O A'u O Le Samoa

O A'u O Le Samoa Led by Tu'u'u Apulu Uta'ile'uo Mary Kalala Tanuvasa Tofaeono, Matai title holder. Helping diaspora reconnect with language, history & identity.

O Au O Le Samoa offers community Samoan language & culture workshops online & in person. Taught in English.

23/08/2026

Meet one of our students from our recent beginners class from Poland 🇵🇱. This was his introduction and one of the tasks we asked everyone to share in the group (no… you did not need to video yourself 😂)

What Tomas is saying:

“Tālofa lava.

O loʻu igoa o Tomasz Madej.

Na ou fanau i Warsaw, Poland.

Ou te sau mai Poland. Ou te nofo i Warsaw.

E fasefulu ma le fitu oʻu tausaga.

Ou te faigaluega i le Asia and Pacific Museum i Warsaw.”

Well done Tomas! 👏🏼 It was an absolute pleasure having you in our group.

We appreciate all that you do to help spread the love for our culture.

This is what he shared about the course.

“Fa’afetai tele lava. Ua ou matuā fa’afetai. 🇼🇸❤️

(Bardzo dziękuję. Jestem ogromnie wdzięczny🇵🇱)

What an incredible four days.

I’ve learned so much about Gagana Samoa, Aganu’u and Fa’asamoa.
For me, joining you from Poland, it was a true honour and privilege to take part in this course and to have the opportunity to learn about Samoan culture directly from you.

Fa’afetai tele lava (bardzo dziękuję🇵🇱) to Kalala Tanuvasa Tofaeono, Alaelua Malesala and Lenora Ah Sue-Prosser and to everyone in the group for your kindness♥️♥️♥️
generosity and such a warm welcome. 🙏🇼🇸

Fa’afetai tele lava. ❤️🇼🇸

(Bardzo dziękuję.)”

If you want to know when our next courses are, comment WAITLIST and we’ll send you the link to register your interest.

Fa’afetai tele lava to you .by.madej for being a part of our world! Keep it up. You’ll be fluent in no time with the amount of passion you share 🔥

Mary, Alaelua & Lenora 🇼🇸

22/08/2026

Our Mother needed a special mention in this series too 💖

The love she had for us and then of our families, stays with me, always!

I always laugh when I think about the comparisons we used to make between ourselves va our friends.

This was our world. The one that we were grateful for.

What did your inner voice try to tell you growing up? Do YOU look back and feel content now that you understand the why?

Share in the comments. I’d love to know 🫶🏼

Mary 🌺

TAUTUA I LOU AIGA - Serving Your FamilyThis next course will be delivered over 3 Mondays. Starting on Monday 24th Augus...
15/08/2026

TAUTUA I LOU AIGA - Serving Your Family

This next course will be delivered over 3 Mondays.

Starting on Monday 24th August, followed by Monday 31st August and ending on Monday 7th September. All running from 7pm - 9pm NZST.

This is what will be covered:

Session 1 — Why We Tautua
Foundations of service. Who does it, and why it matters.
Serving food: who serves, what's served, and the correct order
● Valaau se taumafataga (calling guests to the dinner table)
● Apa fafano (serving a finger bowl)

Session 2 — Gifting and Receiving
● Folafola taumafa (announcing food gifts)
● Taliga toga (receiving and gifting ie toga, fine mats)

Session 3 — Public Announcements
● Sula toga (announcing ie toga gifts)
● Folafola sua (the public announcement of sua gifting)

Students will then have a week to practice one of the topics covered during the session, record it, send it to us/Mary so that she can help critique any of the practices, and then she can share overall feedback the following week.

There will be a Private Facebook Group so that you can share your homework, questions and feedback.

Note: This is open to anyone who is happy to learn online and knows that the times are set for 7-9pm NZST.

So if you have family and friends who may be interested in joining, feel free to send them the link below.

Thank you to those who have signed up already after our Basic Online Workshop this week🙏🏼.

