Samoan Language Week 2014

26 May – 30 May 2014

Talofa. The 2014 theme was:

Fafaga fanau i upu ma tala. Tautala i lau gagana.
Feed the children with words and stories. Speak your language.

Find out more on the Samoan Language Week Facebook page and the Human Rights Commission.

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A selection of Samoan language books held by and available to borrow from Christchurch City Libraries

Cover: How Do You Say thank you?How do you say ‘thank you’? Karamia Müller, J 499.462 MUL
Alofa and Filipo want to learn gagana Sāmoa so at bedtime they ask their parents how to say various things in the Samoan language.

Counting fish in Samoan and English Ahurewa Kahukura, J 499.462 KAH
Count from 1 to 20 in Samoan and English.

Learning transport in Samoan and English Ahurewa Kahukura, J 499.462 KAH
Introduces the Samoan words for different kinds of transport including cars, buses and space ships.

Cover: Samoan Word BookSāmoan word book Aumua Mata’itusi Simanu Papali’i, 499.462 PAP
Features beautifully illustrated vocabulary words, a pronunciation guide, and a glossary. Word categories include family, home school, the body, opposites, numbers, nature, and time. Illustrations by Regina Meredith Malala bring terms to life.

Teuila Festival: aso fa’ailogaina ’o le Teuila Fiti Leung Wai, J 899.462 LEU
Bilingual reader about music festivals.

Faitauga numera: counting numbers in Samoan and English Bettina Ikenasio-Thorpe, J 499.462 IKE
A colourful, clear book of counting numbers in Samoan and English.

Samoan alphabet Lori Phillips, J 499.462 PHI
This book is part of the Island Alphabet Books series, which features languages and childrens’ artwork from the U.S.-affiliated Pacific. Each hardcover book contains the complete alphabet for the language, four or five examples for each letter, and a word list with English translations. The series was co-published with Pacific Resources for Education and Learning, a non-profit corporation that works collaboratively with school systems to enhance education across the Pacific.

Cover : O Le Talo SioneO le talo Sione Lino Nelisi, J 899.462 NEL
Sione finds a huge talo (i.e. taro) growing on his plantation and calls his family to help him pull it up, but they are only successful with the help of an ant.

Taumafa Samoa J 899.462 TAU
Introduces children to the preparation of traditional Samoan foods.

Samoa John MacKinven, J 745 MCK
This book is a resource book of patterns from Samoa used on siapo and in weaving. These resources can be utilised as a starting point for drawing, painting and printing activities, using materials readily available in New Zealand.

Past Samoan Language Weeks

Christchurch City Libraries celebrated Samoan Language Week for the first time in 2012.

Browse more photos of past Samoan Language Weeks.

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