Sons for the return home

Sons of the return home

(Text to self)

            Sons of the return home a story about a person questioning his own identity. Struggling to know who he is where he belongs and asking himself why is I unlike others. Why do I not belong here, where do I belong? An issue that is very common and almost everyone get confused if this topic ever comes up in a conversation.

           The main character found him self in a situation where he do not know who he is.Moving to a new country and making relationships to a person from different culture made him more confused to the point that he did not know his identity.

           Other people feels the same way as Sione, they sometimes feel that they do not belong in a particular place, especially people from another culture growing up in a different country. Just like me, I grew up in the country of the Philippines. The first few months after we migrate to New Zealand were the hardest. I’ve always wanted to go back to my mother country because of people mocking me about my way of speaking English (Not fluent, hard to understand). I had my trouble. No friends, no other families. Therefore I felt like I do not belong here. The main character, Sione knows others cultures, culture mainly Maoris and Caucasian. Although, He is either a (Samoan or a Kiwi) it is a though time in a persons life to feel this way. Almost as if nobody wants you but at least he knows how to find himself by tracing his ancestry back to Samoa.

           Sione grew up in a Samoan life style. He goes to church with the family (family time) and has kept the tradition Fa’a Samoa. Although, Sione thinks that he is different from his family. I think that he still considers them as family and will keep a close connection to them. His partner Sarah who also made him raised more questions about himself is I believed to be a big part of his life, in trying to know who he is. Maybe he is just confused and not used to Sarah’s culture and that is the reason why he kept asking more and more. This is just a simple example of what you love can be what your weakness is.

          Relating to my self, I think Sons for the return home made me realised that knowing who you are is very important. If you know your backgrounds, your roots and your ancestry, then you will never be able to lose who you are and you can be proud of what you can become.

Wild dogs under my skin

Response to wild dogs under my skirt

This poem I assume is about a young Samoan who is desperate and excited to have his tattoo. “Not blue or green but black” the common colour of a Samoan tattoo.

This person perhaps knows his background and knows what he wants. A tattoo symbolizes his ancestry and his tribe making him a proud Samoan man.

The feeling of desperation is very obvious in the statement “ I want to sit opposite the tufuga and I know he means me pain” a very powerful voice saying that I know its painful I know it hurts but I am a proud Samoan; defeat is only a myth.

The power that has been passed on to him by his tribe is clearly seen. He literally wants to feel the pain that his father’s and forefathers have felt while getting their own tattoos. “I want him to bring out his chisel and hammer and strike my thighs”

He wants his family to be proud of him and that is why he wants to obtain a tattoo as sharp (accurate) as dogs’ teeth. (In order to do that he must resist the pain and do not move a lot while being tattooed) and as fierce looking as a Samoan dog who dislikes strangers for no reason. “I want my legs like octopus black octopus” from my point it means. I want my tattoo to be as obvious as possibly, able to be seen its dark colour because I am a proud Samoan man.

Lastly, to feel satisfied He wants to get hurt, he wants to feel the sting and the swelling of his wounds just as his ancestor did before him.

Inked

In response to 'Tatz'

(Author's Note: The three stars and a sun is in flag of the Philippines.
When there is a war, the Philippine flag gets turned upside down.
"Lupang Hinirang" is the country's national anthem.) 

I may not be inked like you are
I may not experience the pleasure
That comes with pain
When you etch your ancestry

The history of your people
In the depths of your skin
To show the world who you are
But, I am more than that

If I were to ink myself head to toe
And make what makes up my DNA
Visible to everyone

With the history of how
Three stars and a sun with eight rays came to be
And how red is above blue when
Bloodshed and gunfire becomes the only method
To try and claim the land that I belong to

I would turn to ashes

For no amount of ink
That covers my body will ever be enough
To bear the history of my beloved land

So, with my right hand over my heart
I will sing my “Lupang Hinirang”

And claim the ancestry and history
That is forever wrapped
Inside and around my flesh and bones

A book and a pen

Response to book and a pen

         By: Vaine Rasmussen

Not sure about what this author is talking about.

 I mean after all those years

 of going inside and outside of school and in the end

saying “I missed a lot”?

 how big is that plank in your eye that

you, a graduate can not see the reality?

“They gave me a book and pen” is this not English?

“Set-rule and calculator to play with” is clearly for maths.

