Fai mai le tala a se tasi o toe ulutaia o Samoa, le afioga i le Tama aiga, Tuiatua Tupua Tamasese “E tatau ona faamaumau mea nei, ma faataua le faasamoa, nei vale tuulima lo ta tofi”
Talofa, talofa lava.
It is needless to state the importance of maintaining and recording culture, for one only needs to reflect on humanity perpetuation to appreciate the treasures of our past. As Samoans say “E auau le tavae i ona fulu” (Literally, the white-tail tropic bird values and protects its feathers) ma “e lele foi le toloa ae maau lava i le vai”. (And the grey duck flies only to return to the pond)
The media collection is an integrated element of the Samoan Studies Institute mission statement. This collection started in 1998 with grant from the US National Park Service Cultural Resource Training Initiative to conduct the American Samoa Oral History and Visual Athropology Documentation Training Field School under the auspices of ASCC. At the time, ASCC had the Samoan Pacific Studies Program under the direction of Afioga Pulefaasisina Tuiasosopo. Over the years, the media has grown to more than 500 hours of unedited digital video footage, with about 100 edited documentaries of Samoan legends, historical events and much more.
The objectives of this media collection are to provide instructional materials for instructors and educators, record and preserve traditional knowledge, collect documentaries and to support the teaching and learning of faa-Samoa.
Acknowledgment and sincere recognition to all the contributors, performers, and storytellers recorded and documented by ASCC crew. Also, a big faamalo to Fepuleai Micah Van Der Ryn and Lavinia Sefuiva who are responsible for SSI’s media collection. Thank you to Afioga Pulefaasisina Tuiasosopo for the vision to collect records of Samoa. A heartfelt appreciation and thank you to SSI Instructor Tamari Mulitalo Cheung for the stamina and passion to put together this Media Directory. Faafetai also to Emile Cheung and the ASCC CIO Grace Tulafono for helping put the directory on the College website: www.amsamoa.edu
Samoan Studies Institute opens its doors to all who are interested in viewing, and researching information using our collection and /or purchasing copies of ASCC productions. Please feel free to contact us at any time.
Faafetai lava.
