95bFM Sāmoan Language Week: 'Mixed emotions for young Sāmoans living in New Zealand'
1 June, 2023
Interview by Rosetta Stone, adapted by Ashley-Rose Redstone
University of Auckland students participating in Sāmoan Language Week celebrations. Photo: Tristan Ah-Sui (2022).
It is Sāmoan Language Week in Aotearoa. This year's theme, 'Mitamita i lau gagana, maua'a lou fa'asinomaga', is celebrating our Sāmoan community being proud of their language and grounded in their identity.
AUT's Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific, Jacoba Matapo, told 95bFM’s The Wire that Sāmoan Language Week revitalises a language that is not widely spoken in Aotearoa.
Although Sāmoan is the second most spoken language in Auckland, and the third most spoken in New Zealand, it is experiencing decline.
Matapo explained that sharing the language can reinforce cultural connections to Sāmoa and is vital in sustaining a strong heritage through past, present and future generations.
“It is definitely multifaceted and dynamic, thinking about ways in which we as Sāmoan people can preserve our culture and activate cultural practices in a space that is not necessarily our ancestral lands.”
She said that Samoa Language Week is a time to engage with Sāmoan culture in various contexts and maintain transnational relations between Sāmoa and Aotearoa.
Rina from the University of Auckland Sāmoan Students’ Association (UASSA) told The Wire that Sāmoan Language Week allows young Sāmoans to express themselves in a proud and diverse environment that may be difficult to find elsewhere.
She said the week is also a time for the practice of traditional ceremonies such as the ‘ava ceremony.
“It is to welcome those who are visiting us. Once you have been welcomed into the ‘ava ceremony, you are no longer strangers to us. It is a very sacred practice, and it is still used to this day.”
As Sāmoa Independence Day approaches, Rina said it is a time to reflect on New Zealand's colonial history
“We always reflect back on what our people went through to get us to where we are now and what New Zealand put our people through. There are a lot of mixed emotions for young Sāmoans living in New Zealand.”
She added that Sāmoan Language Week is not solely for those of Sāmoan heritage, but an opportunity to share the culture across Aotearoa.
“We would like to see non-Sāmoans want to witness our culture and participate with us, even if they are just there to watch. Just as long as they get a glimpse of our culture and who we are as Sāmoans.”
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