And “test tubes and Bunsen burners” are more likely to be science.

Are you not happy that you are educated?

 Not everyone gets the opportunity

You are lucky enough to wear those shoes in your feet

Maybe nobody needs education if everyone

is like Bill gates or Steve Jobs.

high school drop outs

yet, invented the great future.

but even this people went through school

and learned that great ideas

 are often found

in a piece of paper

written with a pen or a pencil.

You think calculations are useless,

Well think again.

 how many days, months or even years sill you

spend to obtaining your dreams.

and that perfection can only be achieved through

thousands and thousands of experimentation and repetition.

“When I was at University they gave me another book and a pen

Marx’s theories and Solzhenitsyn’s literature to debate discuss and agree over.

This is where students never understood what schools do for us.

Yea we may never be able to use formulas, verb phrases or astronomy after leaving school

but isn’t this just a formal translation

 of you arguing with your best friends about what each of you

can become after graduating?

Admit it in school you’ve learned

 to love, to suffer, to party and to sacrifice

but most important of all

you’ve learnt how to be yourself

The heck with those A+,B+, or C+

 who needs those anyway right?

They’re just those fancy displays on your C.V.

As if you need those for a better career in life.

Just don’t you dare go regretting your actions once the time of judgement

comes

Where you,

 yourself reach the point of no return.

So next time you call school time a waster

think again you would have never

Be able to write this poem if you took your education for granted.

Response to the Cross.

Response to the Cross.

The cross? It's always the cross ha.

blame the cross, blame this cross

blame that cross, blame their cross

what did the cross ever done to you?

You say it kills, it destroys, it changes.

I tell you that cross is not the true cross.

The cross that I know.

The cross that I know saves, heals, protects.

That cross never changes. 

You say you hate the cross, 

You say that the cross changes everything

but in truth it is, its not the cross that changes 

but its you who always change and kept running away.

you kept denying the cross but in the end kept

saying OMG? OMFG? FCS?

I tell you the cross that you hate is not the true cross.

because the cross that I know will never hate you
nor will it hurt you and will always
 welcome you back.

The cross that I know is never a symbol of destruction.

The cross that I know symbolizes victory over death and over the enemy.

You can not change the cross, no one will ever be able to change the cross

the cross came here to stay. 

It is perfect and will always be the same nothing more, nothing less.

Its promises, gifts and words will always be the same.

It happened before, happens now, will happen in the future.

Do not blame the cross for your mistakes

Look into yourself and realize the truth.

The end of the ages is near; the cross will soon come back

and when it does, are you ready?

Sons for the Return Home (Text to Text)

Sons for the Return Home

Upon reading Sons for the Return Home by Albert Wendt, my initial response is that people don’t start questioning their identity unless they are surrounded by people that are different from them, or someone who seems to be at the other end of the spectrum. When we are surrounded by people that we “belong” with, whether this is in a religious or cultural sense, there is a sense of security. On the other hand, being surrounded by people that we “don’t belong” with, makes us doubt.

This is the main challenge that “the boy” has found himself in – he has been questioning his own identity, just by moving into a different country, and having a relationship with someone who isn’t from his culture, only made him raise more questions.

Racial Stereotypes

The main male character in Sons for the Return Home has his own perception of different cultures, particularly the Maoris and the Caucasian. Each culture views another culture differently and this is something that seems to be taught. Much like racism, these ideas do not exist until someone learns about them, and once they know, this are passed on from one person to another, until the idea becomes a generalization of one culture. More often than not, these generalizations are often negative and sometimes, based on a person’s skin colour. The poem “Brown Brother” by Joshua Iosefo is a great example of this generalization of culture. He talks about his skin colour, the food and “the mud” that “his people” is judged upon, and how you can be the “first” ‘brown’ person to graduate or be a prime minister. This shows just how much the Pacific culture is belittled, when in reality, we don’t know if this speaks the truth, because we only get a glimpse of their life. Therefore, one shouldn’t so easily generalize.

Gender roles

In Sons for the Return Home, there is a distinct difference between the roles of men and women. The mother is expected to be the typical, submissive housewife, whereas the father isn’t expected to show any affection, especially in public as this is apparently a sign of weakness. The wife must “obey [the husband], give him children and keep the home in order.” On the other hand, the man must be that who shows physical strength and able to “protect his family” whenever he needs to. There is also a scene in the book, where the main character hits his girlfriend, yet, she apologized, even though she was the one who got hurt.  

