Reconceptualising Childhood

By Alovao Fogavai.

Image of the Samoan enriched child through language and

cultural practices.

Fa’aoloa (Enrich)

Fa’a- is a causative prefix. Oloa means treasure. Bible: “Children are the treasures from God” (Palsm 127: 3).(O tamaiti o le tofi mai le Atua)

Cultural Belief: “O le au o matua fanau” (The pinnacle of parents’ affection are their children)

“E pele i upu, pele i ‘ai, pele i aga, pele i foliga” (Fondly in words, in feeding, in gesture and in body language (Tui Atua, 2009)

Oloa - means teeth.Teeth plays an important role in nurturance of young children within the Samoan context. Usually the elderly chew food to feed children (mama). Mama is more than food (Tui Atua, 2009). The Samoan elders pass on their own spiritual knowledge, cultural values and belief through their words and stories while they are feeding their children. Hence mama is a metaphor that connects with the ritual of the fagogo.

Fagogo as an effective cultural pedagogy for enriching Samoan children’s

learning.

What is fāgogo?

Fai-fāgogo. Who tells the fāgogo?

Itula o fāgogo. When is fāgogo told?

Auga o fāgogo. Why is fāgogo told?

Enriching the child with language and culture.

Fāgogo are the stories of language learning and understanding basis of beliefs and foundation of Samoan culture.(Aiono (2005)

“O le tama a le tagata e fafaga i upu ma tala’ (Tui Atua, 2009) .

Significant source of utuvagana (vocabulary) Aiono, 1996)

Fagogo impart crucial gagana that creates and consolidates the Samoan child’s identity.

Enriching the Samoan cultural values through fagogo.

Alofa, tautua and fa’aaloaloTautua (service)- fagogo is told as a reward for children’s hard work (service) by doing all the chores to help out or as been told.“Ala i le pule o le tautua” Alofa (love)- children show their love through serving their parents and kaumatua (elders) in any way they can. Fa’aaloalo (respect) – children were learnt to respect the fagogo teller by silence and at the same time they eager to listen the fagogo.

Fa’aoloa i mafutaga Enrich in relationshipsThe strong desire of the elderly to have a very close friendly relationship with their young ones. The elders as keepers of knowledge and wisdom of fa’aSamoa dispersed their values to the young children who could use them to further understand and respect the existing relationship. The close relationship is reciprocated by children’s fa’aaloalo and usitai for the elders, while the elders care and give love to their children.The children are taught to have alofa (love) and fa’aaloalo (respect) for their elders. Security and trust are also constructed.

Tomai fa’aneionapo Fāgogo and modern skill.

Not only social skills but also very basic academic skills.

ListeningMotivation imaginative skillsThe Samoan child engages in formal learning, the basic skills of listening, observing, critical thinking, patience, motivation and others were present if nurtured well through fāgogo Kolone-Collins (2010)

Fairbairn-Dunlop (1987) suggests that fāgogo has a place in the modern world and its success stories.

Tomai i Aganu’uIndigenous knowledgeMaori people are retrieving and reviving their language and culture by establishing educational initiatives.

Reclaiming Tinorangatiratanga through re-instatement of the place of the te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Significance of culture in language learning for Pasifika children, in particular Samoan children in New Zealand (McCaffrey and Tuafuti, 2001).

Use of home language and cultural practice provide essential footings for successful learning.

QuestionsWhy should we worry about enriching Samoan young children’s lives?

How might Samoan children make sense of themselves, their values and beliefs?

How to understand and encourage the pedagogical merits found in fāgogo to enrich Samoan writers and story tellers of the presents and future generation?

Reference list•Aiono, F. (1996). Motuga’afa. Apia, Samoa: Le Lamepa Press.Aiono, F. (2005). La ta gagana. Apia, Samoa: Le Lamepa Press.Fairbairn-Dunlop, P. (1987). Searching for the written fāgogo.” Suva, Fiji:

University of South Pacific.Kolone-Collins, S. (2010). Fāgogo: Ua molimea manusina: A qualitative study of the pedagogical significance of fāgogo: Samoan stories at night for the education of Samoan children. (Unpublished master’s thesis). AUT University, Auckland, New Zealand.McCaffrey, J., & Tuafuti, P. (2001). Empowering minority students: Putting theory into practice. Presentation at the Education Pasifika Positively Conference. July 2001, Waipuna, Auckland.Ministry of Education. (1996). Te-whariki: He whariki matauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.Smith, L. T. (1997). Decolonising intellectual identity. In M. Peters (Ed.), Cultural politics and the university in Aotearoa/New Zealand (pp. 182-210). Palmerston North, New Zealand: Dunmore Press.Tui Atua, T. (2009). In search of meaning, nuance and metaphor in social policy. T. Suaalii-Sauni, I. Tuagalu, N. Tofilau, & N. Fuamatu (Eds.), Suesue manogi: In search of fragrance: Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Taisi, and the Samoan indigenous reference (pp. 79-92). Apia, Samoa: National

University of Samoa.