For anyone interested in this, please complete the form and wait for further instructions, which will be emailed to you before we start ➡ https://docs.excel-pacific.com/widget/form/R830CxIb2yBVQCq5d4r6

Mary 🌺

08/08/2026

“E PELE I LE LOTO LE GAGANA SAMOA” 🇼🇸

“Samoan language is treasured in my heart”. ❤️

In this reel I share a piece of my own story, why Gagana Samoa (the Samoan language) and Aganu’u (culture) mean so much to me.

My father made the journey with our family to New Zealand, and it was there most of us did our schooling. We grew up strong in the Samoan Methodist Church, and it was through that church, through Sunday school and the life around it, that our Gagana was upheld and kept alive.

But it was our parents and grandparents who held the line the firmest. They refused, absolutely refused, to speak to us in English at home. From the moment we walked in the door after school until we left again the next morning, it was Samoan, always. Looking back now, I understand that was their gift to us.

I know so many of you have shared with me that this wasn’t your experience, that Samoan wasn’t spoken at home growing up. I hear you, and I see you. That’s part of why I do this galuega (work), so that what was given to me so freely can find its way back to you too.

What was it like in your home growing up?

Was Gagana spoken, or is this a journey you’re on now like so many of us?

I’d love to hear your story below.

If this touched you, follow this page so you don’t miss out on more tips, stories, and announcements coming your way.

Mary 🌺

Talofa lava everyone 🇼🇸Registrations for our FREE Gagana Samoa (Samoan Language), Aganu’u (Culture) and Fa’asamoa (The S...
07/08/2026

Talofa lava everyone 🇼🇸

Registrations for our FREE Gagana Samoa (Samoan Language), Aganu’u (Culture) and Fa’asamoa (The Samoan Way) introduction workshop are now officially closed.

The registration link has been turned off and is no longer active.

If you registered and have not received an email, please don’t send a DM (it’s too difficult to keep track of all the conversations there), instead send an email to: [email protected] so we can check on your registration and get you into our PRIVATE Facebook Group in time for next week.

If you weren’t able to register this time, a wait list for our next course will be opening soon, so keep an eye out.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone joining us from Tuesday to Friday next week!

This weekend we’ll be sending out your Zoom link, along with a breakdown of what we’ll be covering each day.

Fa’afetai tele lava for your patience and for being part of this journey with us.

If you have any questions, our door is always open, email us anytime.

What are you most looking forward to learning next week? Let us know below!

Mary 🌺

06/08/2026

This one is straight from the heart 💛

My husband didn’t have to ask me twice when he suggested we go for a drive. So this is just one of our pit stops at Mulifanua. And as always, Samoa had something beautiful waiting for us.

Look at this view.

Manono and Apolima sitting there in the background, the ocean stretching out in front of us. Breathtaking. Every single time.

But what I really wanted to share with you today is this. Our people 🇼🇸

Just in this one little stretch of road, in one small moment, I saw everything I needed to see.

Out in the water, you can see the conservation areas the village has set up.

Marked out and watched over by the community itself, allowing the marine life to grow and replenish naturally.

Sustainability, looked after by the people who depend on it most.

Along the shore, little fishing boats belonging to local families, ready to go out when the tide is right.

And right here on the road, this young man. Heading down to his fishing boat, nets wrapped across his shoulder, ready to do what his family has always done. 🎣

Across the road, families selling kalo, umu, fresh produce from their plantations, cold coconuts, vegetables, whatever they have worked on all week, brought out and offered to anyone passing through.

Simple. Dignified. Purposeful.

I want to say something clearly, because it needs to be said.

The idea that people here are simply waiting for money to come from overseas… that is not the story I see.

Not even close.

What I see are families who are resourceful, self sufficient, and deeply connected to the land and the sea that has sustained them for generations.

They know what they are doing. And they work incredibly hard.

