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Samoan Language Week 2023
This year the theme for Samoan Language Week is ‘Mitamita I lau gagana, maua’au lou fa’asinomaga – Be proud of your language and grounded in your identity’. This theme resonates with our values as a centre capturing our goal of incorporating cultural identity throughout our program.
For Samoan Language Week, our classrooms were filled with rich cultural experiences pertaining to the Samoan culture which sparked the children’s curiosity into researching further and trying out new experiences. It also provided an opportunity to empower the children from Samoan culture to share their language and cultural expressions with us. Kaiako, tamariki, and whānau shared their strengths, knowledge, culture, and identities creating a genuine sense of partnership as they worked alongside one another to bring our celebrations to life with authenticity and whanau contribution. There was a feeling of richness within our centre, wholesomeness, and filled with alofa as we celebrated such a beautiful culture and language.
Kaiako, tamariki, and whanau joined together, moving their body to the beat of the Samoan drums and beautiful cultural songs. Through visual arts, children explored creative ways to express themselves while investigating the unique designs within the Samoan culture. The Pukeko Room children engaged in a range of creative experiences. Through the use of art, they explored using their bodies and brushes to investigate mark-making and expression. They extended this experience by adding watercolour painting with Samoan designs, creating their own works of art.
The Kiwi and Tui Room children were in awe as they watched Moana demonstrate how to crack a coconut and get the ‘meat’ out. She used a knife and alternated between tapping the coconut and using a little force. After a few knocks, we noticed the coconut water trickling down. The children tasted this fresh coconut water, some enjoying the refreshing taste while others took a sip and then handed the cup back to the teacher. Moana continued by introducing a Samoan cultural tool that is used to grate the coconut out of the shell. The children used these raw ingredients to bake a special afternoon treat called Samoan Masipopo (coconut biscuit). The Tui Room researched the significance of the Samoan Siapo (tapa cloth) and what this versatile fabric is used for. The teachers placed provocation on the table to extend the children’s knowledge into the shapes, patterns and designs that were found in these tapa clothes. The children then collaboratively and creatively designed their own ‘Tui Room Tapa Cloth’.
Our Early Childhood Curriculum states that ‘the identities, languages, and cultures of Pasifika children are strengthened by acknowledging the interconnectedness of people, place, time and things. Working together for the common good develops a spirit of sharing, togetherness, and reciprocity, which is valued by Pasifika and many other cultures.’