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Tamaitai Samoa: Their Stories
Although it has been long overdue, yet how opportune it is for these stories of our women to be written as we draw nigh to the close of the twentieth century.
We need to tell our stories. The recollections shared by the contributors to this collection remind us of the richness of values and faith of our women. But much more, these written records also add to our history and heritage to be passed from generation to generation.
Each of these stories unfolds like the blending and distinctiveness of the motif and decorative patterns of a siapo.
In times of adversity, they literally shrugged their shoulders and kept going, adapting to every life event.
- GenresHistory
202 pages, Paperback
Published December 1, 1996
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January 10, 2012
An illustrated collection of oral histories of Samoan women, most of them born in the 1920s and 1930s. The editor of this book is herself Samoan. I was surprised by how accomplished these people were. Most of them were well-educated and well-traveled -- they'd been all around Oceania and some had gone as far as Europe. In addition to being mothers of large families, several had held professional jobs or worked in the government.
What I'm not sure about is how representative these women are. However, it does seem like there was a lot more gender equality in Samoa in the mid-twentieth century than I would have thought -- perhaps more than in the US and western Europe. It was mentioned, for example, that Samoans could get scholarships to attend elite high schools in New Zealand, and they were chosen by a written examination without regard to sex. The first year of the scholarship program, I think fourteen students were sent to New Zealand and four of them were girls, which isn't bad. The women reported having very good relationships with their fathers and brothers, and said their fathers encouraged them to achieve in their educations and careers. Many of them continued to work even after they married and had children.
This book would be useful to anyone interested in Pacific studies, particularly in relation to gender.
What I'm not sure about is how representative these women are. However, it does seem like there was a lot more gender equality in Samoa in the mid-twentieth century than I would have thought -- perhaps more than in the US and western Europe. It was mentioned, for example, that Samoans could get scholarships to attend elite high schools in New Zealand, and they were chosen by a written examination without regard to sex. The first year of the scholarship program, I think fourteen students were sent to New Zealand and four of them were girls, which isn't bad. The women reported having very good relationships with their fathers and brothers, and said their fathers encouraged them to achieve in their educations and careers. Many of them continued to work even after they married and had children.
This book would be useful to anyone interested in Pacific studies, particularly in relation to gender.
Displaying 1 of 1 review