MIT lecturer speaks on behalf of Prime Ministers at state occasions
Samoan Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa with MIT lecturer Musuiaiga Neil Tapu Sitagata
Recently, Musuiaiga (“Musu”) Neil Tapu Sitagata was humbled to be chosen as tulāfale (orator) to speak on behalf of Samoan Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa in Aotearoa and then Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in Samoa as the two countries celebrated sixty years of diplomatic relations.
The lecturer who was born in California believes there’s a lesson in these appointments for his Gagana Samoa students at MIT.
“To go over there and represent my family and community was an honour,” Musu says.
“It was a huge win for the Samoan diaspora. There is a common misconception that those of us born or raised outside Samoa don’t understand our culture. It was good to go back to the homeland and prove that wasn’t the case.”
In Samoan tradition, there are two types of matai or chief. High chiefs who hold the most influence and orators who act as their spokespeople at important occasions and in cultural spaces. Tulāfale are skilled in the art of Lāuga (oratory), one of the cornerstones of the Samoan way of life.
“We move away from the everyday language,” Musu says. “We quote metaphors and proverbial expressions to try to establish relationships. We try to find familial connections through genealogy
and our shared history. When we quote these, we are making a deliberate attempt to establish rapport. That’s the big picture.”
The 32-year-old moved from the United States to New Zealand with his family as an infant and was later educated at Sacred Heart and Aorere Colleges before completing his Social Work degree at MIT.
After working at the Pasifika Education Centre providing language and cultural competency training to the community, he joined the institute as a lecturer in 2018 . Currently, Musu teaches NZ Certificate of Pacific Language (Gagana Samoa) Levels 3 and 4, four evenings’ a week at the Pasifika Community Centre at MIT Ōtara.
MIT offers certificate level courses in Samoan, Tonga, Cook Island’s Māori and Niuean.
“Most students are full time workers. The atmosphere in class is great. We have a variety of students with varying levels of language proficiency. The more experienced help the less experienced. When we get students working together, it’s a lot of fun,” he says.
The course is open to all and is a great way for service providers and businesses to better cater to their Pacific clients. Currently, the majority of learners are of Samoan descent. Musu says they usually fit into two groups. The first are mature students whose parents migrated to New Zealand and focused on their children learning English as a pathway to success here. The second are the next generation of the diaspora who did not grow up with Gagana Samoa spoken at home.
“Very often learning is a journey of self-discovery,” he says.
“For many Samoan people making their way in Aotearoa, these programmes provide opportunities to learn about their heritage, understand their culture and connect with their aiga better”, says Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga, Deputy Chief Executive – Pasifika, Partnerships and Support.
Musu understands well the feelings learners experience when they start out on their language journey. Despite his years of study and training under the tutelage of his father Tauanu'u Seali'imalietoa Perenise Tapu Sitagata, he still had to confront many of the same questions on taking the responsibility of acting as orator for the Prime Ministers of New Zealand and Samoa.
“For me, I had a few conflicting thoughts in my head,” he says. “Who am I to be put in that position? I am a nobody. I’m still a student of my father who is the main orator of my family. It really did humble me.”
For him, this underlines the fact that learning and study opened the door to a lifetime of commitment to cultural renewal that benefits not just ourselves, but the generations to come.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern leading the New Zealand delegation in Samoa to mark the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship between the two countries.