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by Amerika Samoa Humanities Council (Author)
Home is where our stories begin, and where our future is shaped. It is a place where family history and identity are nurtured and grown to advance in life. Before European explorers and the missionaries arrived on our shores, our people connected through generations by oral history in the forms of stories and narratives. The human ties to our home, land, and identity were kept strong by tales and songs that were passed on by our forefathers through word of mouth. Wisdom and information were transmitted through living the culture and speaking the language of the land. An astute student of culture and language developed a close-knit fellowship with the elders and village council, and later in life, he became a strong and wise leader in the village. In Samoa, our cultural values influence the pattern of which we relate to people and to our surroundings; thus, the Samoan culture exists today as a living culture. The future of any young Samoan man and woman is cultivated and encouraged from within his or her home. The title for this project pays tribute to the wisdom and the untiring labor of our forefathers, who have been stewards of an oral tradition since the prehistoric era of the Samoa Islands. Echoed in these words: O le Manu o Talatuu ma Fisaga o Talaave, metaphorically transcends our appreciation for The Heralding of Our Oral History and Relishing of Our Story Narratives. The stories shared here embraced the significance of knowing who we are and where we came from. This work is the councils way to document the stories of yesterdays and todays generations to encourage success in the lives of tomorrows generation.