A storm can come through and flatten everything. Yet they get up and they start again. Because that is who we are.

Take heart in that. Our people have lived these lands and these seas for generations and generations. And they know their home better than anyone.

There is so much to be proud of. 💛

💬 What is something about the Samoan way of life that fills your heart with pride?

Please share it below ⬇️.

05/08/2026

Talofa everyone,

The fact that so many of you have registered for our next course starting 11th August is just so awesome!

Fa'afetai tele lava to everyone who filled out the form, it really helps us out a lot.

So you can understand what's been happening behind the scenes, we've received over 1,000 registrations since we opened this up on 28th July. That's just over a week ago!

However, only about 700 of those registrations have gone through, and at least 350 have bounced back in error. It's those error emails that concern us, because we have no way of getting in touch with the people affected.

This is why we need to CLOSE REGISTRATIONS this FRIDAY 7th AUGUST at midnight, so we can focus on getting everyone who has received their email into the PRIVATE Facebook Group ready for the course next week.

You've still got a couple of days to register if you haven't already. Comment 'READY' and the link will follow in your DM's. I suggest you get on t this now!

If you registered BEFORE Wednesday 4th August and did NOT receive an email, please send your enquiry to Lenora at [email protected]

Don't send them to me, because I know nothing about email merges, so I'm keeping right out of this one 🫣

Once you do receive your email, you'll have until Monday 10th August to get onto the page using the link inside it, so please don't leave it too late.

And a gentle request from both of us: please be patient and respectful with your comments. We don't have a big team; we are it. If you send us an email or DM, we will always reply. It might not be straight away, but we will.

Fa'afetai for your patience and for being part of this journey with us.

Mary 🌺

04/08/2026

As we near the date of our next workshop, Lenora and I need time to prepare and to get to know our students in the Private Facebook Group.

This means that we will close registrations for this cohort on Friday 7th August.

If you comment 'READY' today, we will send you the link to register for the Aganu'u, Gagana Samoa & Fa'asamoa ONLINE workshop from the 11th-14th August from 7-9pm NZST.

You MUST comment READY and submit your registration by Friday 7th August, or you will miss out on this intake.

After this date, any expressions of interest will go on a waitlist for the next course.

Don't forget to 'FOLLOW' this page to keep up-to-date with any new courses or workshops.

We'd love to see you in one of our classes soon.

Mary 🌺

04/08/2026

Susū mai everyone,

A few weeks ago, after the maliu (funeral) of my husband's cousin in Savai'i, I travelled to a village to visit a very dear friend of ours, a man of God who has become like family to us. I wanted to keu, to return le alofa ma le fa'aaloalo (the love and the respect) he showed my husband when he needed it most.

In this video, you'll see me sitting with this dear friend, thanking him and telling him how grateful I was to hear that my husband was looked after and fed when he arrived late that night from New Zealand. I wanted to share this moment with you as an example of what happens behind the scenes after a funeral, the protocols of respect and thankfulness that we don't always talk about publicly.

A note before you watch: our conversation is in Gagana Samoa (the Samoan language), not English. For those of you who don't speak Samoan, I am so sorry, this one wasn't made with subtitles of our spoken words. Instead, I've placed written blocks on the screen throughout the video that explain the story in English as it unfolds, so you can still follow along and understand what we're sharing, even if you can't understand what we're saying.

Fa'asamoa doesn't end when the event ends. It continues in how we remember.

If you'd like to learn more about moments like this, our free Gagana Samoa, Aganu'u & Fa'asamoa course is running August 11-14. Comment READY below, and we'll send you the link (Please don’t comment anything else but READY, or the link won't get sent).

Also, registrations close this Friday, August 7. After that, we will not be accepting any more registrations or requests to join our PRIVATE Facebook Group as we need time to prepare for the course. So please don't wait too long to register.

Have you ever had someone show up for your family in a way you didn't expect?

I'd love to hear about it in the comments.

Mary 🌺

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Manukau City
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