Here are a few excerpts from the Bible that says that a woman should be submissive, especially towards their husband:

“This is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands.”

(1 Peter 3:5)

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.”

(Ephesians 5:22)

It’s easy to see that this image of a submissive woman is something that is encouraged in the society even in the past. Like I have stated before, when something is constantly repeated, whether it’s an idea or a way of life, it becomes the tradition and this is passed on because the home is where we learn the most important things in life. Also, it’s quite safe to assume that Pacific Islanders tend to continue the teachings of the Bible. After all, Christianity is a dominant religion in the Pacific.

A woman was only created after the man, biblically speaking, which is another reason why wives should submit to their husbands – because women have always been perceived as inferior, from the time that Christianity was taking over until in today's society. 

Sons of the Return Home makes a person understand what it’s like to have different perceptions of people from different cultures, though I think that the essence of the book is a question of identity in crisis. However, when you do meet them, you’ll find that these ‘common’ perceptions are often wrong, if not exaggerated. It’s so easy to judge other people, yet you forget that you are judged, too, because society relies on first impressions and assumes that what they see, or rather what they hear about what they see, is what they get. 

O' Tamaiti - Sima Urale

O' Tamaiti

O’Tamaiti a short film directed by Sima Urale. Is a story about a Samoan family who recently migrate to their new country. The story revolves around the young boy, Tino, who is also the first born son of the family. Due to his family's situation Tino had to step up and take responsibilities that a child his age should not be doing. Migrating is a really though challenge for this family, especially for Tino. As you can see, his parents work alternatively, they do not have enough time left to take care of their children, thus leaving the job to Tino and his younger sister. It is hard to say that their parents do not care about them. It might be because they are both struggling looking for in to sustain the family's needs. However, the sequence changes when the director showed a stereotypical claim of a drunkard husband at the near end of the film. This is to show that their father can become irresponsible. Tino had to sacrifice his childhood in order to support his parents. He became the second father, he does the groceries, he feeds his siblings and even puts the baby to sleep. The part that disappoints me is that after what Tino had done for the family, his parents still takes his works for granted and not even a single thank you or any sign of appreciation was given for him. Not only that, they also kept leaving a lot of accountability for Tino that they, the parent, should be dealing with. Moreover, the director also showed another stereotypical attitude of a Pacific Islander parents. This is when they fight and throw and break stuffs in front of the kids. As shown in the film; at the scene where Tinos’ father came home drunk and forgot to pay the bill, the parents did not even considered the children who are watching while they fight. As a proof the director excellently managed to use sound effects such as falling object and breaking glass for the viewers to feel and relate to what is happening.

Although, Tino’s life has been a struggle with his parents unfairly treating him, it all did not happen for nothing. Some of these circumstances taught him valuable lessons and can also guide him in his life/fatherhood. Firstly, at such a young age Tino have matured outstandingly, hoping that this would teach him the difference between right and wrong with his parents as an example for him. Secondly, he managed to take care of his brothers and sister becoming the man of the house. This shows that Tino learnt to love his relatives properly and could be a symbol of him taking care of his own family someday. Lastly, according to the film Tino did all of this without his parents being much of a help to him. This proves that Tino is responsible, independent, skill and a reliable person.

To conclude, Sima Urale showed how a person can overcome adversities through the life of Tino. Life is unfair therefore the choice is yours whether you’re going to give up or stand up and face your problems head on aiming for the glory of success

Aaron: Four Poems and Sione's Wedding: Traditional vs Contemporary (Final)

   Karlo Mila: Four Poems and Sione's Wedding ·     

            I will be looking at this piece from a traditional vs contemporary point of view. The reason I have picked this point of view is that I believe traditional values play a massive part in how many people see themselves and live their lives in today’s society. In this poem Karlo Mila mashes both tradition and contemporary elements together.

·         I believe this poem talks about a story that has been around westernized societies for far too long. Unfortunately it is a story often pushed to the side or slid to the back of most conversations.

·         Yet is one , though usually sitting underneath, hidden, that has been brought to the surface by Karlo Mila and her Poem “Four poems and Siones wedding”

·         It is the story of inequality for woman and I believe this is all part and parcel in the line

“Yea get the girls to write their own”

·         For if they were to write a story about the daily life of an islander woman, or any woman, it would be one of traditional limitations and cultural stereotypes. Yet it is a story that should be told, one that needs to be looked over and one that needs to change, for a more contemporary society to even exist.

