A collection of myths and legends from Tuvalu islands were released this week in a series of books to mark Tuvalu Language Week.
The project was coordinated by Tuvalu native Sagaa Malua, who is a Secretary for the Tuvalu Auckland Community Trust, a Pasifika Futures partner and an organisation supporting the welfare of the Tuvalu community in Auckland.
“We don’t have many books or resources here in New Zealand for our children to read that promotes our language, culture and traditions,” says Malua.
“It was important for us to provide our community and families with this resource because they were stories from our home told in our own language.”
The eight bilingual books tell different stories from each of the eight islands of Tuvalu. The stories were reinterpreted by Tuvaluan teachers and authors Alamai Manuella Sioni and Meli Kaveinga.
Mrs Malua is a former school teacher and moved to New Zealand from Tuvalu in 1999 to complete her post graduate studies. In 2019 she was awarded a QSM for services to the Tuvaluan community and has served as a member of the Ministry of Education Northern Region Pasifika Advisory Group. She’s proud of her Tuvaluan heritage and says orchestrating the production of the children’s books is one of her proudest moments.
“Our children, who now call New Zealand home, need a connection to Tuvalu because they are the future of our culture and traditions.”
Malua’s favourite saying in Tuvalu is “Ke mau mai aulua foe” meaning “Keep paddling“.
“As Tuvaluans in our canoe or as Pacific people in our vaka, we need to keep paddling. Everyone has a part to play to keep us going forward. We have a destination for ourselves, our fanau, our community and as a nation. We need to keep paddling and everyone’s effort is counted.”
The books are available at local libraries and schools or by emailing the Tuvalu Auckland Community Trust at admin@tuvalucommunity.org.
#pmafamily #pmaTuvLW20