One of the images in the photographic exhibition "Belonging [Hononga] [Pertencimento]".
"Talofa Lava,
O lo’u igoa o Poto Fa’aiuaso (née Talalelei). Ou te sau mai le nu’u Luatuanu’u. Ina ua ou sau mai Samoa i le tausaga e 1968.
Ona ou fa’aipoipo lea ile tofa a Fa’aiuaso Tavita Fa’aiuaso i le tausaga e 1971 i’inei lava i Palmerston North o lo’o ou nofo ai lava e o’o mai lava i le taimi nei. E maua lau fanau e toafa; e tasi le tama ae tolu teine.
O lau Ekalesia o lo’o ou lotu ai Ekalesia Faapotopotoga Kerisiano Samoa (EFKS) Palmerston North.
Sa ou galue isi galuega i totonu lava o Palmerston North, ae sa maua loa lou tusi i le Early Childhood Education (ECE), ma ou faigaluega loa ile Malamalama Moni Aoga Amata EFKS Palmerston North i lalo o va’aiga a le pule o Tiana Fauolo.
‘O Au o Matua Fanau.’
Fa’afetai Lava.
Hello,
My name is Poto Fa’aiuaso (née Talalelei). My village is Luatuanu’u in Samoa. I arrived in New Zealand (Aotearoa) from Samoa in 1968. Palmerston North has been my home for 54 years, and I still reside here.
I married Fa’aiuaso Tavita Fa’aiuaso in 1971 in Palmerston North. I have four children: one son and three daughters. My family is part of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa (CCCS) Palmerston North.
I have worked as a Registered Early Childhood Education Teacher at Malamalama Moni Aoga Amata (Samoan Early Childhood Education Centre) under Tiana Fauolo (Centre Manager).
‘O Au o Matua Fanau - Children are the precious offspring of parents’ - Samoan proverb
Thank you."
The exhibition reflects on the personal experience of the photographer, Aline Frey, as a migrant woman who chose Palmerston North as a new home for her family and herself.
"Belonging" is a series of 10 portraits celebrating migrant women who made Palmy their new home. By allowing characters to share their narratives as they open their hearts to spectators, the exhibition focuses on a multiplicity of ethnicities and biographies. It follows migrant stories while giving a nuanced portrayal of the city's ethnic and cultural diversity. Above all, the exhibition aims to give visibility to migrants' diverse roles in PN society, as attendees can learn and better understand the challenges and achievements of each person's journey. Attendees are also invited to reflect back on their own whakapapa and family memories while making connections and recognising the city’s multicultural formation.
The exhibition was organised by Palmeirinhos – Brazilian Heritage Group. All events organised by Palmeirinhos are open to the general public and have been attended by many members of different communities, as well as local kiwis. These Palmeirinhos events have been giving Brazilian children a sense of belonging to the new land that their parents chose to call home. Those children are learning to be proud of who they are and at the same time learning to respect and accept the cultural differences of this very diverse city.