As mentioned I will be looking at this poem from a traditional vs contemporary point of view and some of the first things I noticed about this poem is the traditional impacts given to modern day woman by traditional religion.

·         For example “Followed religiously by wooden pew penance and prayer promises.”

This is a line about half way through the poem, that talks about how island men in today’s society have more lenience when it comes to there (religious) transgressions I also think you could aim this at most men in today's society and hit the mark. Yet if men are so easily forgiven why can a woman not simply have the same treatment. I believe this partially because of the traditional views of Christianity. As we have seen through-out this course the Christian missionary movement swept through the islands and had a large impact on many of them. Even today one can find parts of the bible that are full of unfortunate woman stereotyping

For example I have taken this from the bible.

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing.

·         This biblical reference shows how parts of the bible place woman on a lower rank and creates woman (if taken seriously) into sub servants of men. I believe this traditional biblical view has no place in today’s contemporary world. Though I’m not saying Karlo Mila or myself believe religion as something that needs to be removed from society, I do believe this poem lie myself is against the all too common religious and traditional cultural inequality for woman.

·         So does the tradition of religion bare some of the blame when it comes to the inequality of Woman? Yes absolutely and I also think the words used directly after “Yeah, get the girls to write their own” are valuable.

      Valuable because they speak of how traditional values for woman are not a laughing matter.

·       The stanza goes

" But with all due respect to Oscar, it’s just not gonna be a comedy, if you know what I’m saying"

     I believe what Karlo Mila is saying is a lot more than the words original tell us. She uses the name Oscar Knightly, speaking directly to him thus bringing all I have spoken about into the contemporary realm.

Another piece of the poem that I believe carries a traditional meaning yet is used in a contemporary way is the words used in the following.

·         "Yeah, those boys know freedom, like flying foxes in the night.”

      This is used as a direct reference to the traditional flying fox which has significant cultural meaning in Samoa. The flying fox is known for its courageous and cheeky nature as Albert Wendt mentions in a speech where he talks about the traditional Tatau. The flying fox as mentioned is in regards to the tatau. I find this stanza in the poem relates so well to the paragraph in Albert Wendt’s speech where he says Quote…

“The expression said when someone has finished their tatau is Fa’alele lau Pe’a. Let your flying fox fly, show how beautiful and courageous you’ve been in enduring the pain of the tatau, parade it for all to see. The sexual connotations are very obvious.”

I believe the words “like flying foxes in the night” have that very cultural traditional significance and Karlo Mila brings this out through the contemporary idea that, men going to town on the weekend literally let their sexual flying foxes out.

·         She goes on to play with many traditional ideas, mixing them in contemporary situations, such as the two door waka / sailing streets (as in the cars cruising the streets on the weekend.)

·         She also uses the phrase “winging their way across the divide” This I believe is key and is used to show how easy it is for men to transition from the traditional religious and cultural pressures to the less weighted more contemporary life. Easy for a male but not a female.

·         So yes I agree with the phrase “Double-double standards”

·         This poem is all about how the traditional and contemporary pressures are at war with women in today’s society. Be it..

“It’s just not so fun having to be the princess” (the traditional princess) or

“Modern day mary, her afro like a halo, hands clasped in prayer” (Modern day vs traditional religion) to

“We’re ether hula or hipping it.

So I believe women are still battling for the rite to define themselves and not tradition or contemporary values of society to do so.

·       

O Tamaiti

The powerful short film ‘O Tamaiti’, by Sima Urale shows that children are seen and not heard in Pacific families. Since they are little, their opinions aren’t valued as much, because of the perception that they are still too young. Children, like any other normal adult, have emotions, too. The problem is that different people, child or adult, have a different way of saying what they want to say. In the film’s case, the children are not heard, literally and figuratively. The audience does not hear them speak, apart from their cries, which is quite significant because children tend to cry when they can’t get what they desire, and they will only stop once they do get that desire, whether it is a mere toy or something more abstract, like the affection of their parents.

This is a film that conveys strong emotions and makes people think that, yes, there are families here in New Zealand that are struggling as much as this family, if not more. Settling into a different country can be somewhat frustrating because there are a lot of things that should be taken into consideration.

