young Pacific people behind me, highly educated, and they won't be drawn back by the fa'a'aloalo [respect] which has always held us back. 'Palangis (Pākehā) have always said – treated us – our fa'a'aloalo and respect is a sign of weakness. They've got a hell of a lot to learn.' The advocating doesn't end here for Anae, who is currently working on getting one million signatures for a petition on visa-free travel for Pacific countries. 'I'm still battling on two things, and that is the recognition of the woman married to these people or the men as well. 'I still believe in my heart that New Zealand owes these people 50 percent of their pension if they stay in Samoa, where they want to stay, and have the freedom to travel backwards and forward as they want. And these are two issues that I will continue to fight with them, because I believe in it and they're things that are right and should be done.' Asked about the future generations looking at awards like this, he said: 'My only advice for all our people is, whatever we do in life, you do it with a clean heart. 'You don't look at any rewards or anything that might come – they never come. 'Your thinking is based on what you're trying to achieve for people, from your heart, that's what you do; win or lose, you do it.'
Scoop
4 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
King's Birthday Honours – ‘This Belongs To The Samoan Community'
Former National MP Anae Lupematasila Lima Arthur John Anae has received a King's Service Medal in the King's Birthday Honours. Anae Arthur Anae has been honoured for services to the Samoan community. 'On behalf of our community, I'm thrilled for it, because this isn't me. This is not mine,' Anae said. 'This belongs to the Samoan community who stood behind and joined the battle to get justice that belonged to us, and the recognition belongs to all of us, because we've all had to hold hands and and fight this for a long time.' Read more: Anae has been part of the push for the Samoa Citizenship Bill, which restores a pathway for citizenship for a group of Samoans who had their right to it removed. He led the Mau o Samoa I le Sitiseni committee from 1997, keeping awareness of the issue alive and supporting the activism of transitional Samoans, which culminated in 24,500 Select Committee submissions on the Bill before its passing. Anae was a list MP from 1996 to 2002, initiating several Pacific initiatives during this time. He was a Manukau city councillor from 2004 to 2010 and an Auckland councillor from 2010 to 2016, chairing the Economic Forum for both councils. Besides politics, Anae is an elder of the Pacific Islanders Presbyterian Church and has chaired its development committee. Hailing from the villages of Falelatai, Apia, Si'umu, and Safotulafai in Samoa, Anae reflects on his parents' journey and their challenges after moving to Aotearoa from Samoa. He said he dedicates the King's Service Medal to his parents, who moved to New Zealand in 1951 when he was five years old. 'All our parents, not just my parents… came out here in the 50s for one reason, to give their children an education, an opportunity. 'We tend to overlook, these days, the people who paved the way for us, and our parents had to sacrifice themselves on factory floors to give their children opportunities for tomorrow, and those opportunities are what we're reaping today. 'I was asked the question the other day, well, who's going to run the mantle after you're gone? I said, there's an army of young Pacific people behind me, highly educated, and they won't be drawn back by the fa'a'aloalo [respect] which has always held us back. 'Palangis (Pākehā) have always said – treated us – our fa'a'aloalo and respect is a sign of weakness. They've got a hell of a lot to learn.' The advocating doesn't end here for Anae, who is currently working on getting one million signatures for a petition on visa-free travel for Pacific countries. 'I'm still battling on two things, and that is the recognition of the woman married to these people or the men as well. 'I still believe in my heart that New Zealand owes these people 50 percent of their pension if they stay in Samoa, where they want to stay, and have the freedom to travel backwards and forward as they want. And these are two issues that I will continue to fight with them, because I believe in it and they're things that are right and should be done.' Asked about the future generations looking at awards like this, he said: 'My only advice for all our people is, whatever we do in life, you do it with a clean heart. 'You don't look at any rewards or anything that might come – they never come. 'Your thinking is based on what you're trying to achieve for people, from your heart, that's what you do; win or lose, you do it.'
Scoop
4 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
King's Birthday Honours - 'This Belongs To The Samoan Community'
Former National MP Anae Lupematasila Lima Arthur John Anae has received a King's Service Medal in the King's Birthday Honours. Anae Arthur Anae has been honoured for services to the Samoan community. "On behalf of our community, I'm thrilled for it, because this isn't me. This is not mine," Anae said. "This belongs to the Samoan community who stood behind and joined the battle to get justice that belonged to us, and the recognition belongs to all of us, because we've all had to hold hands and and fight this for a long time." Anae has been part of the push for the Samoa Citizenship Bill, which restores a pathway for citizenship for a group of Samoans who had their right to it removed. He led the Mau o Samoa I le Sitiseni committee from 1997, keeping awareness of the issue alive and supporting the activism of transitional Samoans, which culminated in 24,500 Select Committee submissions on the Bill before its passing. Anae was a list MP from 1996 to 2002, initiating several Pacific initiatives during this time. He was a Manukau city councillor from 2004 to 2010 and an Auckland councillor from 2010 to 2016, chairing the Economic Forum for both councils. Besides politics, Anae is an elder of the Pacific Islanders Presbyterian Church and has chaired its development committee. Hailing from the villages of Falelatai, Apia, Si'umu, and Safotulafai in Samoa, Anae reflects on his parents' journey and their challenges after moving to Aotearoa from Samoa. He said he dedicates the King's Service Medal to his parents, who moved to New Zealand in 1951 when he was five years old. "All our parents, not just my parents... came out here in the 50s for one reason, to give their children an education, an opportunity. "We tend to overlook, these days, the people who paved the way for us, and our parents had to sacrifice themselves on factory floors to give their children opportunities for tomorrow, and those opportunities are what we're reaping today. "I was asked the question the other day, well, who's going to run the mantle after you're gone? I said, there's an army of young Pacific people behind me, highly educated, and they won't be drawn back by the fa'a'aloalo [respect] which has always held us back. "Palangis (Pākehā) have always said - treated us - our fa'a'aloalo and respect is a sign of weakness. They've got a hell of a lot to learn." The advocating doesn't end here for Anae, who is currently working on getting one million signatures for a petition on visa-free travel for Pacific countries. "I'm still battling on two things, and that is the recognition of the woman married to these people or the men as well. "I still believe in my heart that New Zealand owes these people 50 percent of their pension if they stay in Samoa, where they want to stay, and have the freedom to travel backwards and forward as they want. And these are two issues that I will continue to fight with them, because I believe in it and they're things that are right and should be done." Asked about the future generations looking at awards like this, he said: "My only advice for all our people is, whatever we do in life, you do it with a clean heart. "You don't look at any rewards or anything that might come - they never come. "Your thinking is based on what you're trying to achieve for people, from your heart, that's what you do; win or lose, you do it."