First and foremost, you do not have your extended family as a kind of “back up”, for when things get rough, like when you need someone to look after your children. In the film, it is Tino who becomes the responsible guardians when his parents are away. In a way, Tino is being deprived of his childhood because he is expected to mature at a faster rate than any other children.

Secondly, language can either be a bridge or a barrier when you first move into a country. In the film, there is no indication of how long the family has been in New Zealand, however the whole film speaks for itself that they’ve just started to settle in, because of the struggle to cope. When language is a barrier, it can be difficult for people, especially the children to create his/her community of friends, because he/she will most likely feel an outcast. I can speak from experience, because, I, too, am a migrant and English has never been mother tongue. It, therefore, created a barrier against other children, since I started school halfway through the year, which means that the other children have already built their groups, and there I was trying to fit into one those “groups”.

Thirdly, moving to another country doesn’t always guarantee that the grass is going to be greener, because each country will have its positive and negative aspects. Sometimes, being in a new country brings its own trials and challenges. As seen in the film, the biggest struggle of Tino’s family is time and finance. The parents work opposite shifts and the children has to cope with these changes, especially Tino who has to step up into the world of adulthood and responsibilities.

I think the representation of Pacific families in this short film, or in any other form of media, has always been negative. For instance, news always seem to impact on this negative view, because mainly crimes are being reported about Pacific Islanders. I don’t believe that this is always the case, but because the media is such a powerful force, people perceive this to be the reality amongst Pacific Islander households. People face the media on a day to day basis, without even noticing it, from the smart phones that we always cling on to the simple posters that we see at the bus stop. 

Aaron: Sons for the Return Home (Final)

Sons for the Return Home: Text to Self.

After reading Sons for the return home the most common reaction I can imagine one having is a reflection on their identity. With the man character in constant struggle with who he is and where he belongs it is easy to come to that conscious line of thought yourself. In this blog I want to look at how some themes in Sons for the Return Home relate to me. I will be looking at text to self via three points, they are: ancestry, family and cultural practice.

I have spent the last two years living abroad and some of the countries I have visited are Scotland, Germany and Ireland. I noticed while traveling these countries that the people who lived there and have many generations belonging to the certain country, have a real sense of who they are and where they are from. It set, in my mind, a question in regards to identity. Where do I fit in New Zealand?

Ancestry

After reading Sons for the Return Home, this question started to return. I could see the same unsureness in the main character as I felt while being overseas. However, one of the differences between me and Sione was the fact he knew where his ancestry was from and though he struggled trying to identify himself (was he Samoan or a Kiwi) at least he could trace his roots back to Samoa. Where as I have a European mother and a European/Maori father, so tracing my ancestry is difficult as the word "European" is a highly generalized term when used for ethnicity and I have little contact with the outer family. In class (Pacific Reader) I have come to learn that an individual can understand themselves and where they fit in their society if they know more of where their ancestral roots flow from. So when I went searching for my family ties I was intrigued, although not surprised, to find one of the main bloodlines flows back to Scotland.

Family

In Sons for the Return Home Sione is well feed into the Samoan way of life with his family. He attended church with his them (when he was younger) and as part of being Samoan is keeping the traditions of Fa'a Samoa. I believe though he was removed more than any other of his siblings form his family Sione still had a deep connection with them. I also believe Sione considered Sarah as a big part of his family and through her traditions and cultural norms helped confuse what he held dear to him. This I can directly relate to as I also have a partner from another country and culture, while living with her and learning what traditions and cultural norms she is used to, I also had this sense of confusion. So through this example one can understand why family and those you hold dear can effect where you see yourself.

Cultural Practice

Language in Sons for the Return Home is used as tool to show immediately the cultural divide between New Zealand and Samoa. It is also one of the problems Sione's parents struggle with. As they are older when they have to start using the language in day to day living it is more difficult than it was for Sione. This is where I feel I can relate to the parents. When I moved to Germany I lived there for a year and a half, I had never tried to learn the language, this made it difficult for me to understand the culture and I felt alienated from it. Thus I had a longing to return to what I knew, English and New Zealand.


I guess in the end Sons for the Return home helped me realize that like Sione and some what Albert Wendt, it is ok to be confused on what your identity "is". I'm somewhere in between or maybe outside a Kiwi, Scotsman and a Maori, just like Sione is between or outside a Samoan and a Kiwi.

Dance

In response to Tango by Michael Greig

In the streets

Inside the cyphers, from the battles lost and the battles won

From the back of the crowd to the spotlight

Of Las Vegas’ World Hiphop

Krump it. Jab it. Stomp it. Buck it. Break it. Pop it. Lock it.

Find the momentum as you spin with your head

And not your toes – unlike them bun-heads in their tutus

Keeping it real – unpolished, unperfected

Poets have their pens

Photographers have their cameras

Singers have their voice

We have our bodies, the beat and the floor

And our hearts that is the constant rhythm in every move

The instrument that’s been poured all over

Expression through movement

“Remember this because this is who I am”

Not just a label or a genre

But a lifestyle

Inhaling hip hop, exhaling hip hop

Through dance, words, music and art

Art that you would call ‘vandalising’

Colours bursting to express hip hop’s identity

But stuck inside an aerosol can

Waiting for a blank canvas large enough to hold what needs to be said

Papers

(In response to Vaine Rasmussen's 'A Book and a Pen')

Think about how many times you will use x, y and z

And all the formulas and equation

From algebra to geometry to probability

Don't forget important pieces of the history

Of ancient Greece, ancient Rome and ancient Egypt

Because that will come handy one day

Remember the dates, the places, because at one point

You’ll have to acknowledge them (For what?)

Keep worrying about your credits

And all the Merits and Excellences

Because intelligence is measured by letters

I tell you now, your grades define how society will treat you

Think about the university

That would lead you into the future of debt

Education is not what it used to be

It's now a mere propaganda

One university will claim that they're the best

And the other will claim that they're leading

And yet another will claim that they're the top

All because they want your money in their pocket

In exchange for a piece of paper holding a Bachelor's degree

In return, what does this paper prove?

That you were able to remember theories and extract information

How different is an A+ to a B+, or a B+ to a C+?

Did you really want to have a say when we define our future?

Or did you want us, so that you can define your future

So tell me, where’s my money gone now?

Because I tell you, it doesn’t matter how high my results are

At the end of it all, all I get is piece of paper holding a Bachelor’s degree

A Bachelor’s degree that very rarely gets me into the industry that I want to be in

Was I not prepared for the real world?

How different is university from high school, or high school from middle school

And ever since I was little, people that I call “teachers”

Taught me to prepare for the “real world”

So I ask, didn’t I enter the “real world” ever since I first opened my eyes?

So you tell me, that preparing for the “real world” means waiting

For every piece of paper that I get, every time I leave a school ?

Aaron: Poem to Kidnapped (Final)

Ruperake Petaia a Samoan outside the center

Was it careless that you were sent away?

Thrust into a white Fijian world unasked
English your new friend
the old comfort companion disappeared 
 

Only to see those becoming so familiar

after months of strange worldly stories
and room full of those unlike you.

Feelings small important in the least
or the largest in length and most wanted  
a Samoan outside the center

Corrupted by those philosophers minds
that slowly show you glimpses of pleasure  
this education was a weight or reliever?

To be taught in this westernized manner
Where were the lessons about home
Where were the lessons saying you belong
but the Dutch arrived with a banner.

Did your mind start to like what it learned
the war, the leaders, the revolution bullet
did it make its way to an interested mind?

Was there any pleasure to be provided

a life bigger by the gloss of science

thoughts so powerful you yearned for more.

I understand the crisis in finding identity                                             
a life your parents whose love decided
to place a child in a foreign classroom. 

A father seeking the paid praise
but his son was not what he expected

You're different from the traditional view
the white mans child a foreign thinker
Fa'a Samoa now so hard to find

A Samoan outside the center


Words learned that weren't native
taking hold like a hook to a fish
The words taught in academic language
first language spoken but second to you
Mother tongue coming from another

Fa'a Samoa felt the first fist of the Empire
and blessing turned to ash in the mouth
The Nagivator Islands were spewed out

A Flag hidden knife aimed at the center

They clapped and cheered all as one
under the thump of him or her
King, Queen they were all the same
One said this opportunity was open
another the answer lay with them
but all we want is our home

Did they lose a son to the white ways?

Did your Tama ever come to see you

as the son he understood.

For ignorance is the killer of families
when they search for a higher life

A Samoan outside